Page 8 of Be My Baby

“Mil’s here,” Simon said, his head popping around the doorway.

Max looked up and raised an eyebrow. It was one thing to be considering Millie’s request, it was another entirely to have his brother sticking his nose in and sussing out his private business. Although, he wouldn’t be able to keep it quiet for long with his family of stickybeaks. Not that he’d want to, either.

But it was nice to have the illusion of privacy. At least for a little while, anyway.

He nodded and hit send, then stood and scooped up the gift.

Millie glanced up from her glass of orange juice as he came through the doorway into the bar proper. The huge, almost nervous smile that washed over her face when she saw him stopped him dead in his tracks. His heart clunked. Literally thumped. Or rolled over in his chest and offered itself up as tribute. He could barely breathe.

He forced his trembling legs to work and continue toward her, stopping once he’d rounded the bar and stood beside her bar stool.

She watched his progress with barely concealed curiosity.

Max leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Happy birthday, gorgeous.”

He set the tastefully wrapped present on the bar beside her glass and tried to ignore the fact that she’d placed her hand on his bicep as he’d leaned down.

If only he’d dared tilt his head and kiss her perfectly shaped, lush mouth instead of her cheek.

Her hand was slow to leave his arm, sliding down to his elbow, then leaving his skin bereft of the warmth she’d trailed over him so fleetingly.

What would it feel like to have those hands all over his body?

He shivered and tried to purge that idea from his head, gesturing to the present.

*

“Aren’t you goingto open it?”

Millie looked up from the lovely silver paper–wrapped gift. Peppy lavender coloured raffia wrapped around it, a large, gorgeous double bow sitting smack in the middle of the flattish, square package.

“Of course I am. When have I ever not? I was just admiring the exquisite job you did of wrapping it.”

Max grinned and leaned against the side of the bar. “Indeed I did. You know Darby’s a complete pest when it comes to gift-wrapping. If it’s not done right, you don’t hear the end of it for months. Years, even. She actually made me rewrap one in front of her about five years ago.”

Millie huffed a chuckle. “Well, your early attempts way-back-whenwerepretty ordinary.”

Max crossed his arms. “Shut up and open it.”

Millie kept a tight hold on her excitement. She loved the gifts Max gave her each year, without fail. He’d been doing it ever since he and Lucy had been a thing. Said it hadn’t felt rightnotto, since she and Luce had been so close.

Each year was a complete surprise. He was never predictable. One year had been a lovely little Lladro statue, the next had been a gaudy, handmade teapot he’d picked up overseas. She cherished each gift as much as the last.

Because Max had given them to her.

She shoved away that damning thought and edged the pretty bow off the side of the present. She noticed his raised brow.

“What? I don’t want to wreck it. It’s pretty.”

Max let out an exaggerated sigh. “I’ll be five years older by the time you get to the tape.”

She bit her lip to stop a smile escaping. He obviously wanted to see her reaction as much as she wanted to see what it was.

That just meant she’d have to draw it out even longer.

She almost laughed. No one had ever said she wasn’t contrary.

She slid the raffia off the whole thing and held it up, looking at the tiny sparkles of glitter amongst the fibres.

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