Page 82 of Heart of Stone
“Yes. The red heart is where we first met, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “It is.”
I returned my attention to the gift, pulling the frame out of the box to get a better look. Natalia had gotten an overhead shot of the entire Sandstone Heart property, complete with the pond, cabins, trees, trails, and buildings. And over the office building where we both worked, there was a small red heart.
It was easily the most thoughtful gift anyone had ever given to me.
Feeling wonderful, I wrapped my arm around her back, curled her into my body, and kissed her. “I love this, Natalia. Thank you.” I kissed her on the cheek before reaching for hersecond gift. “This is something I thought you might find fun in a couple of months. It’s unlikely there will be much time, with the weather getting so cold, to be able to use this now.”
She took the gift from me, her mind working behind her eyes as she tried to come up with ideas for what could be inside. Eventually, she must have realized it’d just be easier to open it up and see.
Once the wrapping paper littered the floor around us, Natalia marveled at the thin box. “Is this…”
“It’s a streetboard,” I confirmed.
“Reid, this is nice. I’m grateful. But… But I don’t know how to use it,” she worried.
I rested my hand on her knee, stroked my thumb along it, and assured her, “I’ll teach you.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “If I’m honest, there was a small part of me that wanted to ask you to join me that day I showed you mine. I wish I would’ve.”
The corners of her mouth tipped up in a smile. “You really did like me all that time and just couldn’t handle it, could you?”
“There’s no use in denying it.”
Natalia’s palms drifted over the box containing her gift she likely wouldn’t be able to use until the weather got nicer out again. “For what it’s worth, I really liked you, too. And I wish you would’ve asked me to join you that day. I would’ve loved nothing more.”
“I’m sorry that I didn’t. If I could go back and change it…”
She lifted her hand to the side of my face and leaned in. “It’s okay. We’re here now, and that’s all that matters to me. I’m so happy, Reid. So unbelievably happy.”
Without waiting for me to respond, to let her know I felt precisely the same, Natalia touched her lips to mine and kissed me.
We spent the rest of our morning stealing kisses and touches as we worked together in the kitchen. Technically, it was mostly Natalia who was working. She’d insisted on bringing something to my parents’ place, refusing to go empty-handed, so I offered help whenever she needed it. But the reality was that I spent the majority of my time trying to keep my hands and mouth off her.
And now, we were here.
We’d just made it to my parents’ house, and I got the sense that something was bothering Natalia.
"Everything okay?" I asked.
She nodded as we made our approach. “Yes. I’m just nervous.”
Grinding to a halt, I turned to face her, one hand still holding hers. “Nervous? You’ve been here before, and it’s not like you don’t already know my parents.”
“Yes, but your parents have known me for years as Natalia Barton, general manager and executive director at Sandstone Heart. They’ve never known me as Natalia Barton, the woman who holds their son’s hand and kisses him.”
I arched a brow. “Well, that’s not all you’re doing to me.”
She let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m serious, Reid.”
Releasing her hand, I wrapped my arm around her and tugged her toward me, so I could kiss her forehead. “It’s going to be fine. Trust me, they like you.”
“But they might have thoughts about my integrity or something. I mean, I’m sleeping with my boss.”
I stroked my fingers through her hair, allowed my hand to settle at the back of her head, and insisted, “I don’t think we need to go in there telling them about our sex life, Natalia. They don’t needthat manydetails. And if they have a problem with you getting involved with me, they’ll have to have the same problem with me for getting involved with you. Please don’t upset yourself. There’s nothing to worry about. I promise.”
