Chapter 45
Willow
“Don’t you dare let me fall.”
Elijah's hands are clamped over my eyes as he steers me through the lodge. Every step sends a dull, satisfying ache through my body, and I can't even pretend to be annoyed about it.
Last night was… wow.
More than wow.
I love that version of Elijah, him losing control with me. It was really hot, and the fact that he's mine is pretty amazing.
“Don’t you trust me?” he asks, amusement thick in his voice as I stumble.
I catch his wrist, squeezing my eyes even tighter. “Right now? Not particularly. This feels like a liability issue.”
He laughs under his breath. “You're ridiculous.”
“And still alive. Let's keep it that way.”
We stop.
The floor beneath my bare feet is cold as I curl my toes.
“You can open your eyes now.”
His hands fall away. I blink a few times as I adjust to the light, and I freeze in awe.
The Christmas tree glows in front of me, lit with warm golds and reds, its lights twinkling in the quiet room. A few presents are tucked neatly underneath, wrapped and waiting.
But it's not just the tree.
There are pink balloons everywhere, floating from the ceiling, ribbons dangling down and tied to each one are… photos.
Photos of us smiling together. There are some of me at the beach when he took me on our first date, and I feel my eyes burn a little from the ones when I was younger with my dad.
There are so many, and it doesn't just stop with the photos.
On the table by the tree sits a silver ice bucket, chilled and misting slightly, with a bottle of prosecco tucked inside. Two glasses rest beside it, and next to that is a large chocolate cake, rich and perfectly iced, with a single twenty-one candle standing proudly in the centre.
“Happy birthday, baby.”
His voice pulls me out of it.
He's standing off to the side near the windows, watching me.
The way he's looking at me is filled with so much love, you can see it as clear as day. Wearing black joggers, low on his hips, his tattoos fully on display. There are scratch marks across his chest—my doing—and his hair is a mess, pushed up and falling slightly out of place.
He looks... Effortless. Relaxed. Happy.
Carefree.
The kind of version of him I could bottle up and keep forever.
“I can't believe you did this,” I blurt out in awe as I look at everything again. “It's so much.”
“Nothing is too much for you.” he retrieves the box and stands in front of me. “I’m going to spoil you every single day for the rest of our lives because you deserve everything and more.”
I can't resist teasing him. "You might make me a little high maintenance," I quip, smirking.
“I've got money, baby, so that's not a problem.”
I tilt my head at him, eyes narrowing at the small box. “And what's this?” Its shape is very suspicious.
He passes it over with a twitch of his lips, like he knows what I’m thinking. “Don’t worry, it's not an engagement ring.”
Thank God.
Okay, that came out wrong. It's not that I don't want to marry him; believe me, he is marriage material, obviously. It's just that we are still new, still sneaking around, and unfortunately, he's still married to Rose.
“Call me old-fashioned, but I’d rather be on my knees when I propose to you.”
I smirk. “I think I’d prefer that too.”
He just licks his lips in response, so I start to untie the ribbon wrapped around the box.
When I lift the lid, I hold my breath. All my dirty thoughts vanish.
Inside lies the most beautiful silver necklace, delicate and perfect, with a heart-shaped stone the colour of warm sunlight.
A topaz.
I hold it up, carefully, staring. “A birthstone?” I murmur, half to myself, half to him.
“I’m pretty sure mine's a ruby.”
“It's your dad's.”
And just like that, I fall for him more.
I blink at it, my fingers still. “What?”
“I wanted you to have something connected to him. You both made a big deal out of birthdays, so… I had this made.”
My throat thickens.
I turn the pendant slowly, and just as it shifts, I catch the engraving on the back.
L.H.
This isn’t just a necklace to me; it's proof that Elijah truly loves me and wants to make me happy. The fact that he put so much thought into this gift means the world to me. I don’t think I’ll ever fully deserve his kindness and attentiveness, and for that, I will forever cherish him.
“You did this for me?” I inquire, still in awe.
I don't even know why I ask because he's done so much for me since I moved in, even when I had no clue.
My heart swells with such overwhelming joy that it feels ready to spill over.
As I gaze up at him, I can’t help but feel like the luckiest woman in the world, and in this very moment, I know I’ll be okay as long as he's by my side for the rest of my life.
He gingerly takes the necklace from my hands.
“Turn around.”
I sweep my hair over one shoulder and hold it there as he approaches. I feel his fingers brush the back of my neck as he loops the chain around and fastens it, followed by a gentle kiss at the base of my hairline.
It's such a small thing.
But it feels intimate.
Like everything he does.
Once it's secure, I let my hair fall back into place and bring my hand up and rest it lightly against the heart. The stone is cool against my skin, but warmth flows through me as I turn back to him.
“I love it,” I sigh happily, stepping up onto my toes to kiss him softly. “And I love you.”
He smiles against my lips, brushing a kiss to the corner of my mouth.
“I love you.” Another kiss lingered on the other side of my mouth as he took his time with me.
Butterflies erupt in my stomach.
“I did get some other presents, but I wanted you to have that one first.”
“Elijah,” I scold, narrowing my eyes at him, though there's no real annoyance behind it. “I told you not to spoil me.”
He ignores me and reaches for the prosecco. The cork pops loudly, making me jump, and he just grins.
