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"In your closet." He gestures towards the tiny closet in the corner of the room. "It's full of treasures."
I stare at his reflection in the mirror. "What treasures? What's in there?"
"You don't want to know." He pulls on the elastic strap that runs beneath his chin to hold the hat in place. As he releases it, it snaps back and he jumps.
I can't help but laugh at his pained expression.
"Maybe I need to lose the hat?" He gingerly pulls it off his head and studies it. "Where did it come from?"
"The paper hat factory?" I beam.
"Funny girl." He moves to kneel in front of me now. "Did you wear it when it was your birthday when you were a child?"
"Every year?" I smile gently at him.
"Every year? Why?" He looks puzzled.
"We didn't have much money. I got the hat at a friend's party so I brought it out each year on my birthday and on my sister's birthday and we wore it." I exhale sharply. It's both a difficult and joyous memory. "I just wish my mother had been there to see me wear it."
He kisses the tip of my nose before he carefully places the hat on my head. "It's perfect." He grins.
I reach to remove it. "It's not my birthday, I can't wear it today."
"Don't." He stops my hand in mid-air. "Today is your birthday to me."
"What does that mean? You're not going to take a picture of me in this funny hat, are you?" I tilt my head to the side and purse my lips together.
"No." He rolls back on his heels. "I'm going to give you something. Don’t move."
My heart starts racing as I watch him walk towards his bag. He fumbles through the clothing and pulls out a long, rectangular box. It's wrapped in gold paper and tied with a delicate lace ribbon.
"Happy Birthday, beautiful." He kneels before me again and places it in my lap.
I stare at the box, transfixed by its beauty. The paper glimmers in the soft afternoon light coming through the window. I gently pull on the edge of the ribbon and it falls off. I look up at him and he's sporting a wide grin. "What is it?" I whisper under my breath.
"Open it and find out." He kisses my cheek and then rests his head against mine so we can watch the unveiling together.
I remove the paper and open the deep blue velvet box. The contents steal my breath away. It's one of my necklaces but it's different. I pull it from the box and study it closer. It's a round gold pendant that I had emblazoned with several small crystals. There had been six but now there are many more and they're not crystals, they're a brilliant blue. They dance in the light.
"Do you recognize it?" Jax's breath washes against my cheek.
"Yes. I think I do." I cradle it in my palm. "It's different than I remember."
"There are twenty-six stones now. Twenty-six sapphires." He points to one of them.
"They're beautiful." I'm struggling to understand the significance of them.
He leans back now and cradles my face in his hands. "I was born in September. Those sapphires represent the twenty-six years I had to live without you."
My body trembles and I can't see. I sob audibly.
“No, no." He presses his lips to the tears. "No tears."
I nod although I can't stop the overwhelming emotions I'm feeling.
"It's something that we made together. Something you can keep close to you." He pulls it from my hand and clasps it around my neck. "Do you like it?"
"I love it." I smile through my tears, "I love…" I stop myself I can't say that yet.
