“Such a sweet little thing,” she says, nodding. “I’m blessed to have her as a granddaughter. Anyway, I should go check in with Jayne to see when she wants to do the cake. It was nice catching up with you, Ryan.”
“Y-you too,” I reply, watching her walk away.
After a moment, I pull the envelope out again, and slowly withdraw the paper. I take a breath and unfold it to read the words.
To my Valentine,
You’ve grown into an incredible person, one with a heart as big as the universe and a smile that lights up any room. Every moment spent together reminds me how special you are, and your presence in my life makes me feel complete. I can’t help thinking of what a life together would look like. I want to enjoy simple pleasures with you, I want to show you the world. Most of all I want to tell you how much you mean to me. I love you with all my heart.
Your Secret Admirer.
I study the letter again, looking for any indication of who Derek might be addressing. There’s no name and I feel my chesttighten as I try to decipher his intentions. I gaze out the window for a glimpse of him. Claudia has joined him to watch a game of Pin The Tail On The Donkey and is leaning in close, her hand resting on his arm. My stomach churns at the sight.
“I love you with all my heart.” Could it be that Derek is in love with Claudia? I want the letter to be for me—so much—but it’s hard to believe he feels this way about me, especially after the awkward apology he delivered after that amazing blowjob. He made it pretty clear that we’re friends.
“Ryan, are you okay?” Mrs. Rivers asks, as she comes back into the kitchen.
I tear my eyes from the window as I shove the letter back into my pocket. “Uh, yeah.” I force a smile onto my face. “Just feeling a bit under the weather.”
“Maybe you should head home and get some rest,” she suggests, placing a hand on my arm. “You’ve done enough around here.”
“Y-yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” I glance out at Derek and Claudia one last time, my heart heavy. “Tell Derek I said goodbye, would you? And thank Jayne and Phillip for having me. I’ll send Lily a message later, as I don’t want to interrupt her fun.”
“Of course, honey. Feel better soon,” she says, giving me a warm hug before stepping back.
I make my way to the front door, avoiding the party in the backyard—I’m just not up for it. I don’t think my heart can take another moment of watching Derek, all the while knowing we’ll only be friends. But I also decide that I’m not going to wallow in self-pity. However, as I walk to my car, shoving my hands deeper into my pockets, my fingers curl around the crumpled letter, imagining it was written to me.
Chapter Ten
Istuffanotherhandfulof discarded wrapping paper and trailing ribbons into a garbage bag. My back protests as I straighten—it’s been a long day.
Lily bounds up. She holds out a couple of small bottles. “Uncle Derek, did you see what I got? Wanna help me put it on?”
I chuckle and ruffle her hair. “All that sugar’s making you loopy if you’d trust me to do your nails.”
She giggles. “You can watch then. And I can paint your nails, too.”
The day she was born seems like yesterday. Now she’s talking about makeup and wanting a mobile phone. Damn, Jayne and Phillip will have their hands full with this one. “We’ll see,” I say, hoping she’ll forget the offer, but knowing I’ll most likely end up with hot pink fingernails one day soon.
“Can we watch a movie when I’m done?” Lily asks.
“Not tonight, kiddo. I have to go check on Ryan. He wasn’t feeling good at your party. But how about you come over next weekend and we’ll have a movie and popcorn night?”
“Okay.” She grins before darting back into the house.
I pull my phone from my pocket and check to see if there’s any word from Ryan. I’ve been worried about him ever since Mum told me he’d gone home. What if he’s feeling really bad and has no one there to help him? I haul the bags out to the bin, trying to ignore the worry pooling in my gut.Ryan’ll be fine. It’s probably just a headache or he’s coming down with a cold.I’ll check on him later.
Satisfied I’ve done all I can outdoors, I head into the house to see if there’s anything else I can do before I head out. Jayne is putting away the last remnants of cake, and Phillip is sitting at the table with Lily, the two of them making a list of Lily’s gifts so she can write thank-you notes later.
“Uncle Derek?” Lily says. “Can I give you your Valentine’s card now?”
“Oh. A card for me?”
“I made one for you the other day.” She holds up a glittery envelope covered in red and pink hearts. “You said you didn’t have a Valentine, so I’m your secret admirer.”
I chuckle just as Phillip says, “I don’t think it works that way, honey. A secret admirer is supposed to be a secret.”
She frowns. “That’s silly.”
