Page 51 of Cry, Little Dove

I swallow thickly. “Actually, it’s a surprise for Cain.”

The walk-in closet looks like Christmas day in spring and I fuckin’ love it.

I stop in the doorway. Erica is blissfully unaware of my presence, standing with her back turned in a heap of half-unpacked boxes and shopping bags. Pop punk blasts from her phone on the closet island.

She lifts a black designer bag from her shoulder and hugs it to her chest, doing a happy wiggle like she has a tail to wag. My heart almost explodes. She’s too cute.

“That’s what the deliveries were while I was in the shower this morning?” I ask.

Erica yelps, nearly dropping the bag as she spins around.

How fuckin’ adorable.

“Guess you couldn’t fit everything you bought into Mandy’s car,” I tease.

“She practically forced me to buy stuff!” Erica stammers, pointing at more shoes, clothes, bags, and accessories already sorted into her side of the closet and spilling into mine. “I just wanted to get a few basics, but she kept showing me things and said how good they’d look on me and the sales assistants were so friendly! They gave me champagne and crackers with caviar and then I got tipsy—”

I grin. “Tipsy is an understatement. You were properly hammered by the time Mandy dropped you off in the evening.”

Erica goes red. “Amanda chose a bunch of high-end makeup for me, too. She even filmed herself with her phone while she picked out products for me. I mean, she asked first if it was okay to record the haul, but she didn’t stop putting things in the basket until I had one of everything she recommended.” She worries at her lip. “Seeing all the things I bought laid out like this, I think I went a bit over the 100k…”

“About 50 grand or something. But it wasn’t a limit, it was aminimum, little dove. I wanted you to spend my money.”

The blood drains from her face. “I spent one hundred and fifty thousand fucking dollars in one afternoon?” she squeaks.

I hold back a laugh. “Did you ever check your banking app since I gave you your phone back?”

“No?” Her brows squish together, and she eyes me suspiciously. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, on the topic of money, I left a gift in your account and paid off your credit card debt and overdrafts. No strings attached, by the way.” I step across the mess on the floor and grip her chin, tilting her head up. Her lips tremble as I kiss her. “The point is, I don’t care about money, darlin’. I care about you. You can spend it all if you want and I’m not gonna stop you. You enjoyed yourself yesterday, didn’t you?”

She gives a hesitant nod.

“Then I made the right call. I hate spending money on myself, it feels like such a fuckin’ waste. But paying for the things you and my sister want—”

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I let out a string of curses as I take it out. Speak of the devil.

“One minute, sorry. It’s Mandy,” I say to Erica, pausing the music on her phone before answering.

“Cain!” Mandy’s voice booms in my ear over the sound of a traffic report. She must be in the car. “I’m calling to make sure you don’t fuck things up with Erica.”

Erica presses a hand to her mouth, stifling a laugh. The way Mandy is shouting, I don’t have to turn on the speaker for her to hear every word. My cheeks turn hot, and I grip the back of my neck. Sometimes my sister’s directness can be damn embarrassing.

“Listen, sis. You have nothing to worry about. I—”

“Well, I do worry!” Mandy clicks her tongue. “Erica is a real treasure. Gorgeous, sweet as a peach, humble, and kind. I’ll smack some sense into you if you don’t spoil her and treat her the way she deserves!”

Now it’s Erica’s turn to blush, and I chuckle.

“I mean it, Cain! I’msoserious!” Mandy continues. “If you don’t put a ring on that within the next year I’ll—”

“Mandy? You’re breaking up!” I wink at Erica. “Mandy, I can’t hear—” I hang up. “Sorry for the interruption.”

“It’s okay. Amanda is a lovely person and super fun to be around. I didn’t expect her to be this easy-going and down-to-earth,” Erica says. “We had a great time together.”

I loose a breath. “I’m glad you two get along. I admit I was worried after you had such a bad first impression of her, but Mandy is the only other person I care about. It’s nice to know she approves of our relationship.”

I expect Erica to give me her usual bit about how we don’t have a relationship, but instead, her expression falls.

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