Page 68 of Be My Reason

“Every chance I get,” I say, leaning over to plant a soft kiss on his lips.

“Mmmm,” he mumbles. Then he breaks the kiss and moves away slightly, reaching over to his night stand to open the drawer. “Before we get into this—and believe me, wewillget into this—there is something I want to give you.” He runs his foot up the length of my leg making me quiver.

He presents me with a small box.It is larger than a ring box, thank goodness. I’m not sure my heart could takethattoday. I eye the pretty, velvety box and run my fingers along the edges. “A going away present?” I frown. “But, I didn’t get you one.”

“Brooklyn, you give me a present every day.” He winks at me. “Sometimes two or three times.”

I giggle while I examine the box.

“Not a going away present. I would have given this to you had I stayed,” he says.

I look up at him before I open it.He is biting his lip and then he runs his fingers through his hair. He is nervous.Oh, God. What is in the box?

My now trembling fingers open the lid. What islying on a bed of soft black velvet is a bracelet. There is a flat yet slightly-rounded platinum surface that looks almost like an ID band, and attached to each end are flat links of platinum chain that in total looks much too small to fit my wrist. And embedded right in the center of the platinum band is the unmistakable diamond from Michael’s engagement ring. Then on each side of the center stone, there are a couple of smaller, embedded diamonds, each a little tinier than the previous stone, all the way to the edge of the band.

Mybreath hitches. It is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. But I frown. I don’t wear bracelets. I thought he knew this. I hesitate for a minute wondering if I should say anything.

“Nate,it’s beautiful . . . breathtaking even. But I—”

“You don’t wear bracelets,” he interrupts me. “Trust me.Try it on.” He unclasps it and holds it out to me.

He puts it on my wrist and pulls on a tiny piece of chain by the clasp which tightens it and makes the bracelet fit me like a second skin. “There.It’s a perfect fit.” He smiles down admiring my wrist. “It’s so tight that it shouldn’t get caught on anything, but if it does, I had the clasp designed to give way while still keeping the bracelet from falling off your wrist. That’s what this little piece of chain is for.”

“You had it designed?” I ask, tears welling in my eyes.

“Yes. And I had it inscribed, too.” He takes it off my wrist and turns it over. “See?”

I read the tiny print. To remember the past ~ To trust in the future.

“Consider it a gift from both me and Michael.” He brushes astray hair behind my ear. “But if you don’t like it, I can get you the ring back exactly as it was. I had them keep the setting just in case.”

Tears are spilling over and running down my cheeks.I can’t understand how this man keeps surprising me in ways I never thought possible. Who does this? Who takes another man’s engagement ring and turns it into something wonderful that has me thinking of the two most important men in my life? It is the most incredible, romantic and selfless thing I can imagine him doing. I feel like the wind has been knocked out of me. My hands tremble and my breathing is shallow.

“God, Brooklyn. You don’t like it.” He lowers his head. “I’m sorry, I thought—”

I move my fingers up to his lips to stop him from talking. “Nate.” I clear the frog in my throat. “This is undeniably the best gift I have ever gotten in my entire life.” Another tear falls down my cheek and he reaches out to wipe it with his thumb. “Words can’t describe how you have made me feel by giving this to me. ‘Thank you’ just doesn’t seem enough. It—it’s incredible.You’reincredible. I’ll wear it every day. I promise.”

He lets out a breath and visibly relaxes with my revelation. “Thank God!” He shakes his head. “You scared me for a minute. I thought you hated it.”

“I could never hate anything you give me. And after this. . . I mean, somehow it will be easier to let you go today, because I’ll always have a piece of you with me.”

He pushes the jewelry box aside and leans down to whisper through my hair into my ear, “I’m not going anywhere until I watch you come two or three more times.”

And with that, all thoughts of jewelry and moving are gone. I can only think of what he is doing to me, where his hands, his fingers, and his mouth will go next. What sensation he will extract from my body. What love he will instill in my heart.

Chapter Twenty-seven

I’ve done a decent job of keeping myself busy with the bakery these past few weeks. I’m working a lot more than usual tohelp pass the time. My phone is practically overheating with all of the texting going on between Nate and me, and we have a nightly Skype date at precisely nine o’clock. I went up to Raleigh last weekend and he is coming back here tomorrow after work. It’s all going exactly as planned. Our bubble has just expanded by a few hundred miles.

Brooklyn’s has been very busy with new catering business and Ryan and I are in the process of hiring another employee. We came up to my apartment to go over all of the applications and decided to eat Chinese take-out while we work.

My computer dings at me and when I look at the clock, I realize that we have completely lost track of time and that my nightly Skype time with Nate is upon me. I excuse myself from Ryan and run to my room to say hello.

“Hey you,” I say when his gorgeous face pops up on the screen.

“God, I love to hear your voice and see your beautiful face at the end of every day.” He bites his lip seductivelythen continues, “And I can’t wait to have you in person in—,” he checks his watch, “—twenty-three hours.”

I giggle and start to tell him I’ll have to call him right back when he gets a stern look on his face.“Who the hell is that?” he asks, looking over my shoulder.

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