Nip it in the Bud (Bunch-A-Blooms 3)

“You guys don’t want one?” I ask with a frown.

Ilana’s eyes light up, and she opens her mouth to speak. Neomi glares, and Ilana shuts her mouth and shakes her head.

“Okay, your loss,” I say as I pull Willow into the line with me at Taste of Belgium. Willow sighs heavily. The integration process has all but ground to a halt thanks to one very stubborn Hunter. The more time we spend together, the more Neomi draws a very clear line in the sand. Ilana is caught in the middle, eager to connect with another female. She mutes her responses to remain loyal to her twin sister. I’ve been careful not to bombard the family with Willow. I keep our time separate with the exception of once or twice a week. My time is ticking own before my tour, and I’m starting to get annoyed with Ne’s behavior.

Everyone has warmed to Willow, except her. Right now, she’s bordering on being rude as she disagrees with nearly everything.

“Let her expresses herself, Drew.”

“No, not at the constant expense of you. I’ve had enough.” I take out my wallet and hand her twenty bucks. “Here, you and Ilana get the waffles, Ne and I are going for a walk.” I wave the girl over. “Come on, let’s go for a walk, Neomi. Lana, you keep Willow company.”

I wait for a few minutes into our stroll before I begin to speak. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on with you?”

“What? I have to like Willow?”

“No, and if I thought that was truly the case, I’d keep my mouth shut. You’re allowed to form your own opinions about people. What you aren’t allowed to do is be rude to them when they don’t deserve it. I can’t figure it out. No one’s shoving her down your throat, and she’s very nice to the two of you.”

“Yeah, now,” she explodes.

I blink, shocked. “Now?”

“Yes. Sure, she’s nice now, when you’re around. What about when you leave, hmm? Why should I have any faith in her when she’s just going to show her true colors later?”

“Why would you say that, Neomi?” I ask gently.

Her eyes glisten with unshed tears that tear me apart. “Because that’s how it happens. Granny agrees. She said Willow only wants you for your money, and the minute you’re preoccupied with something else, she’ll show her true colors. I’m tired of being hurt, Dad.”

“Wait, Kathy said this?” My fury builds by the second.

She nods and sniffs. “I tried to tell Ilana, but she said Granny was wrong. Why would Granny say it if she didn’t believe it? She only wanted to spare me pain, she said so. And, Daddy, I don’t want to get attached to her if she’s going to disappear. Mom was that way. Nice until suddenly one day she wasn’t anymore.”

Wrapping an arm around Neomi, I pull her to my side. “Oh, honey, I am so sorry you’ve been going through this alone. I wish you would’ve come to me.”

“Granny said you were too blinded by her beauty to see it.”

“Honey, your Granny is wrong. I know you love her, but she’s hurting over your mother’s poor life choice. It makes her mean and spiteful when she shouldn’t be, and your mother has an addiction. She’s not reliable. She can’t be because it rules her every waking thought, it’s a disease, and she has a severe case of it. Willow doesn’t have that. She genuinely cares about you two, and she is not going anywhere.”

Neomi sniffs. “What about when you leave for your tour?”

“She’ll still be around. You can call her whenever you like, and I’m pretty sure she’d like to continue to do things with you, but only if you’re open to that. The thing about being closed off from everyone is you miss out on all the good stuff along with the bad.” I wipe the tears away from her eyes.

“What if she doesn’t like me after how I’ve been?”

“Honey, she’s not holding a grudge, but it would be really nice of you to apologize. I know you’ve hurt her feelings, and all she wanted to do was form a relationship with you.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy.” She looks down, and I hold her tighter.

“I won’t say it’s okay because it wasn’t, but I understand that this is a tough transition. It’s been just the three of us for a long time, but in time it’s going to be the four if she says yes, and I want you to be prepared for that.”

“You want to marry her?” Neomi whispers.

“I do. What do you think of that?”

“I think Willow is really cool, Dad. Honestly, I do. She doesn’t treat us like we’re babies, and she knows a lot about flowers and make-up, all kinds of girly stuff and books.”

“I think hearing that from you would really brighten her day, and I’m going to have a talk with Granny. I think we all need a little space from each other. She never should’ve said what she did to you, and if anyone ever tells you something that feels off, you come to me with it next time, okay?”

She nods her head, and I bend down and kiss her crown. “I love you, kid.”