Page 95 of Unexpectedly You

“I was afraid, but doing that gave me something back.”

“What’s that?”

“My dignity and my strength.”

“You never lost them. Not in my eyes. You’re the strongest man I’ve ever known. I love you, Angel.”

Jay’s cheeks turn a good pink colour because of my praise. “What about court?”

“Changing the subject, are we?” I smile gently and kiss him, because his pouty lips and red cheeks are a temptation I can’t resist.

“It was scary, nerve-racking, and then amazing.”

Jay laughs, and I want to capture it with my lips, so I lean in again and press my lips against his, and then sneak my tongue in to taste that beautiful smile. It tastes divine, and I push in ready to take everything he’s willing to give.

Arianna cries, and we separate, grinning at each other because my daughter always finds the perfect moment to interrupt us.

I watch Jay pick her up, and I follow him with my eyes until he disappears along the corridor.

I take a moment to breathe, savouring the lightness of our future. And then I follow the man I love and the daughter I never thought I deserved.

After dinner, we take our usual places on the sofa, but closer than ever because we can’t stay too far apart from each other. The fear of losing one another is probably still running through our blood.

I don’t mind. I want to have him plastered against me forever.

Arianna didn’t leave us alone all day, and every time we tried to kiss she cried to get our attention. Her cuteness rose to the highest level, and neither of us could avoid taking her in our arms.

I love how the time after dinner has become the time for us, where we connect again and spend time together.

Before I sit with him, though, I snatch the gift from its hiding place. I moved it from under my jacket to the hall cupboard so Jay wouldn’t find it. I bought these presents for him and forgot all about them because of the mess our lives had become.

I recall that day, the excitement and the need to do something for Jay. It still brings a smile to my face.

I sneak out after I finish with my last client. It’s early enough that Jay won’t be worried I’m not back yet.

While I love seeing him wearing my clothes, I’m not sure how he feels about it. This trip to the mall is a thank you for everything he’s done for us.

First things first, I hit the underwear section, to buy some socks and boxers. Then I walk through the shop picking up a couple of T-shirts, jeans, and hoodies. He loves his hoodies. When I find a jeans jacket, I know I’ve found the perfect gift. This, he’s going to love even more.

I want to see his face while he fishes them out of the bag, and that reminds me that I need a cuter one than what is providedby the shop. The one with small angel feathers has Jay’s name all over it.

After paying, I walk out close to whistling with joy. Who is this man and what happened to grumpy, leave-me-alone, stay-away Haden. Do I care? Not one bit, at least not now. At the moment I’m more excited that I’ll get to watch Jay unpack what I got him, and see his eyes shine with joy.

I try my best to conceal it behind my back as I approach the sofa.

“What’s that?”

“What?” I play the fool.

“The bag you have behind your back.”

“Oh, this?” I say, moving it in front of me. “This is a small present.”

“Did you buy something for Arianna?”

“Nope. I bought something for an angel. I got this for you before the nightmare we just lived through,” I say, pointing to the bag in my hand.

“What? No. You shouldn’t have… I don’t deserve… You’ve already given me so much…” His voice fades.