Chapter 5 : Farmer's Market

Seraphina's POV

After a few days, I received word from Abe. Rosie brought home a letter from the post office. At first glance, it just looked like a casual letter telling Rosie how much he loves and misses her. But as Rosie broke out the codec, Abe was saying so much more.

So far, William spent his evenings the same way he did while I was there. In the company of entertainers. Drowning himself in booze and drugs. It was a miracle he sobered up enough by the morning to lead the city.

Abe was certain William wasn't actively looking for us yet. But chances are the elders would start breathing down his neck if I didn't show up soon. After all, I also had his heir. He ended the letter by promising updates as they came and how he hoped Annika and I were getting the home we needed.

When Rosie told me the last part, I nearly burst into tears. Grateful that someone like Abe was looking after me. And now his daughter helped me stand on my own two feet. Mainly, I felt relieved Abe was all right and remained under the radar.

William liked to play dumb, but he was more cunning than his guard gave him credit for. He always had a plan. So saying William spent all night in the clubs seemed suspicious. I could feel it. A guttural instinct warning me this was far from over. I had to remain a few steps in front of him.

But if I sat around all day worrying about William's next move, I'd never heal. Never find myself again. I'd always be in my ex-husband's shadow.

Ex-husband…huh. That felt nice. Now if only I could tear this damn ring off my finger. Goddess knows I tried. From jewelry saws to good ol' lubricant, nothing would slip it off. Every time I saw the white gold band catch the sunlight, I felt sick to my stomach. It might as well have been a dog collar.

I sighed, ignoring the twisting in my stomach as I wandered around the farmer's market, Annika in her stroller, looking for Rosie's stand. She sold herbs and alchemy ingredients that grew on a plot behind the homestead.

And Rosie certainly had a green thumb.

Annika bounced and babbled in the stroller, strapped in because I knew she'd be a tornado through the stands if I let her. It wasn't a large market like the one on the packlands, but it felt homey.

Genuine.

Humans and shifters and fae alike, seemingly happy in a hodge-podge of different cultures.

I liked it here. And so did Annika.

Especially when merchants cooed at her and waved. My little Annie loved the attention. I looked down at my phone, trying to remember what stand number Rosie was. I said it wasn't a large market, but big enough to get lost.

I shot Rosie a little text message.

Me: Which number are you again?

Three little dots appeared.

Rosie: A13, near the cafe.

Okay, cool. I knew where that was. I went there a few times when I took Annika on a walk around the town square.

Rosie: Oh! And grab me a coffee if you don't mind. Yo girl needs her caffeine.

I smiled and replied: You got it! Same as usual?

Rosie: Yep. Thanks, boo.

I tucked my phone away, rolling Annika in the way of the cafe, around various people. Eyes on the prize of caffeine.

"Sera? Is that you?" his voice sent instant heat all around the collar of my sweater, flushing downward to my belly. Just like it did the first time I saw him.

I stopped, my heart fluttering with either excitement or nervousness. I wasn't entirely sure. "Kit?"

Sure enough, browsing wood carvings and whittling tools, stood the handyman from the other day. His cheeks rounded as his lips curved into a broad smile, sending my heart pounding even harder into my ribcage.

He said a friendly goodbye to the seller, with a bag of goods as he made his way over to me. "Hey! What're you doing here?" he asked, and that's when I realized how tall he was in comparison to everyone walking around him.

I've always been on the shorter side so everyone towered over me, but I didn't realize how his broad form seemed to make everyone else seem small. He wasn't wearing a jacket or sweater like I was, so I got a full view of his massive arms straining against the fabric of his t-shirt.

He should really get a larger size. Those are distracting.

That mouthwatering smell of his cologne washed over me again. I tugged at the sleeves of my sweater, pulling my arms into them subconsciously. "Just here to see Rosie. And I haven't been to see the market yet. I thought Annika might like it."

He looked down at the toddler blowing disgusting-looking bubbles out of her nose. "Oh, hey, Annie. How're you doing?"

I refrained from a laugh when she giggled, babbling loudly as her nose continued to run exponentially. Who knew something so little could have so much snot? "Sorry," I murmured, grabbing a boogie wipe from the stroller to wipe her nose.

Kit shrugged, waggling a thick dark eyebrow, "It's okay. Happens to everyone."

The side of my mouth curled up. "Maybe you get nasty runny noses, but I don't."

"Never?"

"Never in my life," I lied and as karma would have it, I caught the scent of wildflower and sneezed.

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone," Kit teased. "Do you want to walk around a little? I know a few good stands. What do you like? Handcrafted chocolates. Woven clothes. Homegrown cherry tomatoes. Even soap."

That actually sounded like a lot of fun. "Maybe later. I promised Rosie some coffee," I said, waving my cell phone as a reference.

