Page 91 of Chase Our Forever

I take a drink of my coffee before responding. “Oh, she’s already talked them into it. She also talked Margo into giving her lessons when they come out for the new year.”

Dean shakes his head. Margo is one of Camden’s best artists. She’s always doing different showcases at his gallery in Manhattan. When she and her family and friends first came to visit Sutten and Clara learned she was an artist, she became obsessed with peppering Margo with questions. Margo was sweet enough to even send me some beginner kits she thought would be great for Clara.

I set my coffee down and turn toward Dean. My heart races with anticipation as I think about his gift and what he’ll think about it.

Before I can say anything, he gets up and grabs my stocking from the mantle. “Time to open your gift, my beautiful wife.”

I blush. There’s no way I’ll ever tire of hearing him call me that. “What if I wanted you to open your gift first?”

He smirks, carefully placing the stocking in my lap. “I beat you to it. Plus, I’m too anxious to wait another second. This has been a hard secret to keep, and I need you to open it now.”

I pick up the stocking, trying to feel for the contents inside to see if I can figure out what the gift is. I can’t help but smile as I look at him with a lifted eyebrow. “That’s funny.I’vebeen anxious to give youyourgift. It’s also been very hard to keep it a surprise.”

“I guess we’ll find out which secret was harder to keep, then,” he quips, gesturing for me to reach into the stocking.

Something tells me the gift I got for him was much harder to keep a secret, but I don’t tell him that. Instead, I reach inside and pull out a small box. I give him a questioning look, wondering what’s inside. I give it a little shake, the contents rattling with the movement.

“What is this?” I ask, glancing over at Clara. She’s too busy playing with her new art kit to pay us any attention.

“Open it to find out, baby.”

I pull on the red lid of the box, revealing a set of keys with a little book stack keychain. I lift the keys and dangle them in the air between us, looking at Dean with a questioning stare.

“What are these keys to?” I ask, keeping my voice low. I feel bad because I haven’t really given him a reaction to the gift yet because I still don’t know if I understand what the gift is.

“To Bluebird Books.”

My head cocks to the side. “Okay…why are you gifting me the keys to Bluebird Books?”

Dean smiles, his teeth raking against his bottom lip. I fall in love with him more each time he smiles at me, even after having countless ones aimed my way over the last two years. “Because you’re the new owner,” he answers casually.

My heart skips in my chest as I fly off the couch. “What?” I ask, incredibly confused.

Dean leans forward, that handsome smile of his still on full display. “Ty was ready to retire. You’ve worked so hard there that he and I decided that you should be the new owner.”

I shake my head. “You can’t just give a bookstore as a Christmas gift, Dean. Books? Yes. Bookstores? No.”

He lifts a shoulder. “Too late. I already bought it. It’s yours, sunshine.”

I stand in front of him, unable to look anywhere else but into his eyes as emotion washes through me. Books have always been the one thing that kept me company in my loneliest of times. Even working at the bookstore was a dream come true. But owning one? I can’t even process that what he’s saying is true.

“I can’t accept that as a gift,” I whisper, my emotions getting the better of me.

He stands up and closes the distance between us. His hands cup my cheeks as he tilts my face to look up at him. “Yes, you can. You will, baby. No one deserves it more. Bluebird Books is all yours.”

Tears stream down my face. “I can’t believe this.” I stand up on my tiptoes and plant a kiss to his lips, knowing there aren’t enough words to be able to thank him for the gift.

When we finally pull away, I still shake my head in disbelief. “I can’t believe this. Thank you. I love you. I can’t believe I own a bookstore.”

Dean smiles, his thumb tracing over my cheek. “I love you, too, sunshine. You’re the hottest bookstore owner out there.”

I give him a smile. “Can I give you your gift now?”

He nods, and my heart races as I break the connection between us long enough to grab his stocking. I feel like I can hear my blood pumping through my body as I walk over to him and hand over the stocking. I have no idea what his reaction will be to the gift, but I’m more than ready to finally give it to him.

Dean gives me a cautious smile as he peeks into the stocking. “Why do you look so nervous all of a sudden?”

I give him what I hope is an encouraging smile. “Just open it,” I whisper.

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