Page 31

Bryce looks up and sees me watching. He gives me a smile and a wink. His mother leans over and whispers something into his ear. Bryce nods, gets up, and then makes his way over to me.
“Kitty Kat.” he purrs. Bryce runs his hand through my hair. He smiles and leans in, kissing my lips softly. “Thank you.” he whispers against them.
“Dinner time!” my mom calls from the dining room.
“Let’s go eat!” Bryce takes me by the hand and leads me into the dining room.
We all sit down at the table. Bryce sits next to me, reaches over and takes my hand in his beneath the table. He holds on to me tightly, like he’s afraid of letting me go.
Looking out at the table, my mom has outdone herself this year. My eyes make their way around the spread that is before me. My mom made a roasted ham with a bourbon glaze. Next to it sits a prime rib that I can’t wait to dive into. My sister made a sweet potato casserole, this year, which has me drooling. The smells of everything on the table made my stomach rumble. I’m so glad I wore leggings today.
I look around and smile. I feel like I’m floating on cloud nine. It makes me so happy to be able to share this day with Bryce and our families. This all feels like a dream, a really great dream.
“Bryce, sweetie, I am so glad that you’re better from that accident. And thanks to you, too, Katrina, for taking care of him.” Ruth places a hand over her heart. “When I heard Bryce was injured—oh my, I was just devastated.”
“But I’m fine, Mom.” Bryce reassures her.
“I know you are. You know how I worry. I love that you protect people, I just worry about your safety.” she chides him.
“I know, Mom.” Bryce turns to face my parents. “Thank you so much, the both of you, for letting my parents stay here.” He squeezes my hand.
“Bryce, honey, it’s never a problem.” my mom replies with a serene smile.
As dinner goes on, we talk about everything under the sun. Once dinner is over, Bryce and I clean up so that my mom can take a break and our parents can have parent-y conversations. You know, the kind of conversation where they talk and brag about their kids. Yeah, don’t want to be there for that. Especially after our kiss. They’re probably planning our wedding and names for their grandchildren already.
While I wash the dishes, Bryce comes up behind me. He places his hand on my lower back and kisses my head. “I didn’t want you to think I forgot about you, but I wanted to give you your gift when we were alone. I hope you don’t mind.”
I shake my head, scrubbing a plate.“You didn’t have to get me anything, Bryce.”
“Kitty Kat, I never want to hear you say that again.” he growls, giving me a firm look. “I got you something because I wanted to. It’ll never compare to what you gave me, but I think you’ll love it.”
I bite my lip, nodding. “Okay.”
After dinner, cleaning up, and opening presents, it’s time to say goodbye and head home. We hug everyone and make plans to get together over the next few days. Especially Bryce and his parents.
Soon, we back at my apartment, and Bryce stops me at the door. “I need to go run up and grab your gift. I’ll be right back.”
I nod and walk in, setting all the gifts I got down on the loveseat before moving to sit down and let out an exhausted breath from all that socializing. I’m so relived that Bryce isn’t mad about me going behind his back to bring his parents here.
Bryce strolls in a moment later with a small wrapped gift. He walks over and sits next to me on the couch.
“Here. This is for you. I hope you like it.” He flushes a little in embarrassment. Or maybe he’s excited for me to open it. It’s a little hard to tell.
I tear through the wrapping to find a jewelry box. Not the small kind that contains a lifetime of commitment, though. I glance over at Bryce curiously, and he smiles at me. I open it up, and in the box sits a beautiful white gold bracelet. In the center of the bracelet is a coiling of feathers around an onyx, and from there, it ripples out into countless diamonds.
“This is a rising phoenix.” I look up at him. “Isn’t it?”
Bryce nods and takes the bracelet out of the box to place it on my wrist. “Over the last couple months, I watched you soar, Kat. You’ve come a long way from the day I first met you. You’ve opened up, spread your wings, and risen above what held you back. Kitty Kat, you got dealt a shitty hand in life, but no matter how many times you burst into flames, you rise from the ashes.”
I brake out into tears. This is the most amazing gift I’ve ever received. Bryce reaches up and kisses the tears away.
“I need to tell you something, Kat.” Bryce grabs both my hands in his. Suddenly, I feel sick. I can feel the color drain from my face.
“Kitty Kat, relax.” He pulls me on top him, so I’m sitting on his lap. “Look at me.” I obey, turning my head towards him.
“I don’t want to be friends. Not anymore,” Please let there be more, I silently pray. Bryce pauses to find his words. “Since you came into my life, I’ve never felt more alive, more at peace, or more at home than when I’m with you. I don’t want to be friends because I want more. I want to hold you and kiss you everywhere. And I want to go to sleep at night knowing you’re mine. I want to wake up as the luckiest man alive, knowing you’re by my side. I want you, Kat. Only you.”
I don’t know what to say. This man has left me speechless. So I do the first thing that comes to my head. I cry some more. How do I still have tears to cry?