Page 64 of The Upside of Falling
“Wasn’t sure if I’d see you later today or tomorrow, and I wanted to give you a small Christmas present.”
I turn in his grasp so we’re face to face, and I press my hand to his cheek. “You got me a Christmas present?”
“It’s small.” He shrugs. “Don’t get too excited. I haven’t had to buy presents for anyone, so I don’t really know what I’m doing.”
I twist my lips to the side, my brow creasing. “You haven’t bought a present for anyone? What about your grandpa?”
He shakes his head. “He always tells me not to bother, says he just wants my company.”
“Well, I could have taken your company too. I’m always looking for time with you.”
His thumb trails down my cheek, to my lips where he tugs on the bottom one and says, “I wanted to get you something.”
I kiss his thumb and smile. “Can I have it? Or did you just give it to me?”
He chuckles. “The orgasms were the starter gift.”
I rub my hands together as he moves across the bed to where his pants are on the floor. “If that was the starter gift, I can’t wait to see what you really got me.”
He palms the gift in his large hand and lies down next to me. The way he’s biting on his lip, tells me he’s nervous.
The man is six-foot-two, muscled to perfection, and looks shy to give me a present. Good Lord, he is adorable.
“Well . . .” I dance my fingers over his bare chest. “Are you going to give me the gift?”
“Uh, yeah. Here. It’s just something small,” he repeats, watching intently as I unwrap the little box.
“Did you wrap this?” The Santa paper is really cute.
“Yeah. Watched a video on YouTube about gift-wrapping. How did I do?”
I pause in my pursuit to open the gift and stare into his eyes. How is it possible that this beautiful man with a gorgeous soul is experiencing so many firsts with me? How could he rise from a family that didn’t care about him and become the humbling and determined man he is today? It’s unbelievable to me.
“You did a beautiful job, Colby. Thank you for putting so much thought and effort into this gift.”
Blinking, his eyes connect with mine when he says, “Well, it’s you, Rory.”
And that’s all he has to say, because those few words mean the world. He’s saying I’m worth it. Closing in, I capture his face and press my lips against his, our bodies molding together, his hand gripping my hip, pulling me in closer. I keep the kiss short, so when I put some distance between us, Colby groans in disappointment.
“Let me open my gift and then we can do more of that.”
He flips to his back but peeks over at me, a small smile on his face. “Just open it already.”
Giddy, I tear open the rest of the gift and open a small black box. I then push back the black tissue paper to find a silver necklace with a matching fighter jet hooped through the strand.
Before I can say anything, Colby props himself on his arm and says, “It’s so when I’m not with you, a little piece of me is. If you don’t like it, I can take it back. I understand if you don’t want to wear a plane around your neck, I just thought—”
“Colby.” I clutch the necklace to my body and face him, my chest feeling tight, my throat squeezing and making it hard to talk. Through blurry eyes, I press my hand to his face and say, “I love this so much. Thank you.”
“You do?”
I nod, a tear falling from my eye. Reaching up, he brushes it away, and I can see pride washing over him.
I hand it to him. “Will you put it on for me?”
“Of course.” Sitting up, he takes the necklace from me, and I move my hair to the side so he can see better. When the necklace is clasped, he kisses my shoulder and wraps his arms around my midsection. “This journey we’re going to take isn’t going to be easy, but I want you to know that I will be thinking of you all the time. Even when I’m not with you. And now, maybe a part of me still is.”
I hold the little plane and tilt my head to the side, melting into his kisses, in the way he feels wrapped around me, circling me with his strength. It might not be easy, but he’s right, no matter what, he’ll always be with me. I can’t get over how thoughtful he is.
