Page 97 of The Cupcake Standard

“I had to tell them something.” His friends had enjoyed the tale, all of us standing up to salute him when he returned.

The bright shade of smeared pink lipstick on his cheek still annoyed me, but I believed him when he said she’d just kissed him goodbye. After she’d asked if he was sure about me. Which he was.

“We should probably open some of these.” He stared at the stack.

I’d been surprised to find several with my name mixed in as well. “Dive in?” So we did.

There were lots of shot glasses, gag gifts like Pepto Bismol, saltines, Gatorade and Pedialyte. Gina and Liam had bought all the whiskey, a gift to both of us. Several of our mutual friends had snuck in Lions gear gifts for me, a coffee mug, a keychain, even a pair of super-fuzzy socks. “I just need some Lions undies, and I’m set!”

Derek just rolled his eyes. “You are not getting Lions undies because you will insist on showing them to all the guys at the next Sunday football. Not happening.”

Valid point.

“Okay, now my presents.”

I frowned at him. “I thought the present was the room. And the Lions blanket.”

He shook his head. “No, I said your present was in the room.”

“But I didn’t get you anything.” Other than the captain’s hat.

The look he gave me was priceless. “You threw me the best damn surprise party ever. You got me plenty.” Striding to the dining room table, he grabbed three boxes of varying sizes and brought them over. He thrust the biggest one into my hands first.

I shook the box, frowning when it didn’t make any noise. After untying the ribbon, the box lid popped off on its own, revealing a teddy bear holding a cupcake. “Oh, it’s so cute!” The light brown bear was soft, perfect for cuddling, and I picked it up, giving it a squeeze. “I love it.”

He smiled, handing me the next box, smaller, but not tiny.

I untied the ribbon, lifting off the lid. Tissue paper covered the item, so I peeled it away. It was a Lions T-shirt. Not a jersey, but a comfy-looking, fitted tee. Holding it up, I could see it was the perfect size. I grinned at him, telling him thank-you as he passed me the last box. This one was small, oblong and slender. The ribbon fell away. I opened the lid, and sitting inside was a rose-gold tennis bracelet.

“I didn’t know what kind of metal you liked. The rose gold reminded me of your hair, and I couldn’t resist.”

I lifted it out of the box to drape it over my fingers. “Derek, this is too much.”

He chuckled. “What’s the fun in having a billionaire boyfriend if you don’t let him spoil you once in a while?”

I was a sucker for logic. And sparkles. “Put it on me?”

He smiled his megawatt smile. “That’s the spirit.”

After he’d fastened the clasp around my wrist, I held it up, admiring it for a minute. Then I glanced back over at him, overwhelmed by how lucky I was to claim him as mine. “Any thoughts on how I could possibly thank the giver of these amazing gifts?”

His smile turned into a leering smirk. “I might have some ideas.”

Chapter Nineteen

Sunday afternoon, with Greg’s help, we got everything back to the apartment. I wasn’t as exhausted as I’d thought I’d be after the active weekend Derek and I spent in the hotel. My cheeks hurt because I couldn’t stop smiling. Every time I passed Greg in the hall with another armload of presents or decorations or unopened whiskey, he smirked and shook his head.

Finally, it was all in. Greg left with our many thanks and a bottle of whiskey.

Derek wiped the sweat off his forehead, as he’d insisted on doing most of the heavy lifting. “I think I’m going to hit the shower.” He leaned in for a kiss, but I stuck my palm out, making a face.

“I’ll wait till after you’re clean, thank you.”

“Fine, but I get double then.” And he hurried down the hall.

I looked at the piles of stuff, getting tired just thinking of sorting it all. A knock at the door had me scurrying over. Maybe Greg forgot something. To my surprise, it was Liam with a box…of mail?

Frowning, I said, “It is Sunday, right?”

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