Page 62 of Unforgivable Ties

It was the most beautiful watch I had ever seen in my life. The watch was a gorgeous concoction of silver and delicate diamonds, its face adorned with roman numerals. It was an exquisite piece of craftsmanship that simply took my breath away.

“Vincenzo, I...” My words trailed off as I stared in awe. The diamonds shimmered under the Christmas tree lights, casting mini rainbows around the room. This must have cost a small fortune.

“Like it?” His words were a soft whisper in my ear, his warm breath against my neck causing shivers of pleasure to dance down my spine.

“I do. It’s beautiful,” I murmured, my eyes never leaving the watch.

I flipped it over and saw a crest that had been custom laser engraved into the back. It was his family crest; a serpent coiling around a sword. My heart jumped at the sight of it, my eyes flicking to Vincenzo with surprise. This watch was more than just a gift; it was a silent way of branding me as his.

He was standing close, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body. His fingers brushed lightly against my own as he took the watch from me, deftly unclasping it and circling it around my wrist.

As the cold metal met my skin, a shiver ran through me. Not from the chill of the watch, but from how intimate this moment felt. He secured it with a soft click, his fingers lingering on my skin a moment longer than necessary, igniting a familiar warmth that traveled up my arm and pooled in my chest.

“Perfect fit,” he murmured, his dark gaze steady on mine. I swallowed, his proximity along with the gravity of his gift making my skin tingle in anticipation.

Suddenly, the $160 cuff link set I bought him felt woefully inadequate. The disparity between our gifts was embarrassingly evident, like comparing a homemade ashtray to a Cartier brooch. I glanced over to the small box that held his present, tucked away in the far corner of the room, wrapped hastily in cheap wrapping paper. A sudden heat rushed to my cheeks.

Unaware of my inner turmoil, Vincenzo picked up the small box I had left for him under the tree. He carefully unwrapped it, undoing the red ribbon around the box with a precision that paralleled his meticulous nature. I watched him, my heart pounding in my chest like a hammer against an anvil.

“Oh?” he said, a smirk playing on the corner of his lips.

Oh god. He hated it. Of course he did, he could afford $160,000 cuff links and mine were .001% of that.

“You can return them if you want,” I blurted, red hot embarrassment creeping through my body. “If you hate it—”

“SR?” he asked, holding up the cufflink.

“Huh?”

The cufflinks were supposed to have his initials “VL," engraved on them. The company must have given us the wrong set.

My face turned even redder when I realized it was my fault. Amid filling out the mountains of paperwork they had given me, I had accidentally put my initials on what should be engraved.Stephanie Reinhardt.

“Oh my gosh! It-it was supposed to say ‘VL,’” I said, trying to swipe the cuff links out of his hands. “I can get it fixed.”

He pulled it out of my reach, still admiring my gift. “No, I think I prefer it this way.”

His words were met with a stunned silence from me. How could he not be upset, embarrassed even? I’d given him a gift that screamed of my own ineptitude and yet...there was something in his eyes, a softness that almost looked...pleased?

“Really?” I asked, barely able to believe him.

“Yes, really,” he replied, his voice firm and steady. Vincenzo turned the cufflink over in his hand, carefully studying the initials ‘SR’ etched into the polished silver.

“Sorry that’s all I got you,” I said, looking sheepishly down at my watch. I mean, there was no way I could have afforded something as nice as it was. What could I possibly offer to Vincenzo, a man who had everything?

He looked at me, his eyes soft. “Stephanie,” he said, his voice low and large in the quiet room. “This is the most meaningful gift anyone has ever given me.”

I blinked in surprise, my mouth hanging open slightly. I was speechless. “Meaningful?” I managed to squeak.

“You knew I needed new cuff links, didn’t you?”

“Well…yeah. I mean, you always wear those old ones. They’re so out of place with your suits.”

“And you thought to buy me a new pair,” he mused, his eyes dancing with an appreciative gleam. “You notice the details.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled, trying to hide my embarrassment.

Inside, my heart was doing flips that he liked the gift. I wanted to thank my past self for screwing up the paperwork, as it seemed to have resulted in something far better than I’d planned.

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