Page 39 of That: Taylor & Brooks

Taylor exhaled sharply, shaking her head. This was a lot more than she expected, and it wasn’t just the camera or the money he’d spent it was how he moved. He’d decided a long time ago that she was going to be his priority and he hadn’t let up.

“That’s the day you picked me up.”

“Yeah, it could’ve been your birthday, but you pulled a fast one on me. You can change it if you want to.”

“You didn’t have to do all this. I’m starting to say that a lot. But you didn’t. Really.” Her voice was thick with emotion. Brooks was setting the bar so damn high she felt ashamed that she had let Tyree think he was bigger than the program, as he suggested.

“Yeah, I did.” His eyes locked with hers. “Ain’t nothing happening to you if I can help it.”

Without warning, Taylor stepped into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. The gesture caught him off guard and made his heart stutter. Her scent surrounded him as he slowly brought his hands up to cradle the back of her neck, drawing her closer. It had been so long since he’d held a woman like this and even longer since he’d wanted to.

“Thank you,” she whispered against his chest, her breath warm through his shirt.

Brooks closed his eyes, she felt so right in his arms, like she was made to fit there. His thumb stroked her neck absently, savoring the softness of her skin. Just friends, he reminded himself. Holding her like this made that promise feel damn near impossible to keep.

Taylor pulled back slightly to look up at him. Even in heels, she barely reached his shoulder. That height difference made him want to lift her up, press her against the door, and do shit to her she’d never experienced. Brooks shut that thought down quickly.

“I mean it,” she said, still close enough that her perfume was making his head spin. “Not just about the security system. Tonight was perfect.”

“Perfect?” He raised an eyebrow, teasing to distract himself from the urge to kiss her.

She smiled that smile that lit up the whole damn night. “Perfect!”

“I’ll take it.” His hands lingered on her waist a moment longer before he forced himself to step back.

“Thank you. For showing me a good time.”

“Hopefully, I get the pleasure of doing it again,” he said, voice dropping in volume.

She turned toward her door, entered the code, but paused, glancing back. He was watching, he always was. She pressed ahead, not sure what else needed to be said.

But as she stepped inside, she froze.

The entryway was softly lit, scattered with carefully placed gifts. Not over the top. Intimate. The kind of thoughtful that knocked the wind out of her.

A sleek black bag from that Millbrook boutique she’d always joked wasout of her tax bracket. Spa baskets. Candles from her favorite brand. And then, the small, square box on the entry table. The kind that made her heart skip.

“What is all of this?”

Brooks had followed her to the doorway, one arm braced casually against the frame.

“I couldn’t help but make a big deal about a bigday,” he said. “Open it and see.”

Inside the box sat a delicate gold chain with a circular pendant that shimmered like water under moonlight. She tilted it and gasped. Etched into the gold, subtle but clear, was the moon phase from the night she was born.

Not printed. Not trendy. Etched. Custom. Intentional. Brooks.

She opened the folded card propped beside it.

Ain’t had time to get you the moon, so I brought you yours.

—B

“You made this happen tonight?”

“I know people,” he said, brushing off the weight of what he’d done. “Had it engraved while we were eating.”

Taylor held the necklace to her chest like it was holding her together. “Brooks… I don’t even know what to say.”

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