“There’s something else,” I say through tears, pointing to the book nearby.
Dad gapes. “If this is a first edition?—”
“It’s not, that would’ve been three books.” He lets out a breath of relief, aware of how much it would’ve cost… Little does he know. “It’s technically a kind of first edition. Specifically, the 1894 Illustrated Peacock Edition with illustrations done by Hugh Thomson.” I let out a deep breath and slowly stroke the still covered book, saying, “He remembered that it was my favorite edition ofPride and Prejudice. It’s different from all the others with plain covers and, although it isn’t as rare as the first edition of the novel, which comes in a set of three volumes, this version sold thousands of copies and helped revitalize Austen’s work. Hugh Thomson became a prominent book illustrator in the Victorian era—and oh my God, I talked about that months ago.” My head spins at his impressive memory and the amount of money he must’ve spent on these books.
I would see this as an attempt to buy my love, but anyone who can remember my very specific favorite edition ofPride and Prejudiceafter months—it’s like my mind is completely turned on. Almost all my worries disappear, but they won’t fully go away until Grayson is standing in front of me, explaining what all of this means and where he’s been.
“This must have been thousands of dollars,” Mom whispers with a small grin on her face.
“Yeah.” I wring my hands together. “It’s too much.”We haven’t even established what we are yet.
Mom laughs loudly. “Oh, hush. You should’ve seen howmuch money your dad spent on me when we first started dating.” My eyes widen, and Dad shrugs, looking mighty proud of himself. “Not that he needed to, but he had it, and he used it to buy my favorite things because he liked seeing me happy. They were always the things that mattered most to me.” Her gaze travels to mine with a look only a mother can give, and she cups my cheek. “Just like these books.” Mom nods. “He’s smooth.”
Chuckling, I wipe a lone tear, one of happiness combined with longing. “Yeah, he really is.”
He knew he didn’t need to leave a note. The books spoke for themselves.
Chapter Forty-Two
EMMA
New Year’s Day
My friends and I get back to my parents’ place at three a.m. It’s a bit earlier than I expected, but almost all of us are either tipsy or drunk. Luckily, my family decided to celebrate the New Year at a friend’s house upstate. My friends aren’t the quietest bunch. Although the craziest one—Jake—has been in Aspen since the day he left for winter break, and it’s the first time since we’ve met that we haven’t spent New Year’s Eve together.
Without Jake here and being surrounded by couples, I promised myself I’d only drink enough to get tipsy for many reasons, mainly because I don’t want to cry over the fact that Grayson hasn’t contacted me in a week. It would’ve felt strange after he sent me such a heartfelt gift on Christmas, though it made me miss him even more.
Kamila nearly falls on me in the foyer before Cameron catches her.
“I haven’t seen her that drunk in a long time.” Levi laughs and points.
Levi’s most definitely tipsy and acting like an idiot, meanwhile Stevie doesn’t seem the slightest bit fazed. Levi and Stevie’s wedding bands glint in the moonlight as she helps him with his coat, and he kisses her nose, making her giggle. They went through so much to get to where they are now, and although their PDA can be a bit much at times, I’ve never been happier for two people…other than Kami and Cam.
“Best New Year’s Eve ever!” Brad, Luna’s boyfriend, yells.He’s drunk.
My friend, who I haven’t seen nearly enough of in the past couple of months, slaps his arm. “Lower your voice.”Luna’s tipsy and angry.
His shoulders slump. “Sorry, babe.” I muffle a laugh as we take off our jackets and shoes, except for my Manolos, which I plan to put in my closet. “Seriously, Emma,” Brad continues. “The people coming down from the ceiling, doing all those tricks, the food, the music.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I’ve never been to a party like that.”
Luna smiles and rolls her eyes. “It was a pretty great party.”
“You guys can thank my dad for the invitations,” I tell them. “He’s the one with the connections to these things.”
“Usually it’s Jake,” Kamila mutters as Cameron sits her down on one of the chairs in the living room to take her shoes off. “His parties are also great, but he’s far away, getting pictures taken by the paps with a random girl. Right, baby?”
Her palm lands on the middle of Cameron’s face, and he exhales an impatient breath. A snort escapes me. “Yes, baby, you’re right.”
She is right about Jake always getting us into the best parties, and about him being photographed with a girl whose face we couldn’t see. They were both in ski suits, and he told us that it wasn’t anyone or anything important. We took his word for it.
Kami smiles and kisses Cameron on the cheek. Cam, who istall, tattooed, and looks like he could beat anyone’s ass, kisses her softly, caressing her cheek.
My best friend looks so happy, and it fills me with so much joy in return.
This. This right here is why I always kept my personal life personal. I didn’t want to take away from their joy, but it was foolish of me to do so. I kept things secret when they were always going to help. Then again, I wonder if I was waiting for the right person to tell them things about.
My phone vibrates, snapping me out of my thoughts. I see a reply to a text I sent yesterday morning. One that was separate from the group chat.
Me: What’s up with your weird answers in the group chat lately?