“This set will go nicely with your dress for tomorrow,” he observed, taking the necklace from the woman’s hand and holding it up to my neck.
“Lovely,” she agreed. I glared at her, but she only winked.
He took the earrings next, holding one to my ear and nodding. “Beautiful.” His mouth formed the word, his eyes glittering hungrily down at me.
Turning back to the woman, he said something, but I couldn’t read his lips and he wasn’t signing so I could know what he was saying. She nodded and moved over a few cases before coming back with two more pairs of earrings. He pointed to the pair of diamond hoops.
I tried to protest again, but he ignored me, buying the necklace and earring set as well as the hoops. Max gave her his credit card, and she started boxing up the jewelry. I didn’t even see the prices of the items, but I knew each one of them must have been expensive. I didn’t like him spending so much money on me.
Less than two weeks ago, I was homeless. My meals had been out of dumpsters, and I’d smelled just as horrible as the trash I picked through in hopes of finding something edible. Now, this guy was spoiling me with new clothes and diamonds.
But what could I possibly give him in return? He was so amazing and kind, and I had nothing to repay him with.
Swallowing the lump that filled my throat, I turned away as the woman placed the boxes in a fancy bag with cloth handles. Max took it, grabbed the other bags, then guided me out of the store, and thankfully, the mall itself.
I felt his gaze on the top of my head, but I kept mine trained on the ground as we walked through the parking lot to where he’d parked his brand-new Tahoe. Tuesday, he’d come home from work, showered, and then left after promising to bring home dinner. When he returned, he had the Tahoe he kept saying was now ours.
I didn’t understand how it could belong to both of us. I didn’t even have a driver’s license. Heck, I didn’t even have a diploma. I had been only months away from graduating when Marta urged me to run away.
Realizing just how useless and pathetic I really was, tears filled my eyes, but I tried to blink them back.
The liftgate of the SUV rose with a press of a button on Max’s key fob, and he placed all the packages in the back. The press of another button had the trunk lowering on its own, and he scooped me up, carrying me to the passenger side, where he placed me in the seat and then made me look at him.
“Are you angry with me?” he asked, his eyes troubled.
I shook my head. How could I possibly be angry with him when he’d just spent the last few hours spoiling me?
He turned me in the seat, spread my legs, and stepped between them. He had to practically bend in half, but he put his face close to mine. “I don’t like it when you are upset. Talk to me, treasure. Tell me what I did wrong, so I can fix it.”
“All you do is spend money on me,” I exploded, my hands shaking as I signed each word.
He caught my hands, his beautiful face turning stormy. “I enjoy spoiling you, baby. Seeing you in pretty things that I know I bought for you makes me happy.”
“People are going to think I’m only with you for your money.”
Max shrugged. “Who cares what other people think? The only person’s opinion that matters to me is yours.” He skimmed his lips over mine, making my brain shut down at the first contact. My arms went around his shoulders, holding him closer, wanting to deepen the kiss. But he pulled back without giving me what I wanted. “I’m going to be honest with you, okay?” He waited for me to nod before continuing. “I’m not a millionaire, but I have saved up my money, and I can take care of us without having to worry about paying bills or keeping food on the table.”
“That wasn’t what I was worried about,” I was quick to tell him.
“Then what, baby?” he implored. “Tell me what has that look in your eyes so I can erase it.”
I lowered my gaze to my lap. “I’m worthless,” I signed. “I will never be able to pay you back for all the things you buy me.”
He didn’t move for the longest time, and eventually, I gathered my courage to look up at him. I’d never really seen Max angry before, but suddenly, he looked livid. “Don’t ever call yourself worthless again, treasure.”
“But I am.”
He balled his hands into fists. “Are you blind as well as deaf?” he signed.
Hurt filled my chest, and a tear spilled down my cheek.
He shook his head, his eyes like fire as they skimmed over me. “You are the most amazing creature I have ever met. No one has even come close to touching the parts of my heart you already have. How can you not see that you are priceless?”
“Max.”
He moved in closer. “I don’t want you to speak about paying me back for anything ever again. What part of ‘mine’ did you not understand? We belong to each other now, baby. That means what’s mine is yours.”
“But I have nothing to offer you.” I tried to make him understand. It was important to me that I be able to give him something in return for all that he was giving me.
He pressed one hand to the center of my chest, his amazing eyes capturing mine for nearly a full minute before he signed the words that sent me over the edge, free-falling. And I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I loved him. “You have this, treasure, and that is all I will ever want.”
14
Delaney
Max didn’t have to work Saturday morning, but he had
