“The gar?—”
“Christian.”
“Oh.” I press my lips together. “Right.”
Lana laughs. “Can I see my surprise yet?”
“Yeah,” I breathe. “Okay.”
I remove my hands from her eyes and exhale, shaking them out at my sides and putting them in my pockets. I move aside to see her face and capture her reaction, which is everything and more than I was hoping it would be. Her lips part before they pull into a beautiful grin and her eyes widen, brightening beyond what I’d anticipated.
“Christian,” Lana gasps, the sound turning into a soft, quiet laugh. “It’s…”
“Too much?”
“No,” she says, turning to face me. “No, Christian, it’s perfect. It’s beautiful. It’s?—”
I take slow steps toward her, for my own sake, and pause just a few feet from her.
“Christian,” she breathes, silver lining her homey eyes.
“Do you like it?” I ask quietly.
Lana takes a step forward. “You know I do.”
I take a step. “I need to hear you say it.”
She takes two steps, then a few more until we are toe to toe and her head is tilted back to connect her eyes with my own. “Christian,” she whispers. “Ilovethe garden.”
“You do?”
“It’s one of my favorite things you’ve ever given me.”
“Which is your first favorite thing?” I ask. “Is it Dwight?”
She laughs. “No, it’s not Dwight. But I have it on all the time, every day.”
I squint at her but she only smiles wider, and I could drop to my knees. “What is it?”
Lana shrugs and stands on her toes, giving my jaw a quick peck. “You’re a smart man, Christian Calloway. Think.”
Then she walks down the patio toward the garden, throwing a wink over her shoulder. I watch her frolic about in her backyard as though it is green hills under the sun in a movie. Lana smiles as she smiles and brushes her fingers across the different shades and different kinds of flowers.
Miss Violet told me some of their names, but they’ve been completely lost from my memory. I had to make room for this moment. I lean against the banister, crossing my arms, and watch her.
I love the simple moments of her existing. There is nothing better in the world than that for me.
“Christian,” she sings, jogging back up the steps onto the patio.
“You really like it?”
Lana reaches the top and jumps, her limbs wrapping around my body. I hesitate at first, blinking before I realize… I’ve made her incredibly happy today. I did something good for her today.
I wrap my arms around her tightly and bury my face into her neck. Lana peppers kisses up and down the curve of my neck. “I love it,” she whispers. “I love it.”
Lana pulls back and I hold her with my hands under her ass while her hands hold my face, a smile on her lips. I feel silly about it, but I’m proud of myself today. No words, just actions. Something to make her smile like this. Something good to give her.
“I— I love…” Lana breathes, her thumbs caressing my cheekbones, up and down.
