Page 23 of For the First Time
He came back less than a minute later.“There.Turned the burner off and pulled out the bread.Now you can open your gifts.”
My mouth opened.Closed.The words wouldn’t come.I knew what they were saying.I understood the implications.These gifts were for me.I just couldn’t get myself to say it, to admit it.To actually open them.
No matter how much I wanted to.And I really, really wanted to.I couldn’t remember the last time I’d received a gift.Not in the way that I couldn’t remember how old my bed sheets were.No, I wasn’t sure if I’d gotten a gift since I’d moved out to live on my own.Maybe even before then since after I turned sixteen, I was basically renting the room in my parents’ home rather than merely living with my parents.
“Come on, just take a look.”Everett lightly tugged on my hand.“The three of us picked them out with you in mind.”
I couldn’t have stopped my eyes from watering if my life had depended on it.Although I tried.I looked up, blinking rapidly as if stopping the tears from falling would mean I wasn’t actually crying.
“Ah, come on, darlin, none of that.You’re breaking my heart.”Oaks stepped closer, cupping my face as he ran his thumbs under my eyes.I couldn’t tell if a tear had fallen or not.“You deserve some spoiling.”
Slowly, so slowly that I was half expecting someone to get annoyed, I sat back down on the couch, looking over the gifts in front of me.The tears dried up as quickly as they came.Nothing was hidden, all of it on display with decorative bows.Everett finally released my hand, gesturing toward the gifts for me.
A dark green blanket that was incredibly thick and soft.I brought it to my lap and kept petting it as I looked at the others.A box which stated it had a bunch of accessories for a relaxing time in the tub, a cute white apron with red strings and apples covering it, a few little notepads as well as some fun pens to go with them, and lastly, a water bottle with lines on it ticking off the different times of the day was paired with a bunch of different types of stickers so I could decorate it myself if I wanted.There was a sheet with farm animals, with foods, another with hearts, and a fourth with encouraging words.
Considering how little we all truly knew about each other, these gifts were amazing.Generic enough that I’d like them and yet still tailored with me in mind so that it was obvious they’d considered me with each one.
“This is perfect.”My words were soft, almost whispered.I didn’t know how to truly convey how much I appreciated it.Maybe a gift basket to thank them for their gifts?“Honestly, I—”
I threw myself at Everett, glad that he caught me as he fell back against the couch.His smile made it hard to properly kiss him, but I wasn’t undeterred.The feeling of his beard on my chin was a new sensation.I hadn’t realized that I’d never been with someone with facial hair before, and now I felt like I’d been missing out.His beard was surprisingly soft against my face, just like his lips as he kissed me back.
When I pulled away after attacking him, I thanked him.
“Where’s my thanks, pet?”Atlas asked.
“Yeah, darlin,” Oaks said, “I’ll take mine now, too.”
I laughed, muffling the sound against Everett’s scrubs as I hid my face in his chest.
His hand came to the back of my head, patiently waiting for me to raise my face again.“Come on, it’s time we got some food in you, Babygirl.”
Just like that, I knew I was gone for this pack.
Chapter Seven
Logically, I knew itwas strange that the worst part of my day was leaving work.I knew I shouldn’t have felt like my heart was breaking each time the men in the Wilder pack wished me a goodnight and kissed me goodbye.
