Page 64 of Standing Still

“Out where?”

“It’s a surprise.”

She grins. She already told me she hasn’t really celebrated her birthdays so much over the last few years. So I want this to be a good one. And that does not involve working.

“Better than you naked with a cupcake?”

“Well, let’s not go crazy,” I wink and duck out of the dining room.

A little over half an hour later, she’s dressed warm and bundled up with a scarf covering her mouth, a hat covering her entire head and gloves the size of oven mitts. She is adorable.

We walk through town, and I tell her my brother’s news. Lewis is going to be a dad again, for the fifth time. She seems happy and says she can’t wait to see Natalie. As we wait to cross the street, I pause and look at her.

“What?” she asks. Her cheeks are rosy and her eyes bright. She is different from the woman who came back to Mystic all those months ago. So determined to get in and get out, an air of sadness about her, even though she would never admit to feeling that way. She’s blossomed from being back here. Although I do like to think I had a hand in that.

“How do you feel about kids?”

“I like them,” she says.

“Yeah, I know you like them. I mean… Us, having them.” Okay, so I’m going there when I thought I wouldn’t be.

“You offering to impregnate me, Daniels?”

“Well, we have fun practicing. But, you know, we’re not getting any younger.”

She slaps my arm, but her huge gloves and my padded coat severely dampened the impact. “I guess,” she says slowly, a little frown on her face. “It’s something we should at least see if we feel the same about. Do you?”

“I mean, I like the way things are right now. I just got you back and I’m enjoying that. But I wouldn’t say it was off the table. In the future.”

“That is good enough for me,” she says, hooking her arm through mine.

“Okay, good.” I lean over and kiss her. And then I kiss her some more, because she tastes like cherries and her mouth is soft and warm and I think about other things she could be doing with it.

“We’ve got an audience,” Elle says after she pulls back and peers over my shoulder with a giggle. She pushes her face into my neck.

I turn her a little and see Ev watching us. I roll my eyes and kiss Elle again, extra hard for good measure, then take her hand and cross us over towards the Mystic Sweet Shop. Elle gives a happy laugh as we go inside. Rachel is already there waiting for us, with our favorite ice creams, together with a chocolate truffle cake in the center of a small table at the back, reserved for us.

Elle smiles as she unwraps herself like my own personal gift. We sit down and I look up at Rachel as she winks before turning away.

“This is great,” Elle lifts her ice cream from the cone holder and takes a long, slow lick, looking at me over the top of it.

“Jesus,” I groan, shifting in the chair, making her laugh. “You’re gonna kill me.”

“Well, I know a way I can suffocate you,” she lowers her lashes seductively.

I just stare at her for a few long moments until she laughs and takes another lick of her ice cream.

“Anyway,” I fidget in my seat. “I got you a couple more gifts,” “

“Ben, you’ve already given me enough.”

“Yeah, but a lot of those things were for me, more than you,” I grin, thinking of the leopard print matching underwear set and the mini vibrator for us to use later. “Plus, you really couldn’t openthemup in here.”

“Damn right,” she nods.

I feel around under the table and take the bigger of the two boxes and pull it out, handing it to her. Rachel put them here for me earlier when she set up the table. She pulls away the gift wrapand ribbons and opens the box, her eyes lighting up at the huge cashmere scarf that is almost as big as a blanket. There is also an envelope that has tickets for an art gallery showing in New York.

“Figured you might want to see some more of those finger paint pictures,” I laugh.

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