Page 37 of Finding Forever

Beth followed Kayla through the door and into the warmth of the little store. Buckets of flowers filled one side of the shop, bringing splashes of pink, cream, yellow, and green to the gray morning. The delicate scent of roses mingled with the stronger fragrance of eucalyptus and greenery.

Paris appeared from the workroom at the back of the store, carrying a wide glass vase filled with pale pink roses.

Her jet-black hair was pulled into a loose knot, and her bright blue eyes lit up when she saw them.

“Kayla! I’m so glad you’re here.”

Kayla smiled as Paris hugged her. “Mom said you had some flowers you wanted to show me.”

“I do. The timing couldn’t have been better. I’m putting together the bouquets for a wedding this afternoon, and the bride chose some of the same flowers we talked about using for yours.”

Paris carried the vase to a table, then led Beth and Kayla into the workroom behind the front counter.

Several finished bouquets were waiting there, surrounded by ribbons, scissors, and loose pieces of greenery. Beth stopped beside Kayla as Paris picked up one of the larger arrangements.

The bouquet was simple and romantic, with cream roses, pale pink ranunculus, white lisianthus, and soft greenery spilling loosely around the edges.

Kayla’s face immediately brightened. “Oh, that’s beautiful.”

“I thought you’d like it.” Paris turned the bouquet so they could see it from every angle. “The bride wanted fuller arrangements, but if you want something smaller, I could do that.”

Kayla studied the bouquet. “I don’t want anything that looks too perfect. Does that make sense?”

“Completely.” Paris pulled a few stems from a bucket and loosely arranged them in her hand as she talked. She showed Kayla how using fewer roses and more delicate flowers would make the bouquet feel softer and more natural.

Beth watched her daughter’s expression change as Paris added a sprig of greenery and then a small white flower.

There it was.

The look Beth had been waiting for.

Kayla had approached most of the wedding decisions practically. She and Tyler wanted a small ceremony with the people closest to them, good food, plenty of laughter, and nothing that left them paying for the wedding for years afterward.

But every now and then, one small detail made it real.

Her dress had done it.

And now the flowers had, too.

Kayla looked at Beth. “What do you think, Mom?”

“I think they’re perfect for you.”

Her daughter smiled and turned back to Paris. “Can we have some of the pale pink roses, too?”

“Absolutely. And I can use the same flowers for Tyler’s boutonniere and the table arrangements so everything ties together.”

They spent the next twenty minutes discussing the ceremony and dinner afterward. Kayla didn’t want elaborate centerpieces, so Paris suggested small arrangements in glass vases, with candles between them. She made notes about the flowers Kayla liked, showed them different ribbon samples, and promised to send photographs of two slightly different bouquets before ordering anything.

By the time they’d finished, Beth could almost picture the reception.

A long table would be filled with family and friends. Flowers and candles. Fairy lights and ribbon. Kayla and Tyler surrounded by the people who loved them.

The thought brought the familiar mixture of happiness and wistfulness that Beth had felt since the wedding plans began.

Her little girl was getting married.

Beth wondered if there would ever come a time when that sentence didn’t catch at her heart.