Page 83 of Waiting for Acceptance
I can feel her near me and a few seconds later she says, “Open them.” The space around us is illuminated by two small candles, a three and a five, and she starts to sing “Happy Birthday”. As if tonight couldn’t be more perfect, I see her face lit up by the candlelight, and her smile makes my heart beat just a little faster.
“Make a wish, Fitz.” I’m not typically one to believe in wishes, but if there’s a chance in hell this one will come true, I’m taking it.
I wish I could keep you forever, Trouble.
Then I blow out the candles and she sets the cake down on the coffee table next to us. “I hope this is okay. I was kind of stuck on what flavor to get, so I felt like cookies and cream was a safe bet. Maybe that can be your next fact because we didnotdiscuss that on the plane ride here, and what girlfriend doesn’t know her boyfriend’s favorite ice cream flavor?” She stops mid-ramble and gasps. “Oh my god. Can you even eat ice cream? You’re not like, lactose intolerant or anything are you? Do you even like ice cream?” I grab her face and kiss her to shut her up—something I’ve dreamed of doing more times than I can begin to count.
“I am not lactose intolerant. I do like ice cream. Cookies and cream was an excellent choice. You did good, Sweetheart. Thank you.” I caress her cheek and see her relax a little more.
“Okay, good.” She smiles. “Last card?” She looks down at the deck and I nod, picking mine back up, thinking of something elseI could tell her that she doesn’t know yet. I toss the cards down and she looks at me, puzzled.
“My real name is Vincent. Vincent Fitzgerald.” The smile on her face, and the way it reaches her eyes, etches her deeper into my heart than she already was. She crawls over to me, straddling my lap before running her cool fingers through my hair. I can feel her short nails scrape along my scalp in the most soothing way before her hand comes down to rest on my cheek.
“Well then. Happy birthday, Vincent.”
CHAPTER 43
LAUREN
Vincent Fitzgerald already has more of my heart than I’ve ever been able to give another person, and I don’t know what to make of that. Last night was one of the most incredible nights of my life. From the look on his face when he walked through the door, to the late-night talking over a silly little made-up card game, I don’t think I’ve smiled that much with a man…well, ever.
When I roll over and reach my hand out where his body should be, I feel that the bed next to me is empty, and a familiar feeling overwhelms me. I sit up, looking around the room, squinting when the sunlight filtering through his bedroom window shines right in my eyes. I get up and slip on the T-shirt I was wearing last night, then head to the bathroom before going to look for him. I hear the faint sound of a piano playing coming from the living room and when I walk in, I see a shirtless Fitz sitting at the old piano in the corner of the room, his hair a mess and a cup of coffee not far from his reach.
I tiptoe further into the room, trying to place the familiar tune, smiling when I figure it out. When I find where he’s at in the song, I slide onto the bench next to him and begin to sing along to “Yellow” by Coldplay. The look of shock and amusementon his face when he looks at me causes my cheeks to redden. I watch his hands move over the keys and continue to sing until the song comes to an end. I can’t help but bite the inside of my lip nervously as he watches me.
“Morning, Trouble.”
“Good morning.” He cups my cheek and kisses me, then turns around, straddling the piano bench to face me, so I mirror his movements.
“Where did you learn to sing like that?” The smirk on his face makes me feel like a middle schooler with their first crush—completely awestruck.
I shrug, playing a few keys with my right hand, catching another shocked look from him. “My parents had me in music lessons at six and piano at seven, up until I was a senior in high school.”
“Why’d you stop? Did you not enjoy it?”
“I don’t really know,” I answer honestly. “I think I got to a point where I just went against most things my parents wanted for me, orfromme, and even if it was something I enjoyed, I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction.”
“I can understand that,” he mumbles and I look up at him again.
“Yeah… I thought you might.” I smile softly at him, prompting him to grab ahold of my legs, pulling me closer to him. My legs drape over his hips, as he presses his forehead to mine.
“Have I told you just how much I loved spending my birthday with you?”
“Really?” I whisper, his hands cupping either side of my face.
“Really.” His soft lips meet mine again, but this kiss is different than any we’ve shared before. It’s slow and full of purpose. With every swipe of his tongue, my body yearns for more of this—more of him. My hands wrap around his neck, mythumbs moving lazily as he pulls my body closer to his, until there’s no space left between us.
Ginny is sure not to let our moment last for too long, jumping up on the piano scaring the shit out of not only herself but me as well. I jump back and gasp, just as she meows and takes off into the other room.
“Jesus Christ,” Fitz says, also a bit startled by the noise. I can’t help but burst into laughter over it. “She’s a little menace.” He points to his room and my mouth pops open.
“She is not! She’s an angel.”
“An angel that clearly had some kind of concentrated catnip at about 3 AM. Did you not hear her in here? I fully expected it to look like I had been robbed when we woke up this morning.” I laugh again, knowing that he’s right but having no intention of telling him so.
“That’s when she likes to exercise.”
“She needs a new routine then. Or a kitty Bowflex or something. Shit.” I roll my eyes and look over to see his gifts from last night are out and opened on the coffee table.
