Mya starts down the hallway, her steps hesitant. I follow, watching the way her shoulders tense with every move closer to our door.
I move up behind her, close enough that my breath stirs a strand of hair near her ear.
“Are you nervous?” I murmur.
She doesn’t answer, but I see goosebumps rise along her bare arms. Her breathing stutters, and I have to resist the urge to smile.
When we reach the door, I scoop her up in one motion.
“Worth!” she yelps, clutching at my shoulders. “What are you doing?”
“Carrying my wife to bed,” I say simply.
Mya squirms, but she doesn’t tell me to stop.
I walk over the threshold and set her down on the edge of the bed. “Stay there and don’t move.”
Her brows knit. “What are you?—”
“Just wait.”
I step into the walk-in closet, unzip my suitcase, and pull out a neatly-wrapped package. When I return, Mya’s still sitting where I left her, eyes wide with curiosity.
“Here.”
She looks between me and the gift. “What is this?”
“Open it and see.”
Mya’s fingers work carefully at the paper, unfolding it layer by layer until the album cover appears.Queen – A Night at the Opera.
Her mouth parts in shock. When she removes the record, she sees it’s signed by the entire band. “No. No way. Worth… How did you even get this? It’s impossible to find.”
I shrug. “Had an old friend track it down. Turns out it was being auctioned.”
Her eyes widen. “Auctioned? How much did you pay for it?”
I tilt my head, considering how she’ll react. “A hundred.”
She blinks. “Dollars?”
“Thousand, Mya.”
“You’re joking.”
I meet her gaze, dead serious. “I don’t joke about Freddie Mercury.”
“Worth!” she gasps, clutching the record to her chest. “Take it back. That’s too much. I can’t accept this.”
I shake my head, stepping closer until I’m standing in front of her. “I can’t. That’s not how auctions work. And I want you to have it.”
Mya looks up at me, eyes shining. “Why?”
“Because you said you wanted it.”
“So?” Her voice cracks, somewhere between a laugh and a plea. “You don’t have to buy me stuff, Worth.”
I shrug again, but my voice is softer this time. “Maybe I like giving you things.”