I’d spent half the night ordering things I thought she’d love; this order is different… This is for her soul, and now the order is ready.
She turns slightly, catching the movement of me slipping my phone back into my pocket. “Everything okay?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I say, and it comes out a little too fast. “Just… good news.”
Her brows lift, curious, but she thankfully doesn’t push.
The associate rings up her things, and I watch the moment she realizes her card isn’t being accepted. The woman behind the counter smiles politely and says, “It’s already been taken care of.”
Celeste turns to me with a look that’s half exasperation, half something softer I’m not ready to name.
I shrug, trying to play it off. “You’ve had enough taken from you. Please let me do this.”
She doesn’t argue, and hopefully she won’t when we go get the other things I’ve ordered. She just exhales, slow, like she’s letting herself accept the help this time.
As we step out of the boutique, bags in hand, sunlight warming the sidewalk, I feel that email burning a hole in my pocket.
She has no idea what’s waiting for her next.
But God, I can’t wait to see her face when she finds out.
We load her bags into the back of the SUV, and I make sure they’re tucked in securely before shutting the hatch. She stands beside me, sunlight catching in her hair, looking more like herself than she did this morning. That alone feels like a win I’m not sure I deserve.
“Our next stop is just a block over,” I say, keeping my tone casual. “We can walk.”
She nods, and we fall into step together.
As we pass the bookstore’s first window display, she slows. She presses her lips together, and I can practically see the moment the longing hits her.
“Lucian…” She says softly, stopping in front of the second window. “Do you mind if we go in? I want to grab a few things. The book I was reading got destroyed, and I—” She hesitates, like she’s not sure she’s allowed to want something so small after everything that’s happened.
For a heartbeat, I forget how to breathe.
Because this is what I’ve been waiting for. The email is burning a hole in my pocket. The order is waiting through those doors and behind the counter. There is a dolly cart ready to haul half a library back to the SUV.
And she’s the one asking to go in.
Perfect doesn’t even begin to cover it. “Yeah, of course. Let’s go in.”
We step toward the door, and I pull it open for her. The bell above it chimes, and she walks inside like she’s stepping into a place she’s been missing.
I follow her in, trying to keep my excitement contained, trying not to look like a man who’s about to give someone the sun.
She has no idea what’s waiting for her.
I hang back, pretending to browse a stack of travel guides while actually watching her out of the corner of my eye. She picks up a fantasy novel, flips it over, and reads the blurb. I bite back a smile, that one’s in the order. So is the romance she lingers on next, and the thriller she lifts off the shelf, thumb tracing the embossed title.
Every time she pauses, my chest warms a little more.
I did it. I did a fucking good job.
When she finally heads toward the register, I follow with my hands in my pockets, trying to keep my expression neutral. The clerk smiles at her and starts scanning the books she places on the counter.
Before she can reach for her wallet, I step forward.
“We also have a pickup,” I say, keeping my tone casual. “The order is under Lucian S.”
“Oh, yes, of course, I just finished your order. One moment.” She rushes through the door behind her.
