Page 154 of The Golden Hour

Daisy and I are the luckiest, though!

Then Mason got creative.

Accompanying a container of sliced watermelon.

You’re one in a MELON.

A container of strawberries and blueberries.

I’m so BERRY proud of you.

And with her egg salad sandwich.

You make me EGGStra happy.

The notes are so corny and goofy and silly. And they still have her giggling every time she opens her lunchbox, her stomach fluttering as it had when they were young kids in love.

Honey realizes that while her parents' cars are in the driveway, she can’t hear them in the house.

“They took a last-minute trip to the Poconos,” Mason says when he catches her looking. “They’ll be back on Sunday.”

“Getaway to the Poconos,” Honey says. “Romantic.”

Mason seems to be purposefully avoiding her gaze, but she sees him swallow hard and continue wiping down the counter. Honey narrows her eyes at him, and he peeks at her out of the corner of his eye.

“So, it’s just us then?”

Mason nods. “Yep.”

“For Valentine’s Day,” Honey says.

Mason startles, and it would be convincing if he weren’t blushing like a Jersey tomato.

“Oh, is it Valentine's Day?”

Honey glances at her mom’s vintage block calendar on the kitchen counter that Mason has passed at least four times in the minutes she’s been home. She also pointedly looks at Daisy’s Valentines-themed onesie and raises an eyebrow at him.

He smiles sheepishly. “Huh, I didn’t know.”

Honey hums suspiciously.

“But yeah, it’s just us tonight,” Mason says, before quickly adding. “Unless you don’t want it to⁠⁠—”

“Do you want to watch a movie tonight?” Honey says, cutting off his words. “Family movie night?”

Mason blinks before the brightest smile she might have ever seen on him spreads across his face.

“I would love that, Honey,” he murmurs, his throat working. “Why don’t you go take a shower?”

Daisy lets out a big yawn, then, and both of them just stop, turn, and watch in awe. “Oh, big yawn,” Honey cuddles Daisy closer, smiling when she lets out a big sigh and settles her head against Honey’s chest. “Has she napped?”

Mason shakes his head. “Our little party animal wanted to watch sports highlights instead of napping.”

“Oh God,” Honey smiles. “She’s been spending too much time with her grandparents.”

“Here, I’ll go put her down,” Mason says, walking around to take Daisy from her. “Go shower, baby.”

Honey shakes her head. “I’ll do it. You’ve been home all day with her.”