17. Seventeen #2
I was familiar with the term. I’d never once considered that I would participate in a campaign, however. “I probably won’t give her everything tonight,” I acknowledged. “That would make me a weirdo. I just wouldn’t mind having a few gifts to drop on her going forward.”
She sighed again, the sound long and drawn out. “I am so jealous it’s gross. I never want to meet this girl, by the way. I’ll be so jealous I’ll want to pull her hair out.”
“It’s impossible not to like Wylie,” I countered.
“Yup. Totally jealous.” She motioned for me to follow her toward the front of the store. “How does she feel about slippers?”
“I think she would be a big fan.”
“We have tribbles … and spaceships … oh, and emblems.”
I knew the second I saw the tribble slippers which way I would go. “I’m going to have the best time buying stuff for her,” I realized aloud.
“Yeah, and I bet she’s the type who will appreciate each and every gift.”
“She’s exactly that type.” I grabbed the slippers. “What else have you got?”
MY SHOPPING TRIP TOOK THE BETTER part of the afternoon. That meant, when I got back to The Landings, that I had time to shower and get ready. Then I called for an Uber. I could have taken my vehicle, but that would really cut down on the cocktails. Ubers were easier.
I wore my new phaser shirt and packed the Klingon shirt in a bag to give to her. Everything else had been stored away, neatly, in my closet. I would indeed be love bombing her with gifts going forward. I was actually looking forward to it.
Wylie was on the street waiting for me when I arrived. I double checked my phone screen to make sure I wasn’t late — I’d been angling to be 10 minutes early, just to be on the safe side — and found that I wasn’t late. She was just early.
I broke out in a wide grin. That meant she was just as excited for this outing as me.
“Hey,” I said in a soft voice.
She almost came out of her skin when she swiveled. She hadn’t seen me get out of my Uber. “Hey.” She was breathless. Then she saw my shirt and burst out laughing. “Omigod!” She moved closer and ran her fingers over the image of Kirk. “That is just the best thing I’ve ever seen.”
Having her close, being able to feel the warmth of her body and smell her body spray, made me momentarily tongue-tied, so I just jutted out the bag I was carrying toward her. Perhaps Wylie wasn’t the only one who was awkward.
“Is this for me?” She took the bag, a question in her eyes.
“Yup,” I managed. I needed to calm myself down. I was acting like an idiot.
She smiled as she dug in the bag, and when her eyes lit up, I knew I’d hit the mark. “Where did you get this? It’s amazing.” She clutched it to her chest.
That’s when it truly hit me. Wylie was the woman who was never going to take anything for granted. She was going to be grateful for every gift, every soft touch, every quiet moment we could share together.
She wanted to go on ghost tours, but if I’d put up a fight, she would have been just as happy sitting in a park and people watching. She made it her goal in life to make others happy. She never once considered anybody going out of their way to make her happy.
“I’m not telling you where I got that,” I replied. “It’s going to be my little secret so I can keep buying you more.”
Her eyes shone with a brilliance that threatened to stop my heart. “That’s really sweet.”
It might have been sweet, but she was already building it up to epic heights. I didn’t want her to sell herself short. She deserved the world. She deserved a guy who wanted to deliver her the world. I wanted to be that guy.
That’s when it hit me again, the feeling that this wasn’t going to be a fling. It wasn’t something that would flash hot and burn out. This was more than that, and it had always been more than that.
Somehow, I was going to have to get my mother on board with this because Wylie wasn’t going anywhere, not if I had a say in it.
Not in a creepy way or anything. I wasn’t that guy.
I was the guy who was already falling head over heels, though, because I’d started the tumble when I was a teenager and simply hadn’t realized it.
“I need you to listen to me for a second.” I took her hand and held it tight.
Her eyes were curious when they scanned my face. “Is something wrong?”
“No. Everything is right, in fact.”
She relaxed some, making me realize she’d been convinced I was about to call the whole thing off.
I had to figure out a way to give her faith in us.
Of course, she was going to be nervous. I’d spent the better part of our acquaintance being a royal douche.
A month of friendship and then a hasty declaration weren’t going to change that.
“I don’t want you settling for less because that’s what you’ve always done,” I explained to her. “You’ve always twisted yourself into a pretzel so others don’t have to bend. That is not what I want for you. It’s not what I want for us.”
She didn’t say anything. She just continued to stare.
“I want you to tell me what will make you happy,” I continued. “I need you to have high expectations, because I want to meet them all.” I paused a beat. “I don’t want you to be afraid that I’m going to hurt you,” I said in a softer voice. “I don’t ever want to hurt you.”
She licked her lips but remained silent.
“I know you can’t trust me just because I say I’m a changed man,” I explained. “Just … don’t make yourself smaller to make me bigger. I want to be what you need and what you deserve. I want to work for you. And, if I do it correctly, you’ll stop second-guessing everything.”
“I’m not second-guessing everything,” she countered. “I want to be here. I’m just afraid.”
“I know.” I brushed a strand of her hair out of her face. “I don’t blame you. I won’t hurt you, though. I promise.”
“I don’t think you would ever willingly hurt me.”
That was the best I was going to get for now, so I nodded. “Nothing has ever been more true. Now, go get in your shirt. We have to walk a few blocks to get to the hearse tour. Then I thought we would get dinner after. Wherever you want.”
“What if I want to go to some weird vegan place?”
“Wherever you want,” I insisted. “I just … well, I don’t really like sushi. I’ve never developed a taste for it.”
“Oh, don’t worry.” She shook her head. “I don’t like sushi either. I might try to shock you with a restaurant, though. You’d better prepare yourself.”
“I’m prepared for all of it,” I assured her. “Every last moment.”
Her smile widened, and I knew I meant it. I was ready for this, finally.