“Well, for starters, I’ve never received flowers from a man before.”
I couldn’t tell if she was joking or not. Then again, why would that be something she would joke about anyway? How in the world had this girl not been spoiled rotten and showered with flowers? It was the most obvious thing any man could get for a woman. Luckily, that was never something she’d have to worry about with me.
“You’ve never gotten flowers before?” I asked, taking this as a chance to learn more about her past.
“From my girlfriends, of course.” She chuckled dryly. “But the problem with only having one ex-boyfriend, and him being from my childhood, is that we were young and broke. We focused on school. Gifts and gestures like this just weren’t … our thing.”
Kids or not, he was still an asshole.
“What’s your favorite kind of flower?”
“After today? Red roses. Especially the arrangement with the baby’s breath.”
I could feel her lips form into a smile against my skin, and I took note of her joy, silently promising myself that I’d never let up on buying her flowers. She deserved the little things, big things, and everything in between.
“Even more reason to get you flowers. For just being you—being mine.” My hand ran over her back, taking full advantage of being near her. Being able to feel her. “What else did you love about today?”
“Everything. Getting away from Vegas. Luxury accommodations for my first time on a plane. The?—”
“Wait a minute. Your first time on a plane?” I just assumed she had traveled a little bit in her lifetime.
But as hard as she worked, and her upbringing, the puzzle pieces started to connect.
“I’ve only ever been to California and Nevada. When I moved here, I drove. I guess the opportunity hadn’t presented itself for me to get away. Until now, at least.”
“Are you telling me, I’m your first, Avery?” My words were playful.
“With how different we are, I have a feeling you’ll be my first for a lot of things.”
She adjusted her position on my chest; the smell of honey wafted around me as her damp hair sprawled across my shoulder.
“I like the sound of that. Maybe next year for your birthday we can check off another first on your list.”
“Next year, huh? You’re making plans, Spence. You’re sounding like the type of man who might be committed.”
“Avery,” I tilted her chin back up and took a deep breath, “I know you can be wary because of your past, but I promise you, I am committed. I am falling for you—I’m pretty sure I’ve already fallen. And I will never be like the men in your past. I will never disappoint you like the people you involuntarily spent most of your life around. I told you I was going to show you what it was like to be with a man. And this is exactly what you can expect when it comes to not only being with a man, but with a man like me.”
The blue in her eyes looked like the ocean first thing in the morning. The gloss from her tears mimicked a subtle wave reaching the shore. My thumb reached out, swiping the lone tear that trickled down her cheek.
“It’s your birthday, baby. You shouldn’t be crying—again.” Like earlier on the plane, I could only hope these tears were good ones.
“Technically, my birthday was yesterday.” She nodded toward the clock on the end table. It was well past midnight.
“Everyone knows your birthday doesn’t end until you fall asleep. Plus, I still have one more gift for you.” I kissed her forehead.
“Spencer! I don’t need anything else. You’ve already done so much.”
“This is the one thing you do need.” I reassured her as she studied my face, waiting for me to finish telling her what I’d gotten her. “I’m having the money you need wired to your account tomorrow. You’re free, Bella.”
There was a chance that her ex was an even bigger scumbag than I thought he was. And if that was the case, he’d take the money and run, with no intentions of taking down the video. So, I still had plenty of work to do on the back end when it came to getting the video taken down for good. But hopefully, she could have a little bit more peace of mind knowing she only needed to work one job, and she didn’t have to put her body at risk anymore.
She dropped her head to my chest; her petite frame clung to me and hugged me in a way I never thought she’d be capable of. There was a gratefulness in her tight embrace that I could feel deep in my bones. A kind of appreciation that was shown through actions and not words.
“Spencer?” she muttered after a lingering moment of silence.
“Yeah?”
Lifting up, she was now seated and straddling my lap with the white sheet wrapped delicately around her body.
