Page 63 of House of Scarlett
He brushes the strands of hair that have fallen out of my messy bun away from my face, and his blue eyes are full of compassion.
I rarely let people see me fall apart. It’s another thing my mother schooled me on relentlessly.“If you let them see you cry, they’ll know how to hurt you.”
I may as well have a master’s degree in burying my emotions and putting on a good front. But this time, it feels really good to feel what I feel and not try to cover it up for the sake of appearances.
“I brought you something,” Gabriel whispers against my temple.
A swirl of curiosity breaks through the grief. “You didn’t have to bring me anything,” I reply, tilting my head to see his face.
“I didn’thaveto. Iwantedto. Nothing fancy, so keep your expectations low.”
Minutes ago, I wouldn’t have believed it would be so easy to pull myself out of this crying jag, but Gabriel managed to do it anyway.
I catch a hint of excitement in his blue eyes before I lose his heat as he climbs off the bed. He disappears into the living room and returns with a paper bag in his hand.
“What is it?” I ask, my anticipation rising. I’m a gift giver by nature, so being on the receiving end is new for me.
His expression is serious when he replies. “You have to promise not to get too excited.”
Too late,I think, but I excitedly nod as I try to school my features into a sober mask. From the shake of his head, I can tell I’m not pulling it off.
“Please, the suspense is killing me.”
He mumbles something under his breath before holding out the sack. I grip the brown paper and peek inside.
From the top, I can see a book. But not a novel. A thinner book with dark edges. I reach inside to pull it out and blink at the cover.
Oh. My. God.
My head jerks up, and I meet his blue gaze. “You got me a coloring book?” I look back down at the cover.“Of ladybugs?”
His expression morphs into one that’s almost sheepish. “I thought you might get bored. I know you’ve got a phone to keep you busy, but I thought you might like to take a break from that and just ... color. Shit. It sounds stupid now that I’m saying it. I’m sorry. I can take—”
My heart is in danger of bursting from joy as I hug the coloring book to my chest. “No. Not stupid. Perfect. I love it. Thank you.”
“You sure?” He sits on the edge of the bed and reaches for the bag.
I’m tempted to snatch it back in case he tries to take it, but I watch as he lifts it and spills the remaining contents onto the duvet.
Markers. Colored Pencils. Crayons.
Excited laughter bubbles up in my chest. “You have no idea how deep my love of office supplies goes. This isamazing.”
“Yeah?”
I reach out to tangle my fingers with his. “Yeah. Thank you so much. I don’t remember the last time someone gave me a gift that was so thoughtful.” I kiss his massive knuckles.
He shrugs and drops his gaze to the duvet. “It’s not much. Plus, you’re the girl who has everything.”
I squeeze to get his attention and wait until his blue gaze lifts to meet mine. “It’s perfect. Thank you, Gabriel. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“You’re not crying anymore, so I believe you.”
The pang of loss that hits me isn’t as sharp this time, and I’m taking that as a win. “Definitely believe me, because it’s true.”
As we sit there, my call with Ryan and Christine pops into my head. Well, the part of it about the charity event for Meryl Fosse.
Before I can second-guess myself, I blurt out, “And I’m not the girl who has everything, because I don’t have a date to this charity event, and I would really like for you to go with me.”
