Page 134 of Gathered Sparkle

“Well, I did too.” Her eyes meet mine, shimmering with emotion. “For eight years, I lost myself. I didn’t know what I liked or who I was. I was just… here. But I never stopped thinking about you. Never stopped missing you. Never stopped doing dumb things to feel closer to you again.”

“Like stealingtheKoen Lane’s watch?” I huff a laugh. “Because, honestly, that was the best decision you’ve ever made.”

A laugh bubbles out of her, and before I can second-guess myself, my lips find hers in a kiss that’s longer than I’ve managed so far. And her touch is magic—soothing, erasing the frayed edges of the nerves that are still zapping from Blackwood’s unwelcome grip earlier.

Her lips are home.

Way too soon, I break the kiss, and she smiles at me again, almost shy. Then she opens the velvet box, and I’m not sure if I should be impressed or shocked.

Inside are at least fifty watches in organized chaos. But not just any watches. These are high-end, luxury timepieces—Rolexes, Patek Philippes, Cartiers. There’s easily half a million dollars sitting in that box.

“I—” The words get stuck in my throat. “Whoa.”

“I told you… I stole some watches over the years.”

I glance at her, one brow raised. “Some?”

“Okay, fine. More than some.”

She picks up one watch, turning it over in her hands before holding it out to me. It’s a familiar gold Rolex. My stomach twists as I take it from her, running my thumb across the smooth surface. It’s the same model I used to wear, though this one doesn’t have the scratches across the face that mine did.

“I don’t even know where to start with this,” she murmurs as my gaze flicks between her and the watch. “I told you… I came here when I turned eighteen. After… everything, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I didn’t know how to be okay. But I couldn’t stop thinking about all the dreams you had for us here, and I thought maybe if I came here, I’d feel closer to you.”

Her words are a punch to the chest.Mydreams. The plans I’d rambled on about when we were teens. She’d clung to them, tried to piece herself together with the scraps I’d left behind.

“But it didn’t feel closer,” she continues. “It felt lonely. Empty. I was lost, Ace, and I had no fucking money. Then I met Annabelle. She was working as a stripper, and she said I could try it. So, I did. I became Glitter. Put on a mask to feel closer to Rosie. Like, if I wasn’tme, maybe I could survive.”

Her words spill out, and I see pain etched into every line of her face. I stay quiet, my grip tightening on the watch, letting her continue.

“There was this night. It was bad…reallybad. I felt like I didn’t want to keep going. Then, this business guy came in, booked a private dance. He sat there with the exact same goldRolex you used to wear. I took it as a sign from you. A sign to keep going. And I don’t know what came over me, but I swiped it.”

She reaches over, her fingers brushing against mine as she gestures to the watch in my hand. “It wasn’t yours, of course, but it was close enough. And I heard your voice in my head. You called me your girl, and it felt like I had you back. Like you were with me again.”

Fuck.

She wasn’t stealing watches for the thrill or the money. She was stealing them to feel close to me, to grasp at the pieces of a life we’d both lost. And I’d been doing the same in my own way, clinging to memories and ghosts, shutting out the world because it was too painful to live in a reality without her.

“I never stopped,” she admits. “Because every time I did it, it felt like I had a piece of you back. Like I wasn’t so alone.”

I stare at the watch in my hand.

God, this is so fucked-up.

We’re so fucked-up. And yet, here we are, sitting together in this room, against all odds.

“You’ve always been my girl,” I promise. “Always.” Her lips tremble as she smiles, and I press a quick peck to them, pulling the Rolex on my wrist. “Show me how you did it. How you stole all of those watches.”

Thinking that she did this while stripping is the sexiest thing ever.

The sadness in Nova’s eyes makes room for mischief. “You want a lap dance?”

Hell yes.

“If that’s how you did it.”

She quirks a brow, her smile turning sly. “You okay with me sitting on your lap?”

“Just keep your hands on my shoulders to start…” I swallow hard, my pulse already picking up. “I think we’ll be good.”

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