Page 70 of Never Say Never

“I contacted the team photographer. Might have told him I was your sister so he would share it with me.”

“Rebel.” He chuckles before pulling my face to his, kissing the life out of me.

I smile, fluttering my eyelashes at him. “Worth it.”

“It’s amazing, Dais. Thank you.” Tucker leans into me pressing a long and lingering kiss to my lips. “I have something for you too,” he says before climbing out of bed and reaching into his overnight bag. My eyes sparkle up at him when he hands me a little silver box. Plucking at the white ribbon wrapped around it, I open the box and gasp. I stare at the necklace, a thin gold chain with a diamond pendant attached. A daisy. I told him that I love anything with a daisy on it at the diner months ago, but I never expected him to remember. Does he have any idea how much this gift means to me?

“I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe you remembered.”

“Happy birthday, Daisy.” His knuckles brush over my cheek and I lean into the touch. “I remember everything you say. Here, let me help you.”

Tucker opens the clasp and then moves behind me, placing the dainty gold chain around my neck. “I want you to wear it on your trip, so you feel close to me,” he says before kissing the back of my neck and putting my hair back in place.

My fingers brush over the pendant as emotion clogs my throat. “I love it so much. I’m never taking it off.”

“It looks pretty on you.” He smiles back at me before hopping out of bed again. “That’s not all. Stay here. Don’t move, I’ll be right back.”

“What are you doing?”

“Celebrating my girl’s birthday.”

“It’s your birthday too.”

“It’ll be my birthday tonight when I tie you to my bed, spread your legs wide and eat you instead of my birthday cake because it’s my birthday and having a taste of you is my favourite thing in the world,” he says with a wink, before disappearing into the hallway.

Fifteen minutes later, he walks back into the room wearing only the silly pajama pants I bought him for Christmas with his face plastered all over them, and he has a cup of tea and two lemon cupcakes that I recognize from Buttercup Bakery in his hand.

“Breakfast for the birthday girl.” He hands me the plate before grabbing the TV remote and opening the blinds.

“Shit, rebel. I couldn’t have planned this better if I tried. Do you see this?”

I sit up in bed, following his gaze to the window, where I notice it’s raining. I cock my head to the side, wondering how this is a good thing. Tucker starts rifling through my drawer until he finds a pair of my craziest fuzzy socks and one of his RPU T-shirts that I stole.

“What is going on?” I ask him as he slips into bed beside me handing me the T-shirt and socks, looking like he’s clearly up to something.

“Put these on. We’re doing all your favorite things today, Daisy.” He stacks two pillows against my headboard, leans back and opens his legs wide, patting the spot between them. Once I’ve slipped the cotton over my head and shoved my feet into the socks, I move so I’m sitting between his legs. “We’re going to watch a movie in bed while I play with your hair, and can you believe it… it’s raining. Just the way my birthday girl likes it.”

I turn to face him, my eyes wide. “Tuck…”

“Is this okay? We can go out for breakfast if you want, or we can head down to White Harbor? Go shopping? Whatever you want, Daisy.” He nervously rattles off the list of activities while my heart expands in my chest.

I could just tell him that this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, birthday or not. Instead, I wrap my arms around his neck and pull his mouth to mine.

“I take it I did good,” he says through a smile when we break the kiss. “I’ve never done anything like this before, but I really wanted to make you happy.”

Oh. My. God. Okay, I might never recover from that. I take his face in my hands, and tell him, “It’s perfect. You’ve set the bar. I will compare all other birthdays to this one. So yes, Tucker, you have made me very happy.”

“I’m glad.” He kisses my forehead, followed by my nose then my mouth. “So, it’s better than our 13thbirthday when I smashed your face into the cake and then told Addy to push you in the pool?”

I laugh into my hands. “Oh my god, remember how mad I was at you? I didn’t talk to you for a week.”

“When I tried to apologize you called me an assclown,” Tucker says, cracking up. “You yelled it, actually, in the hallway at school. I never forgot that.”

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t very nice of me. Even if you were being an assclown.”

“You can apologize to me later. I have ideas.”

“Before or after you tie me up and eat me for dessert?”

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