Page 122 of Crazy In Love
“Ohhhh… tell me.”
“You would have found out later, because you were coming over this afternoon, but since you’re free now and you’ve agreed to come with me to my parents’ house—there’s something big happening. I think you’ll be very happy you were there.”
It was not lost on me that I was a man who’d avoided serious relationships my entire adult life, and now I found myself frustrated when I had to be away from her for a few hours. A woman who’d just agreed to date me just a few days ago.
I was fucking crazy about this woman.
“Well, no, you’ve got to tell me what it is.”
“Rafe is doing some elaborate proposal for Lulu at the house this morning. We weren’t supposed to tell anyone, because he was worried someone would slip. My parents just found out last night because Rafe thought they’d slip.”
A high-pitched squeal escaped Emilia’s lips, and she wrapped her arms around me. “That’s amazing. She’s going to be thrilled.”
She leaned up and kissed me before leaning over the edge of the bed and dipping down to reach for something. “I have your gift hidden under here.”
“You got me a gift?” I asked, feigning surprise. I knew she had, because she was quite possibly the worst sleuth known to humanity.
“I know this is all new for us, but I got you this before we even agreed to give this whole dating thing a shot.” She held out the red-and-white-striped package that had a smaller gift on top of a larger gift, and her arms shook with excitement.
I unwrapped the smaller gift first, and I studied the box that held the compact photo printer.
“Are you going to start sending me nudes?” I asked.
Her head fell back in laughter. “It’ll make sense when you open the second gift.”
I unwrapped the next present and pulled the lid off the white box inside, where I found a black leather memory book. My initials were monogrammed in gold on the outside. I flipped through the pages with prompts for photos for special occasions like birthdays and holidays and vacations. There were places to write down notes on each page as well.
“I think it’s time to start enjoying your birthday and cherishing the good times you have. You can enjoy the memories that you make, instead of being annoyed by them.” She smirked.
“Such a smartass. Thank you.” I turned the page to see a few photos she’d pasted in there from our trip to Paris. There was even a photo she’d taken on her phone of the airplane bathroom door, and she wrote a note that said,Not a bad way to end an epic trip.
“I wish we had even more photos of that memory,” I said, waggling my eyebrows at her. “All joking aside, thank you. This is very thoughtful.”
“I got it for you after our trip. You were one of the first Christmas gifts I actually purchased.”
I knew she wasn’t expecting anything from me.
“You were also the first Christmas gift that I purchased, oddly enough. Not the norm for two people who thought they’d just banged it out and were going their separate ways. I guess the writing was on the wall.”
“What did you get me, another fancy toilet?” she asked, making it clear she thought I was joking.
I reached in my nightstand drawer and pulled it out, handing her the package. It wasn’t wrapped, as it was just in a box with a bow on it.
She stared down with surprise and then untied the bow and lifted the top to the box. Her eyes widened, and a little gasp escaped her mouth. “Oh my gosh. This is stunning.”
She pulled the antique gold charm bracelet out of the box and inspected every single charm.
There was an Eiffel Tower to represent our trip to Paris, and a flower for her flower shop. I’d chosen a little house charm for her interior design business, a horse charm because she’d shared her love for riding, and an angel wing because it seemed fitting.
“We can add to it each year,” I said, because that’s what the woman at the jewelry store had told me.
Emilia’s head shot up in surprise, and her cheeks flushed pink.
I realized I’d put my foot in my mouth and gone way into the future.
Why was it so easy to go there with her?
“I really love this. Thank you.” She pushed herself up and gave me a kiss and asked me to help her clasp it around her wrist.
