Page 46 of Her Sweet Surrender
She lifted her head and answered without shame. “I am, Sir.”
Feeling nostalgic after Hope’s recent birthday, Brie got out the basket of wedding gifts they’d received and laid them on the bed. Only weeks after their wedding, Sir had almost died in the plane crash and their lives stopped.
Looking through the cards reminded Brie of that joyous moment when they first had become man and wife—before the tragedy.
She’d had no idea then what was coming…
Feeling wistful, she sat down on the bed and opened the card from Sir’s cousin Benito. Brie hadn’t known him personally at the time, but he’d become very dear to her after their recent visit to Italy.
She chuckled when she remembered the long talk the two of them had as he drove her back from Gino’s to meet Sir at the hospital just before Nonna’s surgery. At the time, Benito had been so worried about Nonna that he couldn’t stop drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Brie had found it endearing.
Looking at his wedding card now, she couldn’t have known how much he would mean to her.
Brie naturally gravitated to Tono’s card next and picked it up. He had painted a flower on the front of the card. She ran her hand over it and felt his calming presence surround her. She opened the card, tears coming to her eyes when she read his words.
A solemn vow of support
Given to my chosen family
Tono honored that vow soon after writing it, rushing to Brie’s side when Sir was fighting for his life. Despite having chosen Sir as her Master, their special bond remained unbreakable. Brie could not imagine her life without the Kinbaku Master in it. Kissing the card tenderly, she set Tono’s card aside, wanting to frame it.
Brie chuckled as she picked up Master Anderson’s card. It had a bare-chested photo of him holding Cayenne. Grinning, she opened the card to read what he had written.
What do you give the couple who has everything? A date to weed with us in the buff!
Naturally, they’d never taken him up on that invitation, but Brie loved the photo and added it to the pile to be framed.
She grabbed the silver envelope next, having forgotten who’d given it to them. Inside were Marquis Gray’s handwritten words:
The Gift of a Traditional Thai Cooking Class for Two
(Tomato and egg dishes are lacking)
She laughed. Marquis Gray had a rare sense of humor that few people knew existed because he was so intense.
Unfortunately, because of the crash, they never took the cooking course he had purchased for them. With a new baby on the way, she was unsure if they ever would.
“Such a shame…” she muttered as she set it down and selected another card.
The card was from Mr. Gallant.
Cash is customary but too impersonal for a couple we both hold in high esteem
Our gift to the newlyweds
A jump off the Bridge to Nowhere
Enjoy
Brie tsked as she picked up the gift card for a bungee jump for two. Although the idea both scared and excited her, she knew there was no way would they be doing this anytime soon.
The next card happened to be Captain’s present of a gift certificate for a hot air balloon ride for two. She shook her head, placing them in the growing pile of unused gifts.
“Another fun event we’ll never experience…”
She reached out for the red envelope from Baron. She opened it up and stared at the simple message.
An invitation to teach.
