He sat next to her and pulled her close. “You have a home, Evelyn, with me. I’m sorry if I went a little overboard on your gifts. I just wanted to spoil you.”
“It’s so much, Lucian. I don’t even know how to use half that stuff. And the books . . .”
“I’m sorry about the books. I should’ve gotten you something more girlie. I just figured since I liked them . . .”
Without warning, a sob hiccupped from her chest.
“Hey, hey, what’s wrong? Evelyn, please don’t cry. I’ll take them all back.”
Shutting her eyes, she pressed her lips together and shook her head. Forcing a deep breath she stood and went to the top drawer of the dresser. She removed the notes from the morning and the one that had been attached to the rose. Evelyn handed them to him and he frowned.
“Read them,” she asked.
“What?”
“Read them. Please.”
For the first time ever, Lucian looked unsure. He glanced at the first note. His voice was a thin thread of what it normally sounded like. “I love the sound of my name when it crosses your lips. It is the sweetest whisper my ears have ever been sung.”
He looked at her and she pointed to the next one.
He read, “On the days that I cannot hear your heart beating beside mine, you’re too far away and I want nothing more than to go to you and hold you close, and never let go.” He began breathing heavily. He frowned at the notes and his fingers tightened over the delicate parchment.
“And this one,” she whispered.
He read this one a little faster. “I feel as though you sip from my soul every time our lips touch and when you look at me as I’m deep inside of you, you breathe life back into me, and I know, before you, everything was only an imitation of what living truly is.”
Her heart pinched and her stomach rolled with too much emotion to keep inside.
Lucian suddenly stood. “What is this, Evelyn?” he barked. “I’m not a writer. If you don’t like them, throw them away.” His fists closed over the papers, crumpling them into a ball.
“No!” She jumped to her feet and grabbed his fist. As she tried to unknot his fingers he scoffed and let them all flutter to the floor. She chased them down to the carpet and quickly uncurled them.
Lucian threw his fingers into his hair and turned. “I don’t get you, Evelyn. I thought today would be perfect, but every time I look at you you’re more upset than you were the moment before. I can’t win for losing!”
He stormed toward the door and she panicked. “Lucian, wait!”
He stopped but didn’t turn around. His shoulders heaved slowly with irritation. She hadn’t meant to embarrass him.
Her voice was watery and breathless. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m so emotional today. I’m just overwhelmed. You have to understand, before today, Christmas just meant ham instead of stew at the shelter and hot chocolate for dessert instead of going without. I’ve never been given gifts before I met you and your overindulgence is at times more than I can comprehend.”
“I’ll send them all back.” He was hurt and that was her fault.
“No, Lucian, you don’t have to do that. I just want you to know, all of those gifts down there don’t mean a fraction of what this means to me,” she said holding up his love notes.
His eyes narrowed. “Then why did you make me read them like that? You made me feel like—”
“Because I can’t read them.”
“What?”
She stared up at him, so tall and powerful. His image shimmered behind the wall of tears covering her eyes. “I don’t know how to read.”
It took a minute for her words to sink in. His expression softened and he blinked at her.
“Evelyn . . .” he rasped. “I . . . I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“I didn’t want you to know. I didn’t want you to think I was stupid.”
He lowered himself to the floor. “I could never think that.” His hands gently turned her face and kissed her tear-streaked cheeks.
A watery laugh bubbled from her. “Bet you believe me now when I tell you I wasn’t snooping at your desk the day we met.”
He didn’t laugh. His strong arms wrapped around her and he rocked her. His warm lips pressed into her temple as he whispered over her skin, “I’ll teach you to read, Evelyn. I’ll teach you anything you’re interested in learning. I never want you to feel like you’re less because you can’t do something. Anything you want to learn, I’ll teach you. Even without those skills, you’re so much more than anyone else in this world.”
He held her for a long while, there on the floor. She asked him to read the rest of the notes and he did. By the time they were heading back downstairs, hand in hand, to welcome his sisters, she was sure of four things. One, she’d finally learn to read. Two, Lucian loved her very much. Three, she loved him more. And four, this would end very badly and her heart would likely never beat right again.