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“There will be more.” He put her somewhere, and told her to stay. She didn’t get her blindfold removed, and there he was, opening stuff once again, and she waited, arms by her sides.
Finally, he was behind her, and the blindfold came off. Blinking away the bright light, she stood, frozen.
“Where are we?”
“Well, I was thinking ‘Rebecca’s Place’ would be a nice fit? What do you think?”
Glancing around the main room, she was shocked by what she saw. Everything she saw was nearly accurate to the drawings she had done for him, the plans she had.
“You got me my dream place.”
“Actually, I got you a dream location. I’ve been getting this place up to how I think it should look for you. It has been tough. I didn’t want to spoil the surprise. It has been a lot of planning, a lot of secrets. Some of the nights I’ve been late to your place or picking you up is because I’ve been here.”
“I can’t believe you’ve done this.” She went to move forward. “Can I have a look?”
“Yes. This place is all yours. You’re not obligated in anyway.”
The kitchen was exactly as she designed it. The storage room was empty, but she could already imagine it fully stocked.
“Everything is brand new, and the best in the industry.”
Finally, she came to stand where the tables would be laid out, and she looked at Jackson. He had a sheaf of papers. “It’s all in your name.”
“This was done for me?”
“You can take it or leave it. I wanted you to have an option. This is your birthday surprise.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. “I can’t believe you would do this for me. I mean, look at this. This is like the best surprise anyone could have ever given me.”
“I did well?”
Words failed her as she looked around. “How could you doubt it? This is amazing.” She finally formed them.
He chuckled. “Rebecca, I want you to have everything you could ever wish for. That restaurant, it’s sucking you down. You hate it there, and I know you will make this place so special, and I can even see that spark. I’m not going to leave you alone though. I want to be here to help you every single step of the way.” He took a step toward her. “There’s something I’m going to say now, and it may surprise you. It could even shock you.”
She licked her lips and waited. What could he possibly have to say to her that he’d think would surprise her? Was he ending things?
“I’m totally, completely, in love with you, Rebecca. I never even saw it coming, and I never saw you as where my future would be.”
Again, this was fast becoming the best birthday in the world.
“You love me?”
“Yes, I love you. I never thought I could love anyone again, but you came into my life, and you were always there. I don’t want us to end, Rebecca. I want to tell my daughter that I’m in love with her friend, and that I want a future with her.”
She couldn’t stop smiling. How could she?
“I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time, but I couldn’t find the right words.” She moved toward him, and placed her hands on his chest. “I love you, too, Jackson. Not because of this but because of you. I will risk Bella hating me because I love you. That will never change.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, and held him close. Pressing her lips to his, she laughed.
He held onto her head. “We can do this.”
She nodded. “I know. We can. We can face everything together.”
****
As expected, Rebecca’s parents weren’t happy, and had refused to talk to her until she came to her senses. Jackson was there, and they had told him that he was stealing from the cradle with their little girl. He had never expected them to be happy, especially as she wasn’t going back to the restaurant. She had told them that it was their dream when she had let them down, not hers.
Even though she told him it didn’t matter to her, he saw that it did. Her parents were a constant disappointment to her, and anything that upset her, he wanted to destroy. He couldn’t ruin her parents though, even though he wanted to.
