“Your cat is evil, but I’m glad you like the images. And if Jesse asks, this photoshoot was my idea,” he says.
“It was definitely your idea and not Jesse’s. Liam, I love these so much.”
He’s all smiles, and I love the genuine look of happiness on his face that he seems to only wear for me.
After Liam is subjected to hours of talking, games, and food, he nearly skips out to the car. Buddy, who has latched on to Liam for some reason, gallops after him until Dad has to call him back to the house.
Liam clambers into the car and then beams at me. “We survived! We did it!”
“Survived? You’re so ridiculous. Liam, you really did too much. A freaking European trip for my whole family? And these photos?”
“I wanted to treat you like the special person you are.”
“You’re spoiling me, is what you’re doing.”
“Good. You deserve to be spoiled.”
When we reach home, I hurry into the bedroom and find the two remaining presents I have for Liam.
“Come, come.”
“Ooh? Is my final present you naked?” he asks as he saunters into the room and swipes his hair back, making me laugh.
“Not quite,” I respond, holding the present out to him.
“It’s heavy,” he says in surprise when he takes it.
“Yep.”
He thinks about it for a second before asking, “Is it to bludgeon someone with?”
“Might be. You could do in Donna the moment no one is looking.”
“I approve,” he says before he opens it up and examines it.
“This is a high-quality safety box. It comes with a kit to install it inside the wall so that absolutely no one will ever be able to access it easily. That way you can’t get caught and leave me.”
Liam’s watching me closely while he thinks about this. “For my album?”
“Yes. For that fucking album. This slots into the wall so no one can remove it. You would have to unlock it yourself to ever get it out. I have no damn idea why you don’t already have something like this. It’s like you want to get caught. And I just… I want you to be safe… I want to spend every Christmas with you from now on.”
He doesn’t even seem to know what to say to that. “I promise I’ll be safe. I promise.”
“Good.”
“Why do you let me do this?” he asks.
“Don’t ask why. Just… I can’t lose you.”
“I promise you won’t,” he says before he gives me a soft kiss. He sets the box down and gathers me up in his arms instead.
“Wait… you have one more.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. And it isnota wedding ring. It is in no shape or form a wedding ring, so don’t get excited,” I say when I put the smaller box in his hand.
He opens it and pulls out a watch. I flip it over and show him that engraved on the back are the words “To the ends of the earth,” and engraved just below that is my fingerprint.