He paused, a light pinkness tinting his cheeks. I almost couldn't tell from his dark beard, but it was there. And I found it really cute.

Kit looked at me through thick lashes, pinning me with his stark green eyes. "Then would you like some company? My feelings won't be hurt if you say no."

I tucked some stray hair behind my ear, fiddling with my sleeves. "I'd love some company."

The smile returned to his face, revealing the twisted canine that seemed to only make an appearance when he beamed. "Then lead the way."

The coffee shop wasn't very far, but it was nice to have Kit walking next to me. He had these long leggy strides that I had a hard time keeping up with. When he noticed, he slowed down, giving me a sheepish look. "Sorry about that. I forget."

"I have short legs, it's fine," I teased. "So what did you get at the vendor?"

He glanced down at his bag, almost like he forgot he was even carrying it. "Oh! I wanted to try out a new hobby."

"Yeah?"

"I like to work with my hands, but when I go home after a long day at work, I feel restless. I want to work on something while I'm watching a movie. It's hard for me to sit still," Kit admitted. "And whittling seems fun. I tried crochet once. Didn't end well."

I paused. "Didn't end well? It's a needle and thread."

Kit tilted his head to the side, feigning hurt. "It's all fun and games until you accidentally sew your finger into the scarf you're butchering."

I tried not to laugh, but I failed, snorting through my nose. It must've been such an odd noise because Annika suddenly shouted, looking back at me and babbling something. Sounded an awful lot like, "Mom, stop it. You're embarrassing me."

"So what do you like to do for fun?" Kit asked, holding the door to the cafe open for me. I rolled in with Annika, getting in the long line.

I hummed. "That's a tough one. I'm still trying to figure that out."

Kit ran his tongue over his bottom lip, sinking his teeth into it and he visibly gave his response some thought. "Hmm. How about this? After a long day of being a kickass mom, doing a billion-and-one things, when Annie is finally asleep, what do you do to relax?"

Inching further in line, I brought my eyebrows together, pursing my lips. "Well, I suppose I like to read. Dance. I like to dance."

"Dancing is fun," Kit added. "I'm not very good, but a few drinks in, and I don't care who's watching."

"You'd be surprised how easy it is to have fun when you just stop caring about what other people think," I replied.

The warmth from his body felt like it flooded into mine. Cozy and warm, nuzzling me like a warm blanket. It was an odd sensation, considering he hadn't even touched me, but at the same time, I liked it.

I liked how easy it felt to talk to Kit.

"Next!" the barista called.

My gaze snapped away from him, nearly forgetting where I was for a moment. I felt normal. Like the woman I was before being given over to the Blood Moon pack.

Kit offered to buy it for me, and I let him. It was a sweet gesture, especially since he also bought Annika a cake pop. She took a big bite out of it and her eyes lit up like she suddenly got all the answers to the universe.

Before she crumbled the rest of it into her overalls. Really rubbing it in so I'd never be able to get the stain out.

Kit knelt in front of the stroller, grabbing another pastry he got. "Do you mind if I give her some of my cookie?" he asked me.

"I think for a special occasion, she can have a cookie," I replied, looking warmly down at Kit and Annika. He snapped off a piece of a chocolate chip cookie and I swear that garbage pail of a child swallowed it in one gulp.

Kit was too nice to me when he didn't need to be. Darkness pinched my insides for a moment, making me wonder if the only reason he was being nice was that he wanted something from me.

"Keep doing me all these favors and I don't know if I'll be able to repay you," I stated firmly. I tried to keep my tone light, but I couldn't hide the warning.

He looked up at me, snapping off another chunk of cookie for my toddler before standing up. To my surprise, he didn't seem ruffled by my change in tone. "Sera," he started softly, "you don't have to pay me back. This isn't a transaction."

That felt foreign. I didn't like getting anything for free. I was so used to everything being a transaction. You pay for the good things just as much as you paid for the bad. My expression must've tipped him off that I didn't understand what he meant.

"How about this? Save me some dinner the next time you cook something. That stew was to die for," Kit offered.

The pit in my chest shrunk, replaced with a flittering warmth. "Okay, deal," I promised, instantly feeling better.

Then we headed over to Rosie's booth, bringing her coffee which she downed as soon as we handed it to her. She had a few customers while we were there, but she encouraged Kit and me to take Annika around.

At some point, Annie fell asleep in her stroller and I got to actually explore a few of the booths I really liked. Kit and I talked all afternoon about all sorts of things. I don't think I laughed so much since I got married.

Then finally as the farmers market came to a close and I got a few trinkets and a few bags of fresh produce, I said goodbye to Kit and Rosie took me home.

My heart was fluttering, my cheeks were sore, and I went home that evening feeling warm and cozy inside. And that warmth stayed, like a tether tightening in my chest, as I put Annika to bed and fell asleep thinking of green eyes and a beaming smile.