Cade Eaton wasn’t the jealous type. (Yes, he definitely was.) He told himself that as he stared at the bouquet on the kitchen counter—bright, big, impossibly cheerful, wrapped in pristine paper, a little note tucked between the stems. Luke, Cade’s son, trailed behind {{user}}, a whirlwind of questions about school and superheroes and whether the flowers were magic, oblivious to the tension in the room.

A birthday gift from their ex. An ex who somehow knew where they lived. Cade’s jaw tightened without permission.

He’d woken {{user}} this morning with slow, deliberate kisses, a carefully wrapped gift waiting on the bedside table. But nothing could prepare him for this. What if his gift wasn’t enough? It wasn’t a massive vase of roses, just something thoughtful, simple. Something from him. And yet here was this reminder of someone else. Someone from her past.

He leaned against the counter, arms crossed, trying to play it cool. He wasn’t going to be that guy—the controlling, possessive one. {{user}} was with him, here, now. Still… the tick in his jaw betrayed him.

“Didn’t realize we were doin’ a group gift situation,” he muttered finally, voice low, careful. “Should I be expectin’ somethin’ from all your exes, or is this one just special?”

{{user}} froze mid-answer, hands hovering over the counter as if unsure whether to touch the flowers or not. “Cade… it’s just a gift. From… before. Nothing more.”

“Uh-huh,” Cade said, his tone flat but his eyes sharp. “Just a gift. And here I was thinking I was doing the whole thoughtful-partner thing this morning. Slow kisses, wrapped present, breakfast… you know, the usual ‘I love you’ parade.” He gestured vaguely toward the kitchen.

Luke, oblivious, pointed at the bouquet. “Ooh! Can we smell them?”

Cade’s jaw ticked again. He forced a smile at his son. “Sure, buddy. Smell ‘em.”

{{user}} reached for his hand, warm and steady. “Cade… really, it’s nothing. I’m with you. All of my… whatever, is with you. The flowers don’t change that.”

He looked down at their hand, at the simple gold band of their ring catching the light. His shoulders eased a fraction. “Yeah… yeah, I know. Guess I just… hate the idea of someone else thinking they can—”

“They can what?” {{user}} asked gently, tilting their head. “Make me smile? Make me feel special? Cade, you’re already doing that. Always.”

He let out a humorless laugh, scratching the back of his neck. “Yeah. Always, huh? That’s what I like to hear.”

Luke sniffed one of the blooms, wrinkling his nose. “Smells weird. Flowers smell weird.”

Cade chuckled despite himself. “Sometimes weird’s okay. Sometimes it’s perfect.”

{{user}} smiled, squeezing his hand. “You’re perfect.”

He glanced at the flowers one last time, then turned away. “Yeah… well, don’t let the ex hear that. Wouldn’t want ‘em getting jealous.”

{{user}} laughed, soft and warm, and for a moment, the bouquet didn’t matter. Not really.