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“I wasn’t home this weekend, or I would have called you.” I pull out my chair to sit down.
“Where did you go?” she asks, and I know I have to tell her before she finds out from someone else.
“I went to visit my boyfriend.” Even I cringe when I say the word.
“Um, excuse me?” she questions. I hear a ringing and look at my phone to see she’s FaceTiming me. I press connect, and she’s sitting outside, wearing a white robe. “What did you just say?”
“I said I was visiting my boyfriend,” I repeat, rolling my eyes. “It’s not that big of a deal.” But I know it’s a big deal since I’ve never said those words to her before.
“Um, I didn’t even know you were dating someone, let alone had a boyfriend. So it’s a big deal, Ryleigh.”
“Can we make it not a big deal?” I put the phone down in front of me.
“Does this boyfriend have a name?” She picks up her cup of coffee and takes a sip.
“Yes, you’ve met him before, it’s Stone.” The minute I say his name, she spits her coffee out of her mouth and coughs.
She grabs a towel from a nearby chair and coughs into it. My father opens the door and comes outside. “Are you okay, baby?” he asks. I see he’s shirtless, and his hair is all over the place, so I know he just woke up.
“Morning, Pops.” His face turns toward the phone when he hears my voice.
“Morning, Ry,” he mumbles. “What happened to her?” He points at my mother, who is still coughing.
“I told her I’m dating Stone Richards and that he’s my boyfriend.” My father’s mouth hangs open. “I have to go, but I’ll call her later.”
“You better fucking call us later,” he says, emphasis on the us. “Did she say Stone Richards?” he asks my mother, who nods her head while I disconnect the phone.
I turn on my computer as I dial his number. “I’m not even gone, and you’re already calling me.” He laughs instead of saying hello.
“Yeah, look at me being needy,” I sass sarcastically. “Just letting you know I told my parents you were my boyfriend, so the cat is out of the bag.”
“That’s a big step,” he states, and I hear the car door slam.
“It’s not a big step if we don’t make it a big step. Now I have to go work,” I say tightly. “Goodbye, fly safe, and call me later.”
“So needy.” He chuckles. “Have a great day, gorgeous.” I don’t answer him. Instead, I hang up and go through my emails.
I’m in the middle of reading my case file when Claudia comes in with a blue bag. “This came for you.” She smirks at me. “You sure are one lucky lady.”
“I guess so.” I look at the bag as she hands it to me. I wait for her to walk out of my office before I open the bag and pull the white tissue paper out. Followed by a white card and a square brown box. “What have you done now?” I open the note first.
Something so you think of me.
The boyfriend.
S.
I laugh, open the square box, and gasp when I see the gold beaded bracelet with two silver squares in the middle, one with an S and the other with an R. I pick it up, my finger playing with the letters.
I pull up his number, and he answers right away. “Twice, and I didn’t even call you.”
“Did you just send me a bracelet with your initials?” I’m not really asking him the question since I’m holding it in my hand.
“Well, I didn’t have a promise ring, so this was the next best thing.” He can’t help but full-on laugh. “It’s so you would see it and know that I’m thinking about you.” I don’t say anything. “It’s also to let anyone else know you’re mine.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
stone
