Page 194 of Champagne Nights

I turned my head in the direction of the bathrooms, and when I turned back to look at David, he was gone. A strangefeeling erupted inside me that I couldn’t shake. A moment later, Paisley sat down beside me.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, placing her hand on my arm.

“Nothing, babe.” I thought about telling her about David, but what was the point now? He said he was leaving, and I’d never see him again. Things with him were strange from the moment we met, and I thought it would be best to forget him and not think about him again. Paisley agreed with me that the Sunset Bar indeed had the best fish and chips in the world.

On our way back to her house, I was excited and nervous at the same time to see her reaction to the sofa table. When she put the key in the lock and opened it, she flipped on the light switch in the foyer. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Romeo sitting on the sofa table.

“Where...” she started to say, then stopped and looked at me.

“Merry Christmas, Paisley.” I smiled.

She walked over to the table and ran her hand lightly across it. I turned on the lamps so the entire room was lit up, and she could see it better.

“You made this, didn’t you?” she asked with tears in her eyes.

“Yes.”

“Oh my God, Ben. It’s beautiful. It’s perfect. I love it so much. Thank you.” She threw her arms around me and hugged me tight.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”

“Oh, baby. I love it.” She smiled as she kissed my lips. A kiss that didn’t stop. A kiss that landed us on the couch and making love for the next hour.

The next morning was Christmas Eve, and waking up next to Paisley felt good. I couldn’t help but stare at how beautiful she looked as she slept. Romeo jumped up, and I quickly grabbed him before he woke her up. I took him to the kitchen, fedhim, and then began making breakfast. As I poured the pancake batter into the pan, Paisley walked into the kitchen.

“Are you making breakfast for me?” she asked in an angelic voice.

“No. But you can have some if you want.” I grinned.

“Why you!” She laughed as she walked over and playfully smacked me.

“Of course, I’m making you breakfast. Merry Christmas Eve, babe.”

“Merry Christmas Eve. After breakfast, I want you to open one of the gifts I bought you.”

“You didn’t have to buy me anything.”

“Don’t be silly. You didn’t have to make me that table.”

“Don’t you be silly.” I smiled as I kissed the tip of her nose.

After eating breakfast and cleaning up, Paisley led me to the tree and handed me a beautifully wrapped gift with a gold ribbon bow.

I smiled as I opened it and lifted the lid. It was the watch I had been wanting for a long time.

“Paisley, how did you know?”

“I called Finn and asked him. You told me in Hawaii that you had your eye on a watch, but you never said what kind. I thought that you’d want to wear it today.”

“It’s perfect. Thank you so much. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

As Paisley left to get dressed, I wanted to take the watch out of the box and try it on. I needed scissors to cut the binds that held the watch in place. I couldn’t find any in the kitchen, so I asked Paisley where they were.

“Check in my desk drawer. I think they’re in the top one.”

I went to her office and opened the top drawer. My heart began racing at the picture I saw lying there next to the scissors.I picked it up and looked at it. I swallowed hard as I walked into the bedroom where Paisley was getting dressed.

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