Page 59 of An Adventure For Aster

He shrugged and she playfully slapped his arm.

Aster didn’t want her to feel bad that she didn’t have the money he did. Not that she even knew what he had because he hadn’t disclosed that.

Why would he? It didn’t change who he was in his mind even if it did his parents.

They moved to her little Christmas tree and she sat on the floor to push over the three gifts that were wrapped with his name on it. He had two under the tree for her.

When they were done opening them, he’d gotten a nice new fleece and some shirts. He needed them. She’d poked fun at the fact he didn’t have a lot of clothes. He’d reminded her that up until months ago he lived in uniforms half the time.

“Do you like that color?” he asked of the scarf he picked out for her. It was probably frivolous to get it, but he’d seen someone making it in the plant and it called to him for Raine.

The light yellow with the big daisy on one end reminded him of the brightness she brought into his life.

“It’s perfect,” she said. “I can’t wait to wear it. I love the dress too. I’m surprised you picked this out.”

“I ordered it,” he said. “If it doesn’t fit we can return it. But you were wearing a dress when I saw you the day of that fire. I couldn’t get it out of my head.”

He’d ordered her a blue cotton dress that would be fitted to her body but give her movement on top of it. It was soft cotton and she could wear flats or boots with it. He actually liked the scarf with it and tried not to feel like a wuss that he’d put the outfit together.

“That is the sweetest thing I’ve heard,” she said. “Thank you so much.”

“I’ve got one more thing,” he said. He opened a drawer in her end table and pulled out the little jewelry box he’d snuck in there last night.

“Oh boy,” she said. “I’m excited but then ticked because you did enough already.”

“Let me have fun,” he said.

“Okay,” she said. “You twisted my arm.” She ripped the paper off, opened the lid on the box and then let out a little gasp.

“Do you like it? I asked Daisy to make it for me.”

“I love it,” she said. “It’s a daisy. Aster is in the daisy family, right?”

“Yes,” he said. He took the white gold necklace out of the box and turned the charm over. “Can you read this?”

She held it up close. “Is that a date on it?”

“It’s the date I first saw you.”

She started to cry. Yeah, he was a big old wuss. Even Daisy had asked what the date meant and got all dewy-eyed when he’d said it.

Maybe the women were getting to him there.

At least it hadn’t gotten back to Zane to bust his ass or give him an “I told you so” about the women wearing you down.

“Now I know you love me,” she said, hugging him.

“Did you not believe me when I said it?”

“I believed you, but the fact you had this made before this morning tells me that you weren’t just saying it because you thought I needed to say it.”

“No,” he said. “I wouldn’t do that.”

He kissed her quickly, then she grabbed his hand and pulled him up. “Shower time. Together.”

It was the look in her eyes that told him he was going to get thanked in more than one way.

A few hours later, after the visit with her family, they returned to her apartment and she got some clothes and they went to his house.

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