Page 43 of The Truth Between

That made me do a double take. “How did you know I would love it?” It was a silly question given he’d stalked me, but besides jotting down notes in the notebook in my room, I didn’t think I’d written in a real journal unless it was for school since he’d entered my life.

Soren cleared his throat as he sat down next to me. “I suspected it might be something you’d enjoy after you made it your safe word, and that was why I made sure that I had something for you to write in when you moved to that room. I wanted to give you something more beautiful to write your thoughts down in.”

The words that came out of his mouth were sweet, but it also sounded like something he made up on the spot. I raised an eyebrow at him before my eyes landed back on the journal. I ran my fingers over the cool sapphires, the weight of the gesture sinking in. “Thank you,” I murmured, genuinely moved by what he’d done. “It’s truly magnificent. I can’t believe how beautiful it is.”

I couldn’t help but stare at the journal. It was a beautiful gift, but I also felt guilty about it. I knew he must have spent a lot of money on something like this. Then again, after what he’d put me through, why was I concerned? But I couldn’t shake the feeling.

“Soren, this is too much,” I said softly.

“It’s nothing.”

“No,” I said, “it’s not nothing and you and I know it.”

His fingers brushed my cheek, pushing back a stray strand of hair that had fallen in front of my face. “It’s a gift that I wanted to give to you. If you absolutely hate it, I’ll get rid of it.”

I quickly shook my head. “No! I love it.” With a heavy sigh, I said, “Thank you.”

“Now that is more like it.”

27

SOREN

Icouldn’t help but stare as Iris’s face lit up as she continued to take in all of the efforts of the team I hired to perform this miracle in the middle of the night.

My gaze lingered on her smile, a glimpse of joy that I’d rarely seen on her face since I walked into her life. In this moment, she looked young, carefree, and happy to be here with me. It sent warmth through my body, having a much bigger effect on me than I thought it would, stirring something in me that awakened a part of me that I thought was dead.

Iris turned to look at me again. “When did you have time to do all this?”

I shrugged. “It all happened last night when you were asleep.”

“I didn’t hear a thing…” Her voice trailed off as if she was trying to figure out how she slept through it when I knew exactly how we managed to create this miracle.

I’d made sure to put a sedative in the tea she’d asked Molly to prepare for her last night to ensure that she went into a deep sleep so they could work. They tried to be as quiet as possible, but the sleeping medicine gave us some more reassurance. Had I taken it a step too far by ensuring that she was knocked out? Sure, but it wouldn’t be the first time I went above and beyond what was required of me.

“You didn’t have to go to so much trouble,” Iris said softly.

Trouble was an understatement. I had moved heaven and earth to give her this one perfect moment, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

“It’s the least I could do,” I said. And that was the honest truth.

Iris laughed, the sound light and airy and something that I could get used to. “Well, you’ve outdone yourself.” She paused, glancing around once more at the winter wonderland I had created just for her. “Thanks again, Soren. It’s perfect.”

“You’re welcome… again.”

Iris shook her head at me, and I could see that she was fighting the urge to smile. Together, we spent time chatting and staring at the holiday decorations until a delicious smell caused both of us to look in the direction of the kitchen.

“That would be brunch,” I murmured, more to myself. I stood up and held out my arm for Iris to grab. She adjusted her new journal so that she could carry it and loop her arm through mine, and together, we walked into the dining room.

The table was already set and contained two extra spaces for Franklin and Molly. There was a beautiful arrangement of winter flowers in the center of the table, and serving platters with fluffy pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit had already been set out.

As we approached our seats, Franklin walked out of the kitchen with a pot of coffee in his hands and said, “I was just about to come get you, Mr. Grant.”

“No need. We smelled the food from the living room,” I replied.

It took a few moments for us to get settled, and soon, we were all eating and engaging in light conversation about the holidays. Even Franklin, who was a man of few words normally, was talking more than I’d seen him talk in all the years that he had worked for me.

The rest of the day ended up being very quiet, and I think everyone appreciated that. About an hour after dinner, I walked into the living room and found Iris sitting by the fireplace and writing in the journal I bought for her. She didn’t look up as I walked into the room, so I softly said something in hopes of not scaring her. “I’m glad you’re enjoying your gift.”

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