Page 116 of One Night Only
“I got you a little something…” I say, my voice catching in the back of my throat. My God. Why am I so nervous? Oh, yeah, I know why. It’s because I’ve never had a girlfriend before and therefore have never given a meaningful gift to any girl but my mom on fucking Mother’s Day. I force myself to breathe.
“You did?” Emily’s gaze flits down to the small, blue box in my hand. She gasps, gaping up at me. “Dallas! Tiffany’s?”
I shrug a shoulder. “Yeah?”
She smiles, taking the box from me and studying it a moment, then when she looks up at me again, I see the sadness in her eyes, and it makes my heart hurt. “I didn’t get you anything…” Her shoulders fall on a small sigh.
I cup her cheek, dipping my chin and offering her my most cocky grin. “Baby, waking up to that blow job was more than a guy could ever ask for.”
She looks at me, deadpan, but I see the smile in her eyes.
“Open it,” I encourage her.
With another sigh, she bites back her smile and moves to sit on the edge of the bed. I crouch down in front of her, watching her gently pull the white ribbon, and she glances at me briefly before looking down at the box. With careful fingers, she opens it, and I watch her face.
“Oh my God…” Emily’s words are hushed as she stares down at the necklace, her finger tracing the delicate white gold, stopping at the charm. A tiny ribbon I had made, encrusted with pink diamonds.
“Do you like it?” I ask because I can’t quite tell. She isn’t smiling, just staring down at it, her face void of any and all emotion.
“Dallas, I—” Shaking her head, she looks at me, and I see a glimmer of unshed tears pooling in her eyes, and immediately I feel sick to my stomach.
“Oh, shit. I’m sorry, Goldie. I-I’m not great at choosing gifts. I just… I haven’t seen you wear a necklace before. And then when the lady at the store asked me if I wanted a charm, I immediately thought of?—”
“Dallas,” Emily interjects, a beautiful smile blooming across her face despite the tears in her eyes. “Iloveit.”
I quirk a brow. “You do?”
“Are you kidding,” she guffaws, pulling the necklace out of the box and allowing the charm to dangle in front of her. “It’s beautiful.” Her eyes dart to mine. “Will you put it on for me?”
I release the breath I’ve been holding and take it from her. She stands and walks back to the mirror, and I follow, looping the chain around her neck and carefully fixing the clasp. The charm sits at her chest, understated save for the occasional flicker of the diamonds catching the light.
“It looks pretty,” I whisper, leaning in close and pressing my lips to her temple.
She fingers the charm, those tears still glistening in her eyes, and she rests her head back against my chest. “This is the mostthoughtful gift anyone has ever given to me, Dallas.” Turning, she reaches up and wraps her arms around my neck, staring into my eyes. “Thank you.”
I smile. “Merry Christmas, baby.”
CHAPTER 48
EMILY
Toying with the charm on my necklace, I can’t stop smiling as I walk down the stairs, Dallas following closely with his hands on my shoulders. I wasn’t lying when I told him this is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me because it truly is. It’s beautiful and meaningful, and it’s just another tick in the long list of reasons as to why Dallas Shaw really is Mr. Perfect.
Dallas takes the lead as we round the corner into the living room, holding my hand, and I carefully tuck the necklace under Dallas’s hoodie that I’m wearing. It isn’t that I don’t want people to see it—for all I know they already know what he got me, and most people know the significance behind the pink ribbon. It’s because the necklace and the sentiment are personal, and I just don’t feel like sharing that. Not yet, at least.
“Merry Christmas, darlin’!” Joy rounds Dallas, rushing toward me and wrapping me in a big hug.
“Oh, hi,” Dallas scoffs. “Don’t mind me. Your actualchild.”
“Oh, pfft.” Joy brushes him off with a wave of her hand, smiling at me. “I hope you’re hungry!”
“I’mhungry,” Dallas says. “If anyone actually cares.”
“Not surprising,” Millie murmurs from the couch whereshe’s curled up smirking at her phone. “Sounded like you worked upquitethe appetite this morning…”
My eyes bulge, cheeks flaming as I look from Millie to Dallas. But the jerk just grins, all cocky like. And I want to die. Mr. Perfect, my ass.
Thankfully, Joy is oblivious. Either that, or she has the grace to at least pretend she is. Turning to Dallas, she reaches up and pinches his cheeks. “Well, let’s feed that hungry tummy monster then, shall we?”
