Page 51 of Uproot

But the fact that I’m naked under his sheets right now tells me it most definitely was not.

I get off of the bed and find my shirt on the floor, and hurriedly pull it on over my head. Unable to find my pajama shorts, I go to the bag I brought with me and grab some cotton shorts instead, then go into the bathroom to freshen up. I get back into bed, just as the door suddenly opens.

The man that has been on my mind strolls through the door, his sharp gaze zoning in on me immediately. He’s wearing a casual t-shirt and shorts, and I already find myself missing seeing him shirtless.

I finally got to see his other tattoos on full display, and what a sight it was to behold. Tattoos grace his well-defined pecs and abdomen, and I wish I had more time to get to show him how much I appreciated every bit of him that I was blessed to see.

I suddenly realize that I’m still wearing my head scarf. I’m honestly not quite sure if Beckett has ever dated a Black womanbefore, since we didn’t talk in too much detail about our dating history yet. There are definitely some things that I worry he might find odd at first that you only understand if you have been with a woman of color.

Not that he minded the head scarf at all last night..

If he’s questioning my head attire he doesn’t show it at all as he approaches me. His eyes move over me appreciatively as he comes to set down a serving tray over my legs.

He bends down and places a firm kiss on my lips, morning breath be damned. “Good morning, beautiful. How do you feel?” He coos, gently stroking my cheek.

“Good morning, I feel great! How about you? Aren’t you tired from last night?” I ask, as he moves to stand up.

He raises an eyebrow and I realize my poor choice of words. “I-I meant from all of the traveling! Not from us...”

He chuckles at me and squeezes my leg, “No, sweetheart. I’m fine. I’m used to being busy and surviving on little sleep.”

He moves around the bed to sit next to me on my other side, and I look down at the food and coffee cup on my tray. “Is this from Coco’s?"

“It is. I ran out and got some breakfast for all of you. Edison and Gana wanted to eat outside on the back deck. I made my own breakfast earlier since I’ve been up for a few hours getting some things done. Go ahead and eat, angel,” he says, giving me a warm smile.

“Thank you so much,” I say, taking a sip of the coffee and smiling when I notice it’s my favorite one.

He always remembers.

He smiles watching me as I dig into the muffin and eggs he brought for me. His fingers move to my head, gently touching my scarf. “This is beautiful. Where did you get it from?” he asks, running his fingers over the flowers printed on it.

I finish chewing and look over at him, “A bought it from a shop in Charlestown a few years ago. I wear it to keep my hair protected while I sleep,” I explain.

He nods, studying it closer. “Do you have a lot of them?” he asks.

“I have a few. I just rotate them,” I explain, picking at the last bite of my muffin.

I wait nervously, wondering if he is going to make a comment I won’t like, but he just gives me an understanding smile. He gets up from the bed, going over to his suitcase that is open on the floor.

I watch him curiously as he brings over a small bag with handles. “I had a little time to shop while I was back in the city. So I picked you up something.”

He takes my tray, placing the bag on my lap. I look down at it in disbelief, wondering what it could be. “Beckett you didn’t have to get me anything,” I say, reaching inside and taking out a small black box.

“Iwantedto, angel. Go on. Open it up,” he says, smiling and folding his arms over his chest.

I grin up at him, my fingers eagerly opening the box. I gasp as I pull out the gift inside. There is a pair of adorable Strawberry Shortcake ice cream bar studs inside, with Strawberry Shortcake’s face in the center.

I can see little specs of diamonds behind the character and ice cream bars, and I gape at them in disbelief. They are absolutely perfect, and I wonder how he knew how much I would really love these.

I blink back tears as he comes closer to me, “Beckett these are so l-lovely,” I whisper, meeting his eyes.

“I’m glad you like them sweetheart,” he says, reaching down and taking them from me. He kneels down next to the bed, “Come here.”

I move closer to him and he helps me put them on one at a time. When he finishes he gets up and I stand on the bed wrapping my arms around him and squeezing him tight.

“You’resothoughtful,” I say, wiping my eyes. I look at him and decide to be honest with him.

“I was really nervous when you found my doll on the bookcase at my house. I’ve had it since I was younger, it’s a keepsake from my dad. He was always saving up money to get me anything that he could from my favorite show,” I explain, gathering the courage to continue. “I have a lot of other things from the show that I’ve held on to, and I think that is part of the reason why I’ve always still loved everything about Strawberry Short Cake, it’s comforting to me. But I’ve never shown anyone the things I’ve kept, not even Evy or my other friends..”

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