Marshall grinned playfully. "She likes the idea of us together."
That confirmed my suspicion that he was saying what she wanted to hear. But it made me hopeful for more, and I needed to figure out why that was.
He led me over to a table where his family was seated. Even Dalton was there with his baby, Lilliana, who was sitting in his lap, sucking on her thumb.
"The gardens are beautiful, aren't they?" Elena asked me.
"I haven't had a chance to walk around yet," I admitted.
"You should before it gets too busy," Hudson said to us.
"You want to take a walk?" Marshall asked me, and I nodded. "Sure."
We were here to see the new gardens that Kingston Construction and the teen volunteers had built, and it would give me time alone with Marshall. Maybe I could get a better idea of what he meant when he said he needed more time with me.
Marshall wrapped his hand around mine, and we walked across the expanse of lawn to the gazebo. I stepped inside. A nice breeze lifted my hair as we gazed out the back of it. There were flower beds that bordered the new gazebo, which had been painted white to match the railings on the center's deck.
"This is the perfect place to sit and enjoy the view."
Marshall moved behind me, his mouth near my ear. "It is nice and private."
You could still see the gazebo from the deck, but not the people inside. I turned slightly, lifting my head. "What did you have in mind?"
His hand cupped my neck, and he angled my chin so that he could kiss me softly on the lips. When we heard footsteps approaching on the stone path, we broke apart.
I giggled, feeling a little like a teenager.
He grabbed my hand again and led me past the older couple that arrived to see the interior of the gazebo. "Excuse us."
We laughed as we rushed across the lawn toward the butterfly garden. It was set on the edge of the woods where the volunteers had cleared a natural-looking path.
A wooden stake sat in the ground at the front of the garden declaring it The Butterfly Garden. There was a winding path through the garden, and a few butterflies flew around. The primary plant was milkweed which I remembered from our day planting was both a nectar source and host plant for caterpillars.
Marshall cupped a vibrant star flower. "These are pentas, which attract butterflies and hummingbirds."
"I can't wait to see a hummingbird."
"I bet if you sat here for a while, you'd see one. As the plants get more mature, more butterflies will be attracted to this space.”
"It's gorgeous as is, but I can't wait to see more butterflies and even hummingbirds." I'd never been into plants or birds, but helping Marshall with this project piqued my interest with nature. It wasn't something I had an opportunity to do when I lived in Jacksonville. There my life revolved around work and social outings with my friends.
Living here had opened my eyes to other opportunities, and our time spent at the preserve and here increased my appreciation for nature.
"This bush is good for attracting them too. It will bloom all summer into fall and loves the warm weather. It will get big, so we'll need to make sure it's trimmed." It had glossy green leaves and red and orange blossoms. "When the flowers stop blooming, it will get berries which are good for songbirds."
"You know a lot about butterfly gardens now."
"This was a good project for us."
"Now I want to plant a garden at the cottage," I said, realizing too late that it wasn't mine, not after this summer.
He squeezed my hand. "It might be a little too sandy there."
I frowned. "That's too bad."
"We'll have to come here when we want our butterfly fix."
I smiled. "I suppose we will."
