Page 128 of Every Bit As Perfect
I swung back around to find her leaning out of the coat check.With big eyes and an even bigger smile, she gave me two thumbs up.
I laughed out loud.
I would definitely be calling her.
For the first time in more years than I could remember, I ordered what I wanted to eat rather than what I thought I should.
And for the first time in more years than I could remember, I looked forward to my meal with zero guilt.
Snapping the menu closed, I passed it to our server as Daire did the same before sliding the gift bag across the table.
I looked at him, a hint of trepidation in my gaze.
He smiled and shook his head.“It’s not an engagement ring.I know you’re not ready yet.”
I frowned, flooded with a mix of relief and disappointment.
He laughed.“Your feelings are all over your face.It’s coming, Harley.Sooner than you think, but not tonight.”
I nodded, my face warming.
He reached across the table and took my hand, his eyes steady and sincere.“Itiscoming, Harley.I’ve got it all planned.Trust me.”
I breathed in and could not manage to quell my wide smile.
“With any luck at all, that smile means you’re planning on saying yes, but for now, I wanted to give you this.Hopefully this will show you just how much your happiness means to me.How much you mean to me.”He rubbed his thumb over my wrist.“How much I love you.”
“I love you too, Daire,” I replied softly, disbelief at finding myself in this wonderful place with this beautiful man who painted me with every shade of happiness.
“Open it.”
Inside the bag was a five-inch square box wrapped in tissue paper.Tearing it away, I opened the lid and slid a delicately intricate carousel complete with miniature horses that moved up and down as I tipped the carousel back and forth.
It must have cost a small fortune.
“Oh,” I breathed, tears coming to my eyes.Never in my life had I felt more seen, heard, and understood.“You got me this so I’ll always have a carousel to remind me of my brother.”
“Not quite,” he replied, looking truly uncomfortable for the first time since I’d met him.“There’s something else in the bag.”
I peered inside and pulled out an envelope stamped with The Township of Sage Ridge.“What is this?”
He ran a hand through his hair, his mouth twisting to the side.“Open it and you’ll see.”
Sliding a trifold piece of paper out of the sleeve, I opened it to reveal a bill of some sort issued by The Township of Sage Ridge.
My eyes scanned the paper top to bottom rapidly, then again, and once more for good measure when I noted my name.
“Daire… Did you buy me the carousel?”
He winced.“Sort of.I paid for the repairs.And you now have rights to it.They can’t tear it down, paint it, or alter it in any way without your approval.”
“What?”I breathed, tears springing to my eyes.“How?Why?”
“The how was easy.I went to the town council.They wanted to keep it almost as badly as you did.I asked them how much they needed in exchange for you owning it and they agreed to the terms on that paper in exchange for repairs.Once they knew it was for you, they fell ass over teakettle to get it done.”
“As for the why, it’s simple.Your happiness means everything to me.”He swallowed, his eyes shining.“You mean everything to me.”
“I can’t believe this…”
