Page 85 of The Ghost of Ellwood

Theo appeared one foot away.

“Jesus!” I clutched my chest as my heart skidded to a stop.

He laughed and wrapped his arms around me. “I enjoy scaring you, Ben. You have the most precious scream I’ve ever heard. Like a woman’s.”

“How nice of you to say so,” I said with a deadpan expression. “Do you want to see your surprise now, or would you rather make fun of me some more?”

Grinning, he kissed the edge of my mouth. “My surprise, please. I promise I didn’t peek.”

Linking our fingers, I led him down the hall toward my office. I told him to close his eyes once we reached the doorway, and he obeyed. We walked across the room and over to his reading corner. The red chair had gold thread around the trim, and the seat was big enough to pull your legs up into.

The perfect bookworm spot.

“Okay. Open them.”

Theo opened his eyes and gasped. “It’s the chair from the antique shop! Oh, Ben.” He threw his arms around me. “Thank you, darling.”

His excitement made my throat tighten. I loved making him so happy.

“You’re welcome,” I said and pressed my lips to his cheek. “Happy Birthday.”

“How did you know November first is my birthday?” he asked, smiling as tears welled in his brown eyes.

“When I went to the library to research the manor, I saw your records.”

“And you remembered.” His chin trembled.

It hurt when I realized he’d been killed around his birthday too. He went missing end of October. Just a few more days and he would’ve turned twenty.

“Your other gift won’t be here until Monday,” I said.

“The computer?” he asked hopefully.

“I have to admit…it’s fucking hot seeing you so excited about it.”

Theo blushed and went over to sit in his new chair. He sighed and cuddled into the cushion. I handed him a book off the shelf, and he beamed as he took it and opened to the page he’d marked.

“If you’d rather have the chair in the library, we can move it,” I suggested, hoping he wouldn’t, though. I liked having him in here when I worked.

“No. It’s perfect right where it is.”

As he made use of his gift, I sat at my desk and continued working, glancing at him every so often. The sun streamed through the window, bouncing off his black hair and highlighting his flawless bone structure. I loved every single thing about him, from his smooth voice to the coolness of his touch. I even loved how his body flickered when he got too excited and his control slipped.

He gave me inspiration and encouraged me when doubt reared its ugly head. I suppose he was my muse.

My beautiful, ghostly muse who had captured my heart and breathed life back into me.

***

“Dude, there’s a spider, like, right beside your hand.”

I jerked my hand up, cringing when I saw the evil thing scurry away and disappear under a box. I made a mental note not to go anywhere near that area for the duration of our attic visit.

“Can we speed this up?” I asked, standing from the floor and dusting the dirt off my ass.

“Okay, you big baby,” Carter said, shoving a small box into my hands. “Here you go. The letters and shit I was telling you about.”

“Thanks. Let’s go downstairs to sort through them.”