Page 7 of Easter Daddy

“I got you the nicest present,” Sara says to me. “You’re gonna love it, I promise!”

“I’m sure I will,” I tell her. She always gives nice presents. Last year, she gave me a Hello Kitty plushie, a reminder of the show we watched religiously as kids. I still have it sitting on my dresser where I see it every day.

She usually gives me plushies, something that I love to collect, and they’re always nice.

“I have a present for you, too!” Monica says happily.

I wonder if Liam got me something. If he did, I wonder what it would be. I try to fight it as my thoughts go back to him, but since he’s standing right in front of me, smiling slightly, I can’t win that fight. I start thinking of him holding me in his arms, devouring me, and making me moan. I can tell he’s bossy, and it makes me wonder if he’s like that in the bedroom, too. I mean, I wouldn’t mind him taking full control and instructing me.

Maybe he takes me to dinner after, his eyes only focused on me and with every other female drooling over him and envying me. Maybe he slides a ring onto my finger and asks me to marry him. Of course, I say yes, and maybe he kisses me deeply in full view of everyone, not caring what they think.

And that’s how I end up getting wet and googly-eyed right there in front of him. This is absolutely ridiculous, not to mention embarrassing. Proposing? Seriously? How did I get there?

“You okay?” he asks me softly. I’m staring. Whatever I feel for him, he can see it in my eyes, and I’m probably not hiding it very well. I can only hope that no one else saw, but when I find Sara’s perceptive eyes narrow at me, I know I’ve been caught.

“Y-yeah,” I stutter. “I-I’m fine. Good. Perfect, actually.” He nods slightly, almost as if he’s agreeing with me. Does he think I’m perfect? That’s not what I meant, but is it possible that he feels that way about me? Or am I looking too deeply into a nod? I probably am.

Turning to my friends, I give them a sheepish grin.

“Thank you,” I say to them. “For this. I… I really appreciate it.”

“No problem, El,” Monica says. “You know we love you.”

“Yeah, I know.”

* * *

“This is… wow.”

Sara gave me a small plushie of two turtles. One is happy, but when you turn it inside out and see the turtle on the other side, it looks sad. The happy turtle is green, and the sad one is blue, both of which have shells a darker shade than the rest of them. I flip it back and forth in my hands, fascinated by the concept. I’ve never seen anything like it before. The closest thing I have to it is a topsy-turvy doll, something Sara also gifted me.

“I knew you’d like it,” she says with a smile, her long, raven-colored hair framing her face.

Next, I move on to Monica’s present, which is a Pandora charm of a teddy bear. Yet another reference to my love of plushies.

When I reach for Liam’s present, he looks nervous as if he’s worried I might not like it.

With much anticipation, I tear open the present and see a box. I immediately register that it looks like a watch box, but when I read the label, I gasp in surprise.

Cartier.

Usually, I would disapprove of someone giving me a gift that expensive, especially someone I hardly know, but considering he’s a billionaire, I don’t really mind. This is chump change for him.

“Thank you,” I say, gratitude saturating my voice as I look at the box.

“It’s nothing,” he says with a slight smile and what looks a lot like relief. Relief that I like it, probably.

I know that it really cost him nothing, but it means a lot to me.

“Open it,” he says. Gently, I do. I open the box and see a watch with what appears to be diamonds built into the face under the crystal.

“It’s beautiful,” I breathe.

“Try it on to see if I need to remove any links,” he tells me. I obey him. Of course, I do. I like it when he tells me what to do, even if it’s something totally non-sexual.

“It’s a bit loose,” I comment.

“I can fix it for you,” he says. “Let me see your hand.” He reaches for it, and when his skin touches mine, I swear I feel as though my hand has caught fire.

---