“And I told you, I’ll spoil my girl however I want.”
My girl.
Yeah… I’m never going to get used to how much I like hearing that.
“Besides,” he pours a glass and hands it to me before doing the same for himself. “One of them benefits us both.”
He winks.
I feel my face heat up, and I roll my eyes, trying to hide the smile behind my glass.
I’m not surprised.
We clink our glasses together, the soft tinkle echoes between us, and I take a sip. The bubbles fizz over my tongue, cool and light, sliding down my throat and leaving a refreshing coolness.
“I got you a present too.”
“I don't need anything but you.”
“I’ll spoil my old man if I want to.” I repeat what he told them earlier as I step past him.
“Old man again?” he echoes.
I glance over my shoulder, feigning innocence. “Relax, you're still holding up alright.”
He lets out a quiet laugh, and I turn away to grab his present.
“Anyway, I’m not great at buying presents, and not all of us are rich.”
“Baby,” he says while watching me. “You could buy me a chocolate bar, and I would be happy.”
I pass him the gift. “Well, I’d like to think this is better than a chocolate bar.”
There's not much you can buy for a man, especially since I haven't really done it before; I mostly made things for my dad when I was growing up. Elijah has everything he needs, but there is one thing he hasn't upgraded yet.
He starts unwrapping it, and the moment the front of the box is revealed, he stills.
His eyes widened in surprise.
“This must have cost a fortune,” he says almost to himself. “I… I can't believe it.”
I catch my bottom lip between my teeth, trying to play it cool, but there's a giddy feeling bubbling up in my chest.
It did cost a lot.
Every shift at the coffee shop. Every tip I saved. Even dipping into Quinn's share once or twice because that girl does not deserve a single penny from the tip jar.
It was completely worth it to see his reaction.
I kind of understand why he spoils me now.
“I researched the camera you had, and it’s quite old. Your mum mentioned she hasn't seen you use it in ages, not until recently.” I take a pause. “So I thought… You deserved a new one. With better equipment, you can start capturing new memories, I mean—”
The words are knocked right out of me as he pulls me in, one arm wrapping around me and dragging me flush against his chest.
And then his lips are on mine.
Warm. Firm and a little desperate.
I melt into it instantly, hooking my arms around his shoulders.
Oh yeah, that reaction is totally worth it.
The rest of the day was… everything.
Elijah somehow managed to make my birthday special, even though it was my first without my dad.
I wouldn't change a single second of it.
We ate way too much chocolate cake, drank far too much prosecco, and made our way through the rest of the presents.
First, there were tiny jumpers for Sassy.
They are ridiculously cute, and I know for a fact she will hate them. I don't care; she will absolutely be wearing them, and I’m prepared for her wrath.
Secondly came the lingerie set, which, honestly, had less fabric than I think should legally count as clothing. Apparently, the design is for easy access for Elijah, who looked far too pleased with himself. That was quickly followed by body chocolate, which I immediately squirted at him.
In my birthday card, I found tickets for Alex Warren.
That one was my undoing.
At that point, I was quite tipsy and overwhelmed by his love; I may have thrown myself at him in excitement. This led us to get a bit carried away in front of the Christmas tree.
And yes, I may have pulled it over on top of us when he hit a particular spot inside me.
We just lay there afterwards, tangled up together, along with the decorations, laughing like idiots for what felt like an eternity.
After that, we spent some time in the jacuzzi until I looked like a prune, skin all wrinkled. Now, I’m on the living room floor, showing Elijah how to do a few basic ballet moves because he wanted to learn.
Watching him try to pronounce the French terms is pure gold.
“Alright, do a plee-ay.” he squints at his phone, lips pursed, concentrating way too hard.
“Plie,” I correct with a giggle, leaning back on my hands. “It means bend.”
“I said that,” he retorts, spreading his legs with a beer balanced in one hand as he slouches on the couch.
“You absolutely did not.” I stand to show him a Plie`.
“Now, try it again, but this time face the other way,” he says with a lopsided grin. I playfully nudged his leg with my foot.
“What’s next, horny man?”
“Is that my new nickname?”
I place my hands on my hips. “It suits you well, don't you think?”
“True. Maybe keep that one between us, or otherwise people will know how obsessed I am with you.”
“Sure,” I mutter, trying not to smile too much at his admission.
“Next we have Devel… develoop—?”
I laugh loudly before he can butcher it any further. “Développé.”
I demonstrate the movement by smoothly lifting my leg and holding the position with practised ease, enjoying the pull that comes with it.
He freezes, almost dropping his phone into his lap.
“Dance class over,” he utters, clearing his throat.
I stare at him in surprise. “We’ve only just started.”
But he is already standing from his seat, crossing the room in just a few strides before I can properly lower my leg. His hand closes around my ankle, and I notice the way he looks at me, desire evident on his face.
“Oh,” I breathe, realisation hitting me.
One flash of my underwear and he's ready to go.
Typical.
I love it.
“Think you can stay in this position as I fuck you?”
“I guess there's only one way to find out if I can,” I reply, letting a hint of challenge slip into my voice.
That's all it takes.
He lifts me effortlessly, tossing me over his shoulder. I let out a surprised laugh as his hand playfully smacks my ass.
“Elijah!”
“Come on, princess. Lessons changed.”