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“I don’t,” I assured him, kissing the tip of his nose. “I’m ready.”
He stared into my eyes a moment longer before nodding. “Then let’s do this. But first…here’s your real birthday present.”
With a boyish grin, he sat up and then draped his torso over the side of the bed so he could fish his arm under it. When he came up with a wrapped box, my mouth fell open.
“Sorry about the wrapping,” he offered ruefully, extending it my way. “Aspen made me do it myself.”
I shook my head, not expecting this. “You…Colton, you didn’t have to get me anything.” Seriously, just having him here with me every day was a present all on its own.
“Pfft.” He waved aside my rebuttal. “Just open it.”
I swear, he was vibrating with excitement, anxious to see my reaction.
So I tore into the paper, telling him, “I love the wrapping paper. You actually did a good job.”
Once that was gone, I opened the lid of the white box that remained and blinked down at a pair of hot pink panties.
“Aren’t these my underwear?” I asked, confused.
He nodded, biting his lip. “I took them off you that first night we hooked up at the wedding.”
I gasped, my gaze flying to him. “But you said you threw them away.”
“Hmm…did I say that?’
“Oh! You…” I smacked his arm and laughed. “You lied to me.”
He chuckled and took them from my hand. “So, will you do me a favor and wear them for me today, and remember that no matter what kind of things have torn us apart, we’ve always found our way back together again. We’ll always find each other, no matter what.”
Tears of love sparkled in my eyes. “It would be my pleasure,” I told him, leaning in to kiss his mouth.
He kissed me back, but only just barely before he pulled away and demanded, “Okay, now open your real gift.”
When he motioned back to the white box on my lap, I looked down to realize there was something else underneath the next layer of tissue paper. So I folded it back to reveal a new dream catcher.
“Oh…holy wow,” I said, gaping at it. It was nicer than any other dream catcher I already owned.
“One more for your collection,” Colton said, watching me trace my fingers over the feathers and leather loom.
“I love it.” Looking up, I stared into his eyes and knew I was blessed. “Almost as much as I love you.”
We walked through campus hand-in-hand, each of us taking turns sipping from our favorite to-go mug. Colton had walked me to my first class and left me at the door with a kiss, only to be there waiting for me when it was over.
Someday, when I felt stronger and less apprehensive, I wouldn’t need that much support, but today I appreciated him being there, always where I needed him most.
I’d had no idea he would turn out to be such a rock when I’d first met him. But something told me he hadn’t known that either. I wasn’t the only one who’d gone through changes in the past few weeks. Something in Colton had matured. He didn’t seem to be all talk anymore. Now you could tell there was something there to back it up. And it only made him that much more appealing.
We didn’t say much as we started toward the history building together for our philosophy class. Up ahead, I spotted a familiar face and began to stop because I didn’t want to deal with Shaun. But as soon as he saw me, he stopped in his tracks as well and took off in the opposite direction.
“Huh,” I said gazing after him, pleasantly surprised but confused as to why he wanted to avoid me.
Colton chuckled. “Yeah, I’d run too if I were him.”
I turned to him, lifting my eyebrows.
“Your dad about ripped him a new asshole after you went missing, because someone…” he coughed into his hand and said Sasha’s name at the same time, “told him what Shaun had done to you while you were married. So yeah…after Shaun pissed himself, I think we all knew he’d never bother you again.”
“Wait.” I held up a hand. “When you say pissed himself…?”
