His gaze held mine through the screen. “I hope it was a good day,” he added.
“It was,” I said honestly. “I had a pretty special date.”
A warm smile tugged at his mouth. “Of course you did.”
My eyes drifted to the corner of the table, the bouquet still resting in its wrapping. “Thank you,” I said quietly. “For the gift.”
He paused—just a fraction of a second—like he was bracing for rejection even now. Then he offered a faint smile. “I hope you like it.”
“I loved the flowers,” I admitted. “They’re perfect.”
I hesitated, my fingers tightening around the mug as I tried to find the right words. “But… the bracelet…” I exhaled softly. “That’s too much, Adrian.”
He went still, like he was holding something back instead of reacting. For a moment, he didn’t say anything, and then his mouth shifted slightly, as if he was deciding whether or not to smile.
“It’s not,” he said at last.
“It is,” I insisted, a little more firmly this time, helplessly practical even as something in my chest tightened. “Flowers are fine. But the bracelet—”
“It’s from Haille,” he cut in.
I blinked, thrown off balance so quickly it took me a second to catch up. “What?”
Adrian’s mouth curved, just a little, like he couldn’t quite help it, like he’d been waiting for this exact moment. “It’s from Haille.”
I stared at him, certain for a second that he’d lost his mind. “Adrian,” I said slowly, trying to keep my voice even, “she’s three.”
“She has taste,” he replied easily. “She picked it.”
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not.” He leaned in slightly, his voice lowering just enough to pull me in with it. “When she was with Avery, I asked her to choose a present for you. Avery showed her pictures, and that’s the one she chose.”
I let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking my head as I narrowed my eyes at him. “Yeah, right. Of course she picked it.”
He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“You’re lying.”
“She pointed at it and told Avery, ‘This one pretty.’” His voice softened, a hint of quiet amusement slipping through. “So I listened.”
Something flickered in my chest then—warmth and ache colliding into one quiet, unfamiliar feeling I didn’t quite know how to name.
“But…” I started, hesitating, the word coming out smaller than I intended, edged with something uncertain.
Adrian didn’t interrupt. His gaze stayed on me through the screen, steady and careful, not pushing, not demanding—just there. “If you don’t want it, we can return it. No questions,” he said quietly after a moment. “But… I hope you’ll accept it.”
My breath slipped out in a slow exhale. I looked down at the table for a second, grounding myself, before lifting my gaze backto him. “Thank you,” I said quietly, because suddenly I didn’t trust myself to say anything more without revealing too much.
Adrian didn’t smile widely or act like he’d won something, but something in his expression eased anyway, subtle and unguarded, like he’d been holding his breath longer than I’d realized.
And for a brief second, I saw it—the truth behind all of this. The flowers weren’t a claim. The bracelet wasn’t a trap. It was just him.
He shifted slightly, like he was about to say something else. “By the way,” he began, “I’m coming back next Wednesday.”
“Oh.” I kept my voice steady. “You’re done over there?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “It’s stable enough to leave. At least the critical points are handled.”
