Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
“Oh my god, it’s beautiful. It’s so soft.”
As she ran her hands over it, I saw that she was still crying. I figured I wouldn’t mention it this time. She was having a hell of a time between being sick and her mom coming by, and pregnancy hormones probably weren’t helping.
“Okay, open this one now,” I said, passing her the small box I’d had gift wrapped in shiny silver paper with a red ribbon wrapped around it.
My heart pounded in my chest as she tore off the wrapping paper. I’d seen this in the store and known immediately that she’d love it, but still, I couldn’t wait to see her reaction.
She flipped open the little blue box and looked at the necklace inside—a flat silver heart with Mom engraved on it. Her expression crumbled as she burst into tears.
Shit. Good or bad? Had I given her this gift at the worst possible time with her mom here?
“Sorry,” she said, looking embarrassed.
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She smiled. “No, these are happy tears. This is the most wonderful present anyone has ever given me. I love it so much, Beau. Thank you.”
I grabbed the box and set it down, pulling her back into my arms. Burying her face in my chest, she cried and held on tightly. From someone who usually didn’t show much emotion, her breakdown caught me by surprise.
Asher had once told me he learned the hard way that women didn’t want to be grilled when they were crying; they wanted to be comforted. So I just held Shelby, wishing I had the words to make her feel better but knowing I probably didn’t.
“Sorry,” she said, pulling away after a minute and avoiding my gaze. “Christmas is always a hard day for me. I should have mentioned that.”
She walked over to the kitchen sink and took a paper towel from the holder on the counter, wiping her cheeks.
“Want to talk about it?” I asked.
She exhaled heavily as she threw away the paper towel. “My dad died on Christmas. It was a really long time ago, but still.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not just that. The only people who have ever given me Christmas gifts—other than you, just now—are my grandparents, after I moved in with them. Unless the bonus from the firm I worked for after law school counts. But like, a real present with paper and a bow…just them, and now you. And your parents.”
Jesus. I’d had it so good my whole life. Shelby hadn’t moved in with her grandparents until she was fifteen. It killed me to picture her as a little girl, losing her dad on Christmas and never getting a single gift.
“I’m going to heat up some potatoes,” she said, walking over to the table to look through the containers I’d brought over. “Do you want anything?”
“No, thanks. I’m still stuffed from earlier.”
While she put mashed potatoes and gravy into a bowl and microwaved it, I opened the box with the necklace I’d bought her and took it out, then walked over to her.
“Can I put it on you?” I asked.
She smiled, nodded, and turned around, gathering her hair and picking it up to expose her neck.
I was close enough to smell her shampoo again. I looped the necklace around her neck and tried to fasten the clasp at the back.
“This thing is made for much smaller hands than mine,” I muttered. “Hang on.”
After several tries, I got the damn thing clasped, pretty much on accident since I could hardly see it. She turned around and met my eyes, touching the heart with her fingertips.
“I’ll never take it off,” she said. “And when I look at it, I’ll always think of everything you’ve done for me.”
Her eyes glistened again, and I felt a powerful pull to show her just how amazing she was. How could I be the only one besides her grandparents to see it? The world had beaten her down, time and again, and she’d gotten up each time despite all of it. Chasing your dreams took guts, and Shelby had more guts than anyone I’d ever known.
I didn’t even bother telling myself it was a bad idea. Fuck it. I cupped her cheek and leaned close, my lips hovering an inch from hers for a couple of seconds so she had time to tell me to stop if she wanted to.
She didn’t, though. When our lips met, a jolt ran from the tip of my spine to the base. Her mouth was soft and she kissed me back tentatively, but it wasn’t enough. I’d wanted this for so damn long now that I couldn’t hold back.
I slid my hand around to the back of her neck, my other hand finding her hip and then the small of her back. Did I pull her closer or did she move closer? All I knew for sure was that our bodies had molded to each other at some point, her soft curves pressing against me in all the right places.