“I want this done for you,” he says in a serious tone. “Pick the stainyouwant. If you want it changed later, I’ll change it. And don’t just pick whatever matches that banister. If you don’t like the banister stain, I can sand it and redo it to match whatever you pick for the shelves.”
“Um…I was thinking of the dark walnut, but now I think maybe the amber. Then if I change my mind and want to change it and go darker it might be easier on you for redoing them doing light to dark instead of dark to light.”
“Don’t worry about what’s easier. Worry about telling me what you want.”
“Okay, but still… I think this one.” I point to one called amber.
“Done.”
“You said gifts. Plural.”
He smiles. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”
“What do you want as my mating gift to you?” I ask.
He looks off, deep in thought for a second before he says, “Can’t think of a single thing I want for myself that I don’t have now that I’ve got you.”
My chin quivers and tears fill my eyes. “You don’t have to keep trying so hard.”
Though I do love the effort he’s putting in.
“This isn’t me trying to impress you. This is me showing you I’m fucking happy that you’re mine. Besides, you’ll be giving me gifts soon enough. And though I’m not in a big hurry for them, I’ll be thrilled whenever they come, be it this year, next year, or five years out.”
His eyes devour me from head to toe, then they’re on my face again before he unnecessarily explains. “Babies.”
I smile wide.
I’ve spent most of my life doing whatever I could do to get close to him at every available opportunity, daydreaming he’d some day accept my love. And here we are now. He sees me. He wants me. And I can get as close to him as I want for the rest of my days. So, I do.
As I’m moving his way, my intent clear, he spins his baseball cap backwards, ready for a smooch, but the motion of him doing that is so fucking hot, I trip over my feet and over his tool bag, which makes him cuss as he catches me.
“I love you,” I tell him. “And I don’t need more gifts.”
He kisses the top of my head and runs his palms up and down my back, stopping on my backside and squeezing. “Well, you’re getting more surprises whether you want them or not. And I love you, too.”
He slaps my butt before he moves in and gives me a hot and heavy kiss.
***
Jase insisted after he heated up a casserole for us, that I go to my parents’ place to pack up some clothes while he goes for a run. I still have two changes of clothes in my overnight bag, and he has a washer and dryer that he must have added recently because the last time I looked, the machines were older than I am and now they’re fancy candy-apple red ones.
But he probably really needs to run and perhaps he feels safest to do that with me at my folks’ place.
I still pout as he drops me off, complaining that I want to run, too. The bookshelves plan has taken up the whole day and he’s not nearly close to done, so I haven’t been able to shift yet.
“And we’ll do plenty of that together when your wolf is no longer a pup. I need to run some energy off. Then I’ve got a little surprise for you.”
“How do you have excess energy?” I ask. “You’ve been expending a whole lot of energy between building things, carrying all that wood, and … you know… giving me all sorts ofwood.” I wink exaggeratedly.
He laughs and shrugs. “What can I say? I’m energetic.”
I sigh dramatically. “Well, all right. But I want to shift after you pick me up. Even if it’s just for a half an hour.”
“Not a problem. We’ll come back and get whatever you’ve packed up and then we’ll go out back and give your little wolf a run.”
“Before I get my surprise or after?” I ask.
“Thought you didn’t need more surprises,” he teases.