My mess and clutter is gone— the piles of books I had stacked throughout the room, on side tables and wherever I could find a flat surface, are gone. The furniture is all switched around as well. The couch and chair now line the opposite wall, and in their place… a stunning, floor-to-ceiling custom bookshelf, filled with all of my books, and complete with an attached ladder that, guessing from the wheels on the bottom, can roll back and forth the entire length of the shelf. The shelves are a stunning deep-chocolate color that I don’t recall seeing anywhere else.
I gasp and it sounds like a sob. “Oh my god.”
“What do you think?”
Tearing my gaze away from the shelves, I turn to see Dominic a few feet away. His hands are in his pockets and he’s smiling, beaming even though he looks nervous as hell— not an expression often seen on his typically broody, chiseled face. Beside him is Carl, sitting like the bestest boy, his tail excitedly thumping on the floor.
Tears fill my eyes as I murmur, “You always hated the clutter.”
“No,” Dom says softly, taking a step toward me, “you always deserved a library, Pea. I knew it from the moment I steppedfoot inside your home. I knew that one day, I would build you a library.”
The candlelight flickers throughout the room, casting a dreamy haze over the space. “It’s so romantic. I thought you weren’t into grand gestures?” I smile despite the happy tears pooling in my eyes.
Dom reaches out, cupping my cheek. He brushes away a tear that’s already managed to sneak its way down my face. “Ah. Not always, no. But you, Pea? You deserve the world. The least I can do is make you some shelves.”
Sniffling, I ask, “So, you’re not sick?”
He lets out a relieved sigh. “No, I’m not sick. I couldn’t think of a good way to get you out of the house for long enough to pull this off.” He nods towards the shelves. “So, Chloe and Jasper helped me out.”
I place a hand over my heart which is still thumping away wildly. “I was so worried when you weren’t answering.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” Dom presses a kiss to my forehead.
“I’ll forgive you, eventually,” I tease, glancing at the impressive display again. “This is stunning, Dom. I didn’t realize you were so…”
“Handy? Crafty?” He shrugs, dropping his hand from my face as I take a step closer to inspect the craftsmanship. “Honestly, I’m not. Let’s just say I owe Jack a favor at some point.”
“Ah, I see.” Running my fingers along the spines of the books, it strikes me how perfect this is— the much-appreciated order and structure it brings to something that was so beautifully chaotic.
“I, uh, hope you don’t mind,” Dom says quietly, stumbling over his words. “I added a few of my favorites to your collection as well.”
“Oh?” I turn back to the shelf, looking for anything new-to-me.
Dom steps up close behind me, pressing up against my back and trailing his fingers down to my left hand. His breath is warm on my neck and can’t contain the shiver that runs through me. His touch, as he threads his fingers through mine, and the way he holds me never fails to electrify me. Dom guides my hand up a shelf higher, then down slowly, pausing finally on a very well-read, tattered copy of…
“The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe?” I ask, smiling at him over my shoulder.
“Do you remember that summer we met?” Dom asks quietly, an unreadable expression on his face.
Swallowing hard, I nod. How could I forget? Laughing, I say, “I practically forced you to read it.”
“Yeah,” Dom nods, his lips tilting into a smile. “That summer changed my life, Pea.”
My eyebrows knit together, emotion coursing through me like the tide. “Me too.” I look back to where our fingers rest on the worn book spine, and something catches my eye. Something I asked him about months ago, that I’ve seen nearly every day since he’s been back in my life. “Dom, your tattoo!”
He smiles and I notice his cheeks are wet too; we’re both emotional little messes together, aren’t we?
“I wasn’t completely honest with you, when you first asked me about it.” Dom lowers our hands and holds his wrist out, turning it slightly so I can better see the lamppost tattoo. His first tattoo ever. A visual reminder of… something that made him happy. “I got it because it reminds me of you, Pea. You were my beacon. My light in the darkness. I never got to tell you that.”
Words are impossible— a ball of emotion rises in my throat, threatening to spill out in a sob. “Dom,” I whisper through my tears. “I… I don’t know what to say.”
Dom places a steady hand on my hip and presses his lips to the top of my head. “You don’t have to say anything, baby. Why don’t you take a peek inside?”
With a shaky hand, I tip the book out from its place on the shelf. It’s the first book in the series and, as I settle it into my hands, there’s a weight to it that I cannot explain. Physically, I mean, but metaphorically too.
“Open it up, Pea.” Dom’s whisper is warm against my ear and I shiver again.
I do as he asks, noting that the book seems to only open about halfway through. While puzzling, my confusion doesn’t last long because there, in the center of the book, in a hollowed out square hole, is a gorgeous square-cut sapphire ring. It’s breathtaking, the most beautiful piece of jewelry I have ever seen in my life— two thin silver bands frame a sapphire, flanked by teardrop diamonds.
