He leans forward then, placing his lips on my cheek, kissing my tear and down the wet trail until his lips find mine.
As he curls his arm around my waist and pulls me tight to him, my feet barely stay on the ground. I sink into his hold, kissing him back, this tender side new and full of emotion. Our lips move against each other slowly, deliberately, my heart racing, because he completely takes my breath away.
He pulls back a bit, the two of us a little breathless, his forehead meeting mine.
“Mmmm, I like kissing you.” Every time he grins, it’s contagious.
“I like kissing you too.” I feel the blush on my cheeks.
“I… ahhh… I got you something.” He’s acting a little coy, somewhat shy all of a sudden as he scrubs the back of his head. Leaning into the truck, he grabs a small box that I didn’t see before. “Here.”
“A gift?” I look up at him, surprised. The box is simple enough. Black, nondescript.
Nodding, he looks hesitant, and my heart thuds harder as I start to open it. Inside is a black velvet box, the kind that, in my experience, usually houses jewelry.
“Sutton?” I look back up at him, unsure what’s happening here.
“Come on. Open it,” he encourages, but he still looks nervous.
As soon as I open the box, it’s like the earth tilts beneath my feet. Because there, sitting in the box, is the most beautiful bee clip. Just like my broken one, but sparkling and new.
“I know how much your clip means to you. It’s the last thing you have of your mom. I used to look at it in your hair every day when I came to the diner. I almost had it memorized. So, I had my jeweler create a new one, replacing the gemstones with real diamonds and strengthening the clip with platinum. Now you have genuine yellow and black diamonds to ward off those evil spirits you talked about.” He’s watching me closely, and I think I’m about to pass out. Real diamonds. The cost of this would have been exorbitant. But that isn’t what sets my chest on fire. It’s the fact that he memorized my clip. The fact that he had it made, knowing it was special to me. The tears I had moments ago are back with a vengeance.
“Oh my God…” My voice is almost nonexistent. I still have the broken pieces inside, but they are so damaged, there’s no way to repair it. I’m just keeping them for sentimental value at this point.
“I was hoping this would bring you comfort, like she’s back with you, and now you can wear your bee clip again every day.”
Tears fall rapidly down my cheeks as I stare up at him. “Sutton, I have no words… You shouldn’t have… I mean, I can’t…”
He shakes his head, reaching up to cup my face so my eyes stay on his. “I wanted to. I know it means something to you. You mean something to me too, Tinker Bell…” Something shifts between us. It’s deep, emotional, and I’m almost powerless to stop it, even if I wanted to.
“Thank you.” It doesn’t feel like enough. “Thank you so much, Sutton.” I can barely get the words out around the tears that fall thick and fast. Sutton’s thumbs brush over my cheeks, wiping away each and every one of them.
“What do you say we go inside, put that in a safe spot, and pack you an overnight bag? You guys are sleeping over tonight, because I can guarantee that there’s going to be a chocolate hangover.”
That makes me laugh. “Oh gosh, how much did you buy?” I pretend to groan, but I’m actually really excited. His hands drop from my face and run down to my waist, keeping me close.
“Let’s just say, if I got the chocolate from Willy Wonka himself, then I would have about twenty golden tickets.” He gives me a sheepish look, and I laugh some more.
“You’re suuure you want us to sleep over?” I smile as I ask, because the way he’s now looking at me, I already know the answer.
“Your brother needs a sleepover experience,” he says quickly, and I zip my lips. He does. He really does. “And I need you in my bed.” His tone drops, as does his head as he rests his forehead against mine.
“Oh?” I'm already short of breath. God, I’m such a hussy for him. Like he knows exactly what I’m thinking, his eyes turn molten.
“Buuut, if you prefer not to, then that’s okay too. We can take this as slow as we need to,” he assures me sweetly, pressing a kiss on my forehead and pulling away slightly to look at me.
“I want it.” I say the words so fast, his wicked grin widens.
“Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that?” He knows exactly what I said. I take a deep breath, trying to center myself as I run my hands up his arms and cup the back of his head.
“I said… I will go pack my bag… although I don’t think I have any clean pajamas for this sleepover.” I bite my smile as I tease him, and he groans as his hands flex against my waist.
“You’re killing me, Tinker Bell. But I mean it. I’ll go as slow as you need. We don’t need to rush anything,” he reiterates, and I appreciate it. But while my history with men is limited and mediocre at best, I’m all in.
“I don’t need slow, Sutton. I just need you.”
Smiling, like that’s the best thing he’s ever heard, he kisses my forehead again and holds me close. With the bee clip firmly in my hand and feeling safe in Sutton’s arms, I can’t help but think my mom might just be looking down on me.
