I stop abruptly at the bottom of the staircase and turn to face her. “Do these scenarios just come to you, or is this one specific fantasy you’ve thought about?” I ask while chuckling.
“Well, most just come to me in the moment, but this one has been running through my mind for a little while now.” She shrugs; she has no shame in admitting one of her many strange fantasies. “So is that my gift?” She smiles brightly, hope shining in her vibrant greens.
“I’m afraid not.”But I guess we’ll have to make that happen sometime soon.
She pouts as if I just told her we weren’t going to Disneyland after promising for months.Damn, she really wants that specific role-play to happen.
“I promise you’ll like this gift, too. Then we can revisit this fantasy of yours.”
“Yay! You are thebestboyfriend ever.” She throws her arms around my neck and squeezes me to her. Sober Emma is already a little intense. Drunk Emma is a whole other story.
“So because I accept to perform your strange requests, that makes me the best boyfriend ever?” I question, laughing into her hair.
“Oh, shush. You like them just as much as I do. Don’t act innocent.” She pulls away and pecks my lips. “So where’s my gift?”
Right, gift. Forgot about that for a sec.I lower slightly, grabbing the back of her thighs and lifting her into my arms, her own still hanging loosely around my neck as she giggles. I carry her over to the couch and drop her onto it in a very inelegant manner.
She gapes at me in shock. “Greyson! We were having a moment here, and then you just toss me to the couch? You aren’t winning any points right now. May I remind you it’s my birthday and you are supposed to treat me like a queen? Not Cinderella.”
I laugh at how dramatic she’s being. “And may I remind you that Cinderella becomes a queen? By the way, it’s past midnight, so it’s not technically your birthday anymore.” I bop her nose, then walk over to the TV, retrieving the gift I had hidden there.
“Oh, you are definitely not winning any points right now… What the hell, Greyson? First you hide condoms there, now presents? I’m gonna have to start checking that spot more often. Clearly it’s where you hide everything.”
I come back and settle on the couch beside her. When she notices the square box in my hands, she sits up straight, ripping it from my grip before I have time to hand it over.Jesus, she’s eager.She removes the wrapping quickly and lifts the top of the box.
Her brows furrow as she pulls out a folded map with her perfectly manicured hand. She begins to unfold it andexamines the dots and lines I’ve drawn on it. “Greyson? I don’t understand.”
“The day after tomorrow, we’ll be leaving first thing in the morning to visit every one of those twenty-eight places. Then we’ll spend the night in a hotel and come back home by mid-afternoon,” I inform her, the smile on my face growing as her confusion deepens.
“Okay… but what are these places?” She traces her finger over the dotted line I’ve made, stopping for a second at each of the twenty-eight red dots.
“They’re thrift shops,” I say softly.
Her head whips up my way, emotions flicking through her eyes.
“I want you to pick out a silly mug from every single one of them. You’ve already started our tradition with the mugs; I thought it would be nice to incorporate your grandfather’s also.” I shift in my seat to face her and bring my hand up, cupping her cheek as I wipe the tear slipping down it.
“Oh, Wolf…” She throws herself at me, making the box and map drop to the floor while my body topples backwards, laying us down on the couch. She takes my lips in a fiery kiss, passion flowing through us as our tongues collide.
She pulls away and looks deep into my eyes while I reach up and tuck her hair behind her ear. “I’m crazy about you, Bunny.”
“I’m crazy about you, too,” she whispers back.
I don’t know why I didn’t tell her I loved her. It’s what I meant to say, yet that’s not what came out. I’m about to correct myself, about to finally say those three words that constantly run through my mind when I think of her, but she speaks up before I get the chance to.
“Did you make sure the hotel had a crib for Gracie? Or will we need to bring the portable playpen? We could always just lay herdown between us like when she was sick,” she spurts out rapidly, her mind working a million miles a minute.
“Gracie won’t be coming with us. Morgan and Clay are going to stay over and watch her while we’re gone.”
Her eyes widen, and she pushes up, straddling me. “She’s staying here?”
I don’t understand the tone she’s using. It makes me think of the one my mother uses when I’ve done something wrong but haven’t noticed it yet, where she’ll repeat everything I say in the form of a question until I catch on.
“Yes…” I say cautiously. “I promised you we’d spend some time alone when I got back, and we haven’t yet.”
“But that’s a long time away from her…”
I push up into a sitting position as well, feeling like we’re having a very serious conversation when it shouldn’t be such a big deal. “She spent the night with Mira and John for Valentine’s Day. How is this any different?” I ask, frowning.
