Page 54 of Unexpected

“I would have never guessed that.”

“Why, because I’m a man?”

“Well… yeah, actually. Men don’t usually read romance, right? I think romance is for anyone, but it’s just usually women.”

“I think men should especially read romance novels. It gives you really good insight into a woman’s mind, and who the hell doesn’t like a happily ever after?”

I laughed, because he was right, and I couldn’t agree more. “You’re right. The happily ever after is one of my favorite parts.”

He reached over our joined hands with his opposite arm to grab his wineglass. The decision, although subtle, was very telling—he didn’t want to let go of my hand and a little thrill pulsed through me.

“So, you’ll write a happy ending?”

“Yes. I went back and forth for a while, because as I’ve recently found out, not every love story has a happy ending in real life.”

He nodded, setting his empty glass back down on the metal table with a tiny clink. “True. I think everyone knows that but that’s the great thing about reading those books: you can live the happy ending through someone else. Makes you believe that it could still be out there.”

“I sincerely hope it is.”

“It is,” he said with a soft smile. The lights hanging above us twinkled in his emerald eyes. “So, otherwise, how far along are you with it? I don’t know much about writing a book, but it seems time consuming.”

I chuckled because that was a freaking understatement if I’d ever heard one. “It’s definitely time consuming, but it’s flowing a lot easier now, actually. I have an outline done, character development and the first few chapters. I realized that when your love life is shit, it’s harder to write about happy people. I’ve actually written more this past week since Michael’s left than I did for the past year.”

“I’m glad to hear that it’s going so well. Now that you know I like reading romance, let me know if you need me to proofread anything. I’d be happy to help.”

“Umm… I’m not sure about that.” I laughed and pushed away my empty plate after contemplating a third helping of potatoes. “I’m still a little unsure about sharing my writing before I’ve gone through and edited it. But maybe after that…”

He smiled.

“But that’s a big maybe,” I clarified as a strong gust of wind whirled around us, sending a powerful shiver down my back. The later it got, the less the heater was working.

“Let’s go inside. I have a surprise for you,” Luke said as he reluctantly let go of my hand to scoop up our plates and the almost empty food dishes.

“A surprise?” I questioned, grabbing the empty wineglasses and bottle of wine. I flicked off the heater and hustled inside behind Luke.

He popped open another bottle and instructed me to make myself comfortable on the couch, so I did just that. Sadie was curled up at one end of the sectional closest to the fire on top of the thick red blanket I’d used when I stayed over there. She barely stirred when I sat down next to her after kicking off my short booties and tucking my feet underneath her warm body.

“Okay, close your eyes,” Luke yelled from the kitchen.

Nervously, I obeyed and closed my eyes. I heard the telling shuffle of Luke walking across the rug in the living room and then the clink of what I believed were wineglasses on the coffee table. A second later, the couch shifted beneath me as Luke took the spot next to me. His hand slid up my back and lightly grasped the back of my neck beneath my hair, brushing his fingers against my skin. His touch didn’t feel possessive, rather, it felt protective in a way I wasn’t expecting. My eyelids fluttered at the skin-to-skin contact, and I struggled to keep them closed.

“Okay, open.”

TWENTY-TWO

Hazel

In front of me,perfectly placed on the glass table, was a small pink cake with one candle lit in the very center. Light-pink frosting was smoothed around the entirety of the cake while small, magenta swirls were strategically placed on the top and around the base. My favorite parts were the small rainbow sprinkles dusted over it.

“Happy birthday,” Luke said as I turned to look at him. “I got the cake but forgot candles, of course. I found this one in a drawer in the kitchen. I think it was left over from Zach’s last birthday party we had here.”

“You bought me a cake?” I was already gobsmacked that he would put the effort into cooking me dinner but thinking of buying me a birthday cake seemed way above and beyond what I was expecting.

“Of course. It’s your birthday, so you have to have a cake.”

I didn’t respond. Rather, I covered my mouth with my hand and for some reason had to force myself to hold back tears. Michael would have never thought to buy me a cake, and I chastised myself for the thought. Was I really going to cry over a man buying me a cake?

“I can’t tell if you like it or not,” Luke said while his thumb began running over the skin on my neck, sending a shiver down my back. “Your face could go either way, I think.”

---