Page 45 of Earned Husband

I twisted to put my back to her. “I can feel you touching, Jasmine.”

Our mother crossed her arms, a fond, soft smile tugging at her lips. “You are both behaving like children.”

“We’re not,” I started, but Jasmine shoved me sideways just as I found what I was looking for between all the tissue paper and packing peanuts inside the box.

The letter had been tucked carefully between two smaller boxes underneath the rest of it, but as I pulled it out, Jasmine gasped like I’d unearthed treasure and reached for even that.

“Ooooh,” she said as I snatched it out of her reach. “Read it out loud.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.” I scanned it quickly, my eyes flicking across Colin’s neat, precise handwriting just to make sure the contents were appropriate to share.

I wasn’t expecting him to have included anything salacious, but there were things that could be for my eyes only. Even if it wasn’t sexual or explicit.

Jasmine, however, kept trying to pluck the paper from between my fingers. “Oh my God. Will you just read it already?”

“I’m trying, but you’re making it pretty hard.”

Even my mom came closer, looking amused as she sat down on the armchair near the bed. “Girls, behave.”

“I am behaving,” I insisted just as Jasmine snatched the letter out of my hands.

She held it up dramatically. “Success! Let’s see what the infamous Colin has got to say, shall we?”

Mom nodded enthusiastically. “Share with the class, please.”

Jasmine unfolded the papers, a slight pucker appearing between her eyebrows before she lifted it to her nose and sniffed it. “This smells like Armani.”

Mom blinked rapidly, rising from the chair and coming over to givemyletter a sniff of her own. She rose slowly, then sighed. “We can fix that.”

“What is there to fix?” I asked. “Not everyone has to wear something we’ve created.”

“No, but he should. We’ll send him something better,” she said, thinking out loud. “Something more distinctive from our men’s line.”

I shook my head but didn’t bother arguing. Whether or not I approved of this plan of hers was of no consequence. She would send him whatever scent she had in mind and there was nothing I could do to stop her.

Turning back to the smaller boxes, I reached in and extracted one, sliding open folded cardboard to peek inside. My entire being went still when I realized what it contained.

“Wait,” Jasmine said, sensing the shift in me. “What is that face all about? What is that?”

I didn’t answer, simply lifting the brand-new Hasselblad camera out of the box for her to see. It was still in its case, another smaller box containing multiple different lenses and a tripod.

Even Jasmine went quiet for half a beat. “Oh.”

Mom leaned in, her eyebrows sweeping up with approval. “Ohis correct. That’s very expensive.”

“This is…” I started, but I couldn’t even finish my own sentence before I’d swallowed past a lump of emotion and thought it over for a beat. “I think it’s the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me.”

Jasmine launched herself at me this time, pulling me into a tight hug. “Okay, I officially approve of Colin!”

“That’s nice, but I didn’t ask you for approval,” I said, my voice lacking any real bite.

Mom smiled as she watched me turn over the camera in my hands once my sister had finally let go of me. “This is a very thoughtful gift.”

I looked up at my mom, knowing she would understand how much this meant to me, but Jasmine had already moved on. She was digging through the rest of the box, tearing into it like she’d never heard of the wordboundaries.