He shifts in his seat, watching me carefully as I open the box. My heart beats rapidly in my chest when I catch sight of the gold rose necklace he gifted me on our anniversary all those years ago. “I can’t believe you still have this,” I whisper, a rush of nostalgia washing over me.
As I lift the necklace from the box, I notice that he added diamonds on the stem and had our initials engraved on the leaves. The last time I saw the necklace, I had thrown it at him out of spite, and that was something I’ve always regretted.
“I held on to it, hoping one day I would be able to give it back to you,” Maddox says softly. “All the mementos from our relationship—the ticket stubs, the handmade gift you made me, the jar full of love notes—I kept them all.”
Butterflies swarm wildly in my stomach. “I did, too.”
Sitting on my old bedroom floor is a box full of memories from the time we were together. As angry as I was with him, I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away. I didn’t want to completely erase him from my life.
“Can you put it on me?” I ask, handing the necklace to him.
Brushing my hair to the side, he clasps the beautiful piece around my neck and holds the rose pendant with his fingers. “The diamonds I added symbolize the strength of my love for you, which continues to grow with each passing day.”
Turning me toward him, he cups my cheeks and caresses my lips, sending jolts of electricity through my entire body.
The singer reappears and strums his ukulele to the tune of“I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz—our song—and begins to sing.
Maddox takes a bow and reaches for my hand. “Annalise Rose Monroe, may I have this dance?”
Smiling, I pinch the sides of my gown and curtsy. “You may.”
The stars twinkle in the sky as we stare lovingly into each other’s eyes and sway to the beat.
Maddox twirls me around and brings me back to his chest, nuzzling his face in my hair. “I missed being able to slow dance with you.”
“I did, too. We haven’t danced together since senior year, when we won prom king and queen.”
“And now I have my queen in my arms again,” he says, causing my smile to widen. “I hope you had a great birthday, Annalise.”
“This has been the best birthday I’ve ever had. And it’s not because of the gifts or this trip. It’s because I got to spend it with you.”
His warm brown eyes sparkle under the soft glow of the moonlight and his dimples carve hollows into his cheeks. “I plan on spending the rest of your birthdays with you, Rosie.”
He plants a kiss on forehead, the warmth of his lips lingering as I nestle my head against his broad chest. I breathe him in, wanting to savor this moment.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
maddox
“How was Hawaii?”Okasan asks as she places the spread of sushi rolls and sashimi in front of me.
“It was beautiful. And the food was so delicious.”
Okasan glares at me and I slink down in my seat. Grabbing the chopsticks, I pop a piece of sashimi in my mouth. “But not as good as yours!”
She smiles and settles into the chair next to me.
“Did you take surfing lessons?” Asami asks.
“We did. And I got my ass whooped by the waves. My dignity was taken away.”
I thought with me being an athlete, I would be a little better at it, but I was clearly wrong. I could tell our surfing instructor was trying to hold back from laughing when I kept falling. Annalise was a lot more graceful than I was and managed to stay on the board for a longer period of time.
“Please tell me you have videos of this.” Asami laughs.
Scrolling through my phone, I show my family the video of my failed attempt at surfing. Okasan and Asami burst into giggles, and Otosan’s lips twitch into a small smile.
“Did you go whale watching?” Okasan asks.
