“But I think they’re for you,” Zach interrupts my rambling.
I gulp before saying, “and what makes you think that?”
He reaches into his pocket and hands me a light pink envelope. “This was stuck on the door. Someone clearly wanted you to have it. I nearly ripped it just pulling it out of the window frame.
I stare at the envelope and all the color drains from my face.
Tiff
The cursive handwriting is unfamiliar but unmistakably written by a man who grew up privileged.
Shit.I look at Zach wondering if he recognizes it.
Thankfully, I think he’s too busy sniffing the flowers to notice how shaken I am, so I take the envelope and stuff it in my pocket.
“Ah, it's probably the guy that mows next door's lawn.” I swallow down the shame before coughing. Way to make it obvious I'm hiding something. “He told me he'd send through a quote.”
“It's awfully glittery for a guy named Gary.”
I can feel his intense focus on me, but I pretend not to notice.
“Guess he likes a little sparkle in his life.”
“Mhm.”
That hum alone is enough to draw my attention back to him, which makes him smirk. “Is there something you're not telling me, Tiff?”
My eyes widen.
“Uh.”
“Because I think we both know who that letter is really from.”
“W-we do?”
My heart pounds as I stare at my cousin who’s smirking at me. He knows. Obviously, he knows. Keeping something like that from Zach just isn’t possible.
“It's a prince!” Ella pipes up.Thank you, baby, for giving me a second to think.“Mommy has a prince trying to reach her.”
More like a villain.
I let out a humorless laugh. “Believe me. No prince is out there looking for me unless he has unresolved mommy issues.”
“I'll make sure to tell Reese not to call himself Prince anymore.”
“Is Reese coming over to play?” Ella squeals happily.
Clearing my throat I say, “Reese?”
Are we really going to talk about this again?
Zach’s face is even smugger now that he’s taken in my reaction. “Yeah. He asked me for my blessing the other day in asking you out. Said he was doing it properly this time.”
“What?”
This is too much to process for me right now. Jamie, flowers, envelopes. Putting Reese in the middle of this is just confusing my brain to the point that it feels like it's going to explode.
“I told him he doesn't need permission from me. Ella on the other hand...” he glances over at my daughter, who's collecting all of her dolls for the non-existent playdate she's about to have with Reese.