Page 122 of From Us, Forever

“Thank you.” He swallowed, carefully lifting it from my hands almost as if it were precious. “Can’t believe you remember that. I’m so proud of you.” He gathered me in a warm hug, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

After taking pictures and buying ourselves a trophy copy, we left, not wanting to stick around longer than necessary in case any sleuths spotted Jay. I was still reeling over last month’s incident when we all went to a private dinner, and somehow, the press and fans got word of it and swarmed the place. It was a pain to get out. But I had to get used to his lifestyle, and I was adapting to it at some level, but it wasn’t always terrific.

“When is everyone coming over?” I asked Jay just as we entered the apartment, heading straight to the living room.

“Tonight, I think. I need to confirm with Katy,” Jay muttered, following me through the dim hallway.

Out of nowhere, a loud cheer of“Surprise!”cut through the air, and I almost jumped out of my skin.

“Fuck,” I screamed, holding my heart and losing my balance, but Jay chuckled, catching me just in time before I face-planted on the floor.

I gasped, sucking in deep breaths to calm my thundering heart. “Gosh, you guys scared me,” I mumbled as my eyes swept over everyone’s smiling faces.

A huge “congratulations” banner stood in the middle of the living room, which was decked out in balloons and tinsel, matching the exact shade of my book cover. There was even a table featuring my book. I can’t believe they did all this for me. Even Strawberry had a little bow tied around her neck while she ran around the room.

“Thank you, everyone,” I blubbered, pulling myself out of Jay’s embrace as I stepped toward them.

“Damn, E. If I’d known you were going to have that reaction, I would’ve had my camera out,” Mikey joked, hugging me tight.

“Thank you,” I muttered, not even caring about his joke because I loved him so much.

“Proud of you.” A real smile crossed his lips as he ruffled my hair.

I beamed, stepping away just as Lan and Matty greeted me with a half hug.

“You look so beautiful, Evy.” The girls and Gabe crowded me.

“Thanks, guys.” I smiled. “When did you all have the time to do all this? We weren’t even gone for an hour.”

“Oh, did you really doubt my ability, chica?” Gabe raised a brow.

“No.” I laughed.

“Of course, he got it done. He had me,” Katy quipped, shaking her head.

“Evelyn, a moment please. Excuse us, guys,” Jay interjected, stealing me away.

All their eyes widened, shooing me off. I glanced over my shoulder, mouthing, “Is it finally time?” and all of them nodded with gleeful faces, giving me a thumbs-up.

Excitement coursed through my veins as Jay led me to a quiet corner on the terrace. I greeted everyone on the way, but my mind was elsewhere, thinking about how the next five minutes might be the most important moment of my entire life.

I didn’t mind the chilly breeze that washed over us as he pulled me closer to him. The clatter from the inside died into a distant whisper.

“You know I love you, right?” His hands brushed the flying hairs away from my cheek.

“I know.”

“Good.” A warm smile curved his lips as he held both my hands. “I just want you to know that today wasn’t just your win. It was mine too. You don’t know how much it’s been haunting me to see your dreams get stalled. And it took many years, but here you are taking the first big step, and I just… You don’t understand how happy and proud I am of you.”

He raised my hand to his lips while his other hand dug inside his coat pocket.

My heart leaped to my throat as I watched him pull out a deep red box—only it was a little too big than I had imagined, but I was still hopeful.

“I brought you a little present,” he said, glancing up at me.

Thrilled, I rolled up to the balls of my feet to peek in, and my heart sank.A bracelet? I had to force every ounce of my body to not let the disappointment flash in my eyes. It felt like I’d been pushed into an ice water bath in the middle of a tundra.

I shifted back to my feet as a sudden wave of sadness hit me.

---