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She giggles, then opens it and smiles. I’ve written ‘we heart you’, and signed it Mack and Gus. “Thank you,” she says, bending to kiss Gus’s head, and then she leans forward and kisses me, too.
“Open the present,” I say.
“Your card first,” she replies, and digs it out from under her pillow.
I open the envelope and pull out the card, then start laughing. There’s a picture of an iced donut, and it says, ‘I want you to glaze my hole.’
“Seriously?”
“It made me laugh,” she says, pulling the parcel toward her. “It was either that or one that said, ‘Out of seven billion faces, I want to sit only on yours.’ That came a close second.”
“Trust you to win the competition.”
She chuckles and tears off the paper to reveal the box, then takes off the lid. Her face lights up. “Oh, Mack.”
It’s a silver charm bracelet, bearing six tiny charms—an open notebook, a closed hardback book, a typewriter, a fountain pen, a pen in an inkpot, and the last one I had specially made—a little silver disc with the name Sidnie Beecham—the pen name she’s chosen, which was her mother’s maiden name. She’s finished her book and it’s currently with an editor, and she’s hoping to publish it by the end of the month. She’s already set up her website and social media pages, and she’s so excited to get the book out there.
I asked to read it, which surprised her. She balked at first, saying she was too embarrassed because some of it was autobiographical, but I persisted, and in the end she caved. I smiled many times when I read it, recognizing myself occasionally in the billionaire who swept the office girl off her feet, but overall I thought it was an excellent read considering it was her first novel, and I can’t wait to see what readers think of it.
“It’s wonderful,” she says breathlessly, “Oh Mack, I love it.” She takes it out and puts it on, then holds up her arm so the light catches it. Then she turns and throws her arms around me. “Thank you so much.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I do, it’s amazing, so thoughtful and personal. You’re the best boyfriend ever.”
I grin and kiss her. “So that means I’m getting some later?”
“You were always getting some regardless of what gift you got me.” She laughs, reaches over the bed, and retrieves two parcels. “Here you go.”
“Two?”
“That one first.”
I open the smaller present. It’s a candle in a jar that says, ‘Thanks for the orgasms.’
I laugh. “You’re welcome.”
She giggles and pushes the other present over to me. It’s about the size of an A4 piece of paper, and it feels like a picture in a frame. I tear off the paper and study it. It looks like a sound wave, the kind made by a piece of music. There’s no text on it explaining what it is.
“Here,” she says, and she turns the picture over. On the back is a QR code.
Giving her a puzzled look, I reach for my phone and scan it. A voice recording pops up, and I press play.
Sidnie’s voice begins singingHeartbeat, the song by Paua of One that we danced to on that first evening. “Our hearts beat as one when you move inside me,” she sings.
My jaw drops, and I turn the picture back over. The sound wave has been created by Sidnie singing the song. “Oh, it’s fantastic,” I say, genuinely stunned by the originality of the gift. “I love it.”
She flushes with pleasure. “I’m so glad!”
I put my arms around her and pull her back onto the bed, then give her a long, luscious kiss. Beside us, Gus is playing with the paper, ripping it into a thousand tiny pieces and eating half of it, but he’s happy and quiet, so I let him and concentrate on the softness of her mouth and the feel of her silky skin against me.
“I’m crazy about you,” I tell her when she eventually comes up for air.
“And I’m absolutely bonkers about you.”
I roll her onto her back and begin kissing her neck, over her breasts, and down her tummy. Gradually, I disappear beneath the duvet. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” I tell her, my voice muffled, and she sighs.
To think I nearly went to work today. I’m such an idiot.
