That earns me a warm grin. Axel wraps his arms around my shoulders from behind and presses a soft hug into me.
“Good. We’d miss you.”
“It’s true,” Ben says, his voice a little rougher than usual. “But no matter where you go, this will always be your home.”
I don’t say anything right away. I just hold the acceptance letter in my hands, feeling the promise of something more. Something new. Something I earned.
Chapter 32
“Which do you think he’d like better?” I hold up two options, one in each hand.
Nik sighs, like he’s been fielding this question all day. “Lina, he’s a guy. He’s not gonna care about the color.”
I pout dramatically, and he rolls his eyes with a smirk.
“Fine,” he concedes, pointing. “The red one.”
A smile breaks over my face. I pop a kiss on his cheek in thanks. “You’re the best!”
Nik’s been a trooper today. I asked him to come Christmas shopping. Okay,orderedhim to drive me to the mall and stick around while I wandered store to store, second-guessing everything. He’s known the Harringtons a lot longer than I have, and I want their gifts to reflect how grateful I am for their support and hospitality. It’s wild to think I only met them months ago. It feels like it’s been years. I care about them. And somehow, Tennessee already feels more like home than Arizona ever did.
“Let me pay for this, then we’re hitting the food court. I want hot chocolate.”
Ten minutes later, we’re seated at a corner table, steaming cups in front of us. Mine is too hot to drink, so I pass the time going over my gift list again.
For Maryanne, I found an adorable recipe binder covered in strawberries. At Thanksgiving, I noticed her recipes were stuffed haphazardly in a drawer, scribbled on everything from napkins to receipts. My plan is to type them up, print them, andorganize them neatly. Just in case the originals are sentimental, I picked up a matching photo box to store them in.
Ben’s getting a phone stand with a built-in Bluetooth speaker. He’s always balancing his phone on whatever’s nearby (books, coffee mugs, the remote) so he can watch sports while multitasking. This one has an adjustable screen angle and better sound. Practical and thoughtful.
Axel was easy. I found a fresh set of fine liner pens at the craft store to replace the worn-out ones he’s always sketching with. And for a laugh, I ordered him a keychain online. It’s black and silver with tiny engraved lettering:You know you love me. XOXO.A nod to all the Gossip Girl reruns we’ve watched together.
The tricky ones are Johnny and Nik.
I still want to throat punch Johnny, so finding a gift that isn’t a flaming bag of coal has been tough. And Nik… well, I realized I don’t know him as well as I should. We’ve barely spent real one-on-one time together, which was part of the reason I asked him to come along. The other reason? Ilikehim.
I close out of the list on my phone and find Nik watching me, his deep blue eyes unreadable but soft. Something between us flickers between us, and when I smile, I don’t even try to hide it.
He mirrors me with a slow, genuine grin of his own.
“What?” I ask, blowing across the top of my drink to cool it.
“Nothing. I just love watching you,” Nik says softly. “You’re so beautiful.”
Well, damn. If I wasn’t smiling before, I definitely am now.
“Thanks. Right back at you,” I say, shooting him a wink.
His eyes glint playfully. “You think I’m beautiful?”
Groaning I roll my eyes. “Yes, Nik. You’re beautiful.”
He bats his obscenely long lashes like a Disney princess. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Okay, seriously. Tell me about yourself. We hang out all the time, but I feel like I don’t actually know that much about you.”
He lifts a brow. “What do you want to know?”
“I don’t know… what about your family? Are your parents still together? Any siblings? Favorite color? And is Nik short for something?”
