Page 84 of Untethered Heart
Dylan nods his head in contemplation. “Make it look like those old school figureheads on a ship. That’d look pretty cool.” He taps Lex’s shoulder with the back of his hand. “You should email Isabelle.”
“Yeah, I’ll send her something tonight. Did you want to order something from the kitchen, Caleb?”
“I might walk around the property first, and then I’ll come and grab something.”
“Lex can take you around,” Dylan says, and it almost feels like a dare.
“I don’t want to steal her if you’re busy.”
“Nah, we can manage for a bit.” His voice is light, as if he’s teasing me, testing my reaction. “She’s all yours.”
I smile, trying to keep my features casual when really, I’m bursting with excitement to have Lex alone. I just can’t let her brother know that yet, though he may be a little smarter than I give him credit for. Or I’m a little more obvious than I want to admit.
“If you don’t mind, Lex. I’d love that.”
***
“What are you doing here?” Lex says once we are well out of sight from the tavern.
I rub my hands along her shoulders. “I’m sorry, Siren. I know you wanted to keep this from your brother for a bit. I didn’t realise it would be so obvious.”
“You’re the obvious one.” She laughs.
“Sorry,” I whisper.
“It’s okay. I won’t say anything unless he asks first.” She licks her bottom lip in contemplation. “I did miss you, though.”
I cup her cheeks and bring her lips to mine. “I missed you, too. I’ve never been so pathetic in my life.”
“Hey.” She smacks my chest playfully. “Are you calling me pathetic, too?”
I snatch her hand before she smacks me again, pressing a kiss to her palm, then laying it over my heart. “Not at all. I bet you would have survived the whole four days apart.”
She runs her nails up and down my forearm, tickling against the exposed skin. Every time she touches me, no matter how deep or minute, I feel it in my soul.
“Besides, it’s our first Christmas together, and you left before I could give you my gift.”
“Caleb!” she shrieks.
“What?”
“We’ve been together for like a week! You got me a gift?”
“Of course.”
“I didn’t get you anything.” Her pretty grey eyes droop like a puppy, and I hate that she feels bad about not buying me something. There’s nothing I could possibly want that compares to calling Lex my girl.
“Next to you, any gift would be insignificant,” I tell her, and her eyes gloss over.
I shake her hands, trying to cheer her up, injecting my next words with exaggerated excitement. “Next year, if you could just wrap yourself up in a bow and lie under the tree, that would be amazing. Literally all I’ll ask for. Pretty please”—I peck her lips—“with a cherry on top,” and the tip of her nose.
She jumps up against me, burying her face into my neck while her arms wrap around me.
I press a kiss to her forehead. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.” She laughs.
“Good. Now let me give you your present.” I squat down so I can lift her legs and wrap them around me while I walk around the back of the tavern to my car.
