They were beautiful.
I could tell they were well made, and when I looked at the designer imprint on the sole, I released a quiet gasp. Philippa Julio. It was one of the most luxurious brands in the world, something I’d never been able to afford on my own.
And they were pink.
My fingers felt the fabric, felt the wrapping, felt the instant connection that formed in my soul. My whole life was dancing, and looking at the slippers made me realize how much I missed it.
His hand moved to my wrist. “You will dance again, Sunflower.”
I turned to him, my eyes wet from his confidence, his belief in me.
“I know you will—and you’re going to wear these.”
“Heath…” A tear dripped down my cheek. “Oh fuck.” I wiped it away. “Not my makeup…”
“Personally, I think you look better that way.” He made a joke to lighten the mood, knowing that his gesture was almost too much for me to handle.
I sniffed. “Well…thank you. I love them.”
“I know you do.”
I placed the lid back on top, hiding the shoes from view.
“I can’t wait to see you put them on.” He leaned in close to me and pressed a kiss to my hairline. “And then dance in them.”
“Yeah…me too.” I placed the box on the table, along with the flower. “Now, your turn.”
He picked it up and held it between his fingertips, noting how light and small it was. “It’s not lingerie, so that’s a disappointment.” He gave me a gentle smile before he peeled the wrapping away and got to the black box underneath. When he popped off the top, he saw the simple black band inside, the wedding ring made from a fallen meteorite. I didn’t just want to give him a random piece of jewelry made of gold or steel. I wanted something special, so I gave up my savings to give him something that didn’t even come from this world.
He examined it with narrowed eyes, his fingers sliding across the material as if he recognized its unusual properties.
“It’s made out of meteorite. There’s this special jeweler that carries it…”
He turned to me, his eyes soft and deep, like he didn’t know how to feel about my gift.
“I’d like you to wear that for the rest of your life…”
He slid it onto his left hand, putting it in place on his ring finger. It fit perfectly after a gentle shove over his knuckles. Then he examined it, turning his hand over to see it from different angles.
He was hard to read sometimes, so I wasn’t sure how he felt about it. But I hoped he liked it…or at least the thought behind the gesture.
He finally turned to me, leaving the ring on his left hand. “I love it.”
“Yeah?”
He pressed his forehead to mine. “I’ll never take it off, baby.”
I knew that wasn’t a jab at me, but a declaration.
“And I’ll be buried with it.”
“I know it’s not as nice as your Skull King—”
“It’s better.” He took off the skull diamond and tossed it onto the coffee table, like it really meant nothing to him. “I would much rather wear this for the rest of my life than that.”
“Why do you have to choose?” I whispered.
“Because your father made me.” He glanced at the ring on the table. “It’s time to pass that on to someone else.” He played with the ring on his left hand, spinning it around his finger. “The new Skull King.”NineteenHeathI stepped out of the truck and grabbed the presents from the back seat.
Catalina eyed me from the sidewalk, looking sexy as hell in those boots and with that diamond ring on her finger. “You know, you’re handling this very well.”
“Your gifts don’t weigh much.” I joined her on the sidewalk.
“No,” she said with a chuckle. “I mean, spending the day with my family. You don’t seem nervous at all.”
I looked down at her, not understanding the statement. “Why would I be nervous?”
“I don’t know…you’ve never done this before.”
“Your father gave me the rundown, and your brother and I have tried to kill each other. Having breakfast together is like taking a nap, baby.” I walked up the steps to the front door.
She joined me, giving me a slight smile. “I forget that you aren’t scared of anything.”
I was scared of only one thing—losing her.
She opened the door and walked inside. “Merry Christmas, Patricia.”
“Merry Christmas, dear.” She hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. When she saw me, she was rigid, still terrified of me.
Catalina took it in stride. “Patricia, I don’t think you’ve formally met Heath…my fiancé.” It was the first time she’d said those words out loud.
It had a nice ring to it. I shifted the boxes to one arm and shook her hand.
She relaxed a little, but she still had her guard up, like getting used to me would take time. “They’re in the dining room.”