I watched the butterfly for a moment longer, feeling calmer.
Not long after Derek’s funeral, on a particularly low day, a bright-blue and black butterfly had landed on me. Ever since then, I’d associated butterflies with Derek. And once I’d made the connection, I felt like I saw them everywhere. Sometimes, it was a real butterfly like the one in the garden. Other times, it was a butterfly painted on a rock. A sign.
Anytime I saw one, it brought me comfort and made me smile. It was why I’d gotten my tattoo on his birthday. I turned my wrist to admire the design. At first glance, it looked like a butterfly. But when you looked closer, the butterfly was actually comprised of sixes in many sizes. The tattoo artist had played with the spacing and sizes until it had looked just how I’d wanted. And I loved that the sixes represented Derek’s lucky number, the one he’d worn on his jersey.
I sighed. I might not like how I’d left things with my sister, but I also knew I wasn’t ready to clear the air either. So, I shoved my phone into my back pocket and headed back inside.
CHAPTER FIVE
Ipadded down the hall to my closet where Frasier was measuring the space. I couldn’t stop myself from watching his forearms as they flexed. God, I loved a good forearm.
“Bryn?” Frasier asked.
“Hm?” When I met his gaze, he was watching me with a curious expression.
Crap.I’d been checking him out.Again.
His smile was bemused. “I asked what time you wanted to leave for the airport tomorrow?”
“I don’t know. Maybe eight? Hopefully evening traffic will have calmed down some by then.”
“Sounds good. Oh, I brought something for you. For the trip.” He stood and dusted off his hands before reaching into his tool bag to grab something.
He handed me a package in brown paper. It was clumsily wrapped, but I was delighted by the surprise. It was the size and shape of a book, and when I tore off the paper, I gasped.
“How?” I gaped down at it then back at him.
Frasier lifted a shoulder as if it was no big deal, but the tips of his ears were an adorable shade of pink. It was a huge freaking deal.
“But this is the new Meghan Hart and Penelope Glass book.”
I turned it over in my hands, admiring the cover and scanning the back. Not only that, it was the special edition version with foil on the cover, printed edges, and custom interior artwork. It was gorgeous, and I couldn’t wait to read it.
“It isn’t even officially published yet,” I said, astonished to be holding it in my hands. In fact, it wasn’t releasing for another week or two. It wasn’t even on the shelves.
I wasn’t surprised that Frasier had been able to score an early copy. He was a celebrity after all, and it wouldn’t take much to pull a few strings. But he rarely, if ever, used his status to get what he wanted. And the fact that he’d gone to the effort—for me… I blinked back a few tears, suddenly overcome with emotion.
“Check out the inside,” he said in a gruff voice.
I opened the cover and froze when I saw what was on the title page. My heart was pounding as I read the words.
Bryn,
The best love stories have no end. Here’s to your happily ever after.
Meghan Hart and Penelope Glass
The bridge of my nose stung at those words, scrawled in one of my favorite authors’ hands.
The best love stories have no end.
It felt like a message from the universe.
When I glanced up at Frasier, he was watching me with a wary expression. Was he worried about how I’d react? He shouldn’t have been. Not only had Frasier gotten me an earlycopy of a special edition book by my favorite authors, but he’d had them sign it to me.
“Oh my god. Thank you.” I nearly tackled him in my excitement.
He chuckled, and the dogs jumped at us, thinking it was playtime. Which had the effect of me tumbling forward and the four of us all but wrestling on the floor. Biscuit licked at my face, and I playfully tried to bat her away. And then Bacon joined in, and I couldn’t stop laughing.
