AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“For me?” I ask, smiling when he nods vigorously.
“I made it for you for your birthday.”
“Wait!” Harley jumps up off the couch. “Don’t open it!” She takes off in a sprint down the hallway and when she runs back into the living room, her socks slide across the floor and she lands back on the couch with an amused smile.
“Camera!” she says, waving the case in the air. I notice her tuck another white envelope under her leg right before she fumbles with the case, trying to get the camera out. “Okay, ready!”
I laugh nervously, wondering what in the hell she seems so excited about, and Max nudges my leg.
“Open it,” he says, scooting closer to me.
Sliding my finger underneath the flap, I rip it open and a handful of colorful papers fall out. Each one is about the size of a 4x6 picture and they’re individually decorated with stamps, stickers, and drawings that appear to be done by Max.
I smile, looking over at his expectant face, still trying to figure out exactly what they are. “Turn them over,” he says excitedly. “They’re coupons!” Reaching out, he turns them over for me. “See?”
Harley’s camera starts flashing beside us, but I don’t pay attention—the scribbled writing on the cards makes me momentarily forget everything else.
I swallow hard and my heart clenches tight in my chest as I read through the first few coupons. Each one says ‘GOOD FOR’ at the top and underneath that, each card says something different.
My red-rimmed eyes find his and Max offers me a nervous smile. My hands tremble, but I manage to not drop the colorful pieces of paper that have rendered me speechless. I look back down and keep reading.
Warmth radiates throughout my body. My heart is racing so fast that I’m certain it could shoot straight out of my chest. I glance over at Harley to find her and Quinn both observing me closely. Harley’s hand is covering her mouth, tears brimming her eyes, and if I’m not wrong, I swear I just saw her chin quiver. She’s watching me nervously, obviously unsure of how I’m going to perceive the coupons. I offer her a slow smile and she drops her hand and smiles back.
Gently tapping my leg, Max clears his throat. “There’s one more.” Looking down, I see a bright green piece of paper gripped tightly in his hands. He offers it to me and I gently take it from him. I notice that he’s not smiling. He’s looking at me, but it’s more like he’s looking through me. Glancing down, I see that the coupon is blank. The stickers, stamps, and drawings are all there, but no words. I flip it over, and when I find that the other side is blank too, I look back at him.
“It’s good for anything,” he says quietly, glancing nervously at Harley before turning his chocolate eyes on me.
Leaving one card out, I stack the others and neatly tuck them back into the envelope. “I love it, Max,” I say, swallowing past the lump he unintentionally put in my throat. “It’s the best birthday present anyone has ever given me.” His eyes widen, a grin tugging at the side of his mouth.
“Really?” he asks hopefully. I hear a light sob and I know it’s probably Harley, but I can’t look. Right now all of my attention is riveted solely on this one little man, who has me completely wrapped around each and every one of his fingers.
I reach out, yanking him into my arms, pulling him against me. He wraps his arms around my neck and laughs when I tighten my hold. Burying my head in his messy brown hair, I whisper, enunciating every word, “The. Best. Ever.” He nods against my shoulder and I pull back, framing his face with my hands. Leaning forward, I place my lips against the top of his head for a brief second before I pull back and hand him a bright blue coupon.
He scrunches his eyebrows and looks at me questioningly. Standing up, I reach out my hand to pull Max to his feet. He’s smiling up at me, his eyes bright with joy. "I want to play soccer. How about you?”
“Yeah!” he says, jumping up. He fist-pumps the air and then turns toward the door. Stopping abruptly in his tracks, he runs back to me and shoves the blue coupon back into my hands.
“Keep it. This one is free,” he says before running off into the kitchen. “I’m gonna get my shoes on and I’ll meet you outside,” he yells.
Quinn walks up and wraps her arm around me, pulling me in for a hug. “You were great,” she whispers before pulling away from me. “I’ll give you two a second.” I watch her retreating back and then turn to Harley. She’s sitting on the couch, her feet tucked neatly underneath her butt. I can tell she’s been crying because her eyes are red and puffy and she has tear tracks running down her face.
“I love him,” I say softly. Unfolding herself, she walks over to me and strokes a hand down the side of my face.
“I know you do,” she says, grazing her lips across my mouth. “He loves you too.” Wrapping my arm around her neck, I pull her to me, kissing the side of her head. “It really is the best present I’ve ever gotten.”
Harley chuckles and turns her face to mine. “You haven’t seen my present yet,” she says seductively.
“Mmmm,” I mumble into her hair. “You already gave me my birthday present…like five times.”
She laughs, swatting my chest playfully. “Not that. I made you something too.”
“Can I have it?” I ask. Walking to the couch, I tug her down next to me and pull her legs onto my lap. Reaching across to the end table, she picks up an envelope and lays it in my lap.
“I hope you like it,” she says, biting her lower lip.
Once again, I find myself opening a sealed envelope. Small cards are stacked neatly in the envelope and I slide them out. They are very similar to the ones Max gave me, only these are littered with little hearts and flowers around the edges. Sifting through the cards, I notice that there are five—and they are all blank.
My curious eyes find Harley’s. “They’re blank.”
