“I thought a bit of bling with your new dress might be nice,” I tell her.
She starts to shake her head, first in astonishment but then in refusal.
“Logan… I couldn’t. I can’t…” she says, looking at me with some determination.
I frown. “Why not?”
I’m not used to hearing ‘can’t’ and ‘no’ and that’s two in a row including my phone call.
“I mean, it’s beautiful. It truly is… but it just looks so expensive,” she says, flushing red and looking less like the girl I remember from earlier today.
“It is expensive,” I tell her, “and I’m giving it to you. I told you, Chrissy, you’ll want for nothing from today forward and me spoiling you… well, you’ll just have to get used to it. Now, can you please try it on so we can go eat?” I ask her, trying not to sound hurt but I do feel a little awkward myself at having to demand she accept my gift.
Leaving me wondering about something else too…
“We’ll both feel better after we eat,” I tell myself aloud, kissing her gently again and ushering her into the waiting car outside, deciding putting on the necklace can wait, maybe.
The restaurant’s only a little way, and I thumb the velvet box with the necklace in it, eventually setting it aside.
She opens her mouth, but I smile and kiss her instead.
“You don’t have to wear a stupid necklace, Chrissy. I just thought of your eyes when I saw it and you know what? It doesn’t even come close to the real thing.”
“It’s not stupid,” she says quietly, looking out the window and I can see her chest shivering with emotion.
“It’s the most beautiful thing… I just don’t understand how-”
I lean over and pull her closer to me.
“Hey now, none of that,” I whisper. “I told you Chrissy, and I’ll keep telling you. You’re the best… the only thing to ever really happen to me. Don’t blame a guy for trying to show it in more ways than one.” I half mumble, creasing a smile, telling myself it was too much after all.
“It’s the world I live in,” I explain. “A world I want you in too from now on.”
“I just need… some… time to adjust, I guess,” she says, smiling finally and wiping her misty eyes as I make a point of tossing the velvet box into the seat opposite us, making her gasp.
“I didn’t say throw it away!” she laughs, and I feel better for it, for having her tell me that there’s some getting used to things on her part.
“The clothes, the car, the hotel,” she explains. “It’s like a fairy tale.”
“And you’re the princess,” I tell her, “My Queen.” I bow again, kissing her hand all the way up her arm to her lips.
The car stopping and the shadow of someone near the window tells me we’re at the restaurant, but anyone who knows me knows well enough to wait until I open my own door before interrupting me.
“Hungry?” I ask, and hearing both our bellies growl in reply, we laugh and I feel better for having cleared a few things up.
“We’ll eat and then you can tell me what you feel like doing,” I tell her. “I don’t want to sound like I’m bossing you around.”
“You can boss me,” she says, clutching my hands before I open the door, mouthing the words thank you before pecking my cheek, making me feel like a schoolboy.
I tell the driver to wait for us and we make our way in, I don’t really notice much else, having Chrissy on my arm and her eyes on mine are all that matters.
Even though I’m already picturing myself helping her out of that dress.
Chapter Seventeen
Chrissy
With Logan staring at me so intently, I hardly have a mind for food.
But once it arrives we both let out a series of moans and groans, and I’m relieved that Logan likes to enjoy his food as much as I do.
I should feel self-conscious about eating in front of him, but after everywhere else our mouths have been today, this is nothing.
Logan’s right.
After eating I feel a lot better. Like I can think clearly again, grounded.
“A good steak always hits the spot,” Logan agrees without me having to say a word.
There’s no room left for anything else like dessert, but the waiter offers and we both screw our noses up, eyeing the door instead.
“Something better in mind?” he asks me with a gleam in his eye, but there’s something safe about the restaurant, something homely.
“Back to the hotel?” I ask and he keeps his face screwed up.
“No more hotels,” he says grimly, and then forcing a smile he promises to explain it all another time.
“I thought we’d head back to mine… unless?” he asks in an open question.
Hearing him refer to Logan Industries as ‘heading back to mine’ is funny, but a jolt of panic runs through me as I imagine my own house… my dad’s house. With my dad in it…
“Uhhh, your place sounds great!” I squeak, wondering how I’m gonna face my dad. If I even can. I’m, dressed like a freakin’ princess and have just been given jewels worth more than our whole neighborhood.
“Something wrong?” Logan asks, genuinely concerned.
“It’s my dad,” I tell him honestly.
He thinks for a moment and then nods his head. “I know, I know. I want today to be just us though, okay? We can deal with any fallout tomorrow,” he suggests.
Fallout?
I want to feel the old me, the panic and insecurities, but something in Logan’s eyes is soothing me. His calm decided, and determined look tell me everything I need to hear without a single word.
I feel so safe with him, so special. Anything my own mind could dream up, he’s there to deal with it. Unfazed and totally unafraid.
“Logan, I…” I start to say, but it sounds so thin, so weak compared to the man himself.
He
