Damn it.
I can’t believe I was really trying to hate them but they are kind of comfortable. I’m just so afraid of ruining them. I’ve worn them twice now—once to the cafe the other day and now today. He continues insisting, and I see why.
If there wasn’t a ton of walking involved at Willow Springs’s Annual Summer Carnival, I wouldn’t dare. To be fair though, they do kind of pair well with the light blue cropped mom jeans and the white tank with thick straps tucked in. Damn him, they look good.
Just imagine those combat boots in the fall.
The front door opens and closes, and after staring at the perfectly new, untouched sneakers on my feet in the mirror for a while, I jog downstairs. “Christian?”
“Baby.”
I round the stairs and I see him in the kitchen, the raysfrom the setting sun seeping in through the back glass doors, bathing him in gold. And Christian is setting down a giant vase of fresh flowers.
I slow when I see the dramatic ensemble, enamored by the colors and arrangement. Violet’s doing, undoubtedly. He spins the vase until he finds the perfect side—all sides are perfect—then takes a step back, smiling at the bouquet before he turns to me.
Christian has a boyish grin on his beautiful face—the stubble grown back the way I like it because his hair grows fast—and I want to kiss it off his face. “Hey, baby.”
“Hi?” I eye the arrangement, wanting to bury my nose in the flowers. “What’s…”
“Flowers.”
I roll my eyes and go toward him. “I see that.” My hand curls around the shape of the crystal clear vase, the glass cool beneath my palms. “They’re beautiful.”
“Sunflowers,” he says. “For you.”
I stifle a grin and move closer, sliding my hands up his chest and around his neck. “Are you calling me your sunflower or something corny like that?”
“Something corny like that.”
“Thank you,” I breathe and kiss his jaw.
“I took your Jeep out,” he says, pulling out my car keys from his jean pocket.
My brow furrows when he sets the keys on the island. “Where?”
“Oil change, inspection, tire rotation, and filled the tank,” he says. “Also changed the filters for the air-conditioning so it should feel much cooler now.”
I shake my head, grinning. “Christian…”
His thumbs press into my dimples, holding my face in his large hands. “Yes?”
He’s so sweet. He’s a dream. The love of my life.
Just the other night, Christian spent the night in my bed and we woke up naked. In the morning, he didn’t let it go anywhere other than deep and lazy kisses before he pulled on his boxers and told me he had to shower then go to the gym. He kissed my head, kissed my cheek, then my lips, and left. By the time he came back, I was already on my way out to the shop and he kissed me goodbye.
And now he’s here after bringing in my car for maintenance, which I’ve neglected because I’ve been so busy with the shop.
“Thank you,” I breathe.
He kisses me. “I have a gift for you, but you can’t get upset.”
I pull back and give him my narrow-eyed glare. “What is it?”
With a boyish grin, he goes and grabs a black paper shopping bag from the couch. “Christian…” I warn.
He takes a seat on the stool and sets the bag on the island. “Please? You love these and I like this one for you.”
“I swear, if it’s over a thousand dollars?—”
