04
“Excuse me, I think this might be yours?”
The doctor held out a cufflink
Matte platinum framing a perfectly cut piece of black onyx. It was the birthday gift I had given Caleb last year.
He recognized it instantly. “Yes, it is.” He took it.
“Sorry about that,” the doctor said. “It must have caught on my coat when I bumped into you. It fell right into my pocket.”
08:29
Chapter 1
Caleb closed his fist around the cufflink, nodded his thanks, and raised the window.
The car moved on.
On the way.
Finn chattered away, trying to make conversation. Caleb was mo
silent, offering only short, clipped replies.
The hand holding the cufflink never opened.
I sat on the far side of the back seat, looking past the babbling Finn at Caleb’s profile. I wondered if he was remembering his birth-
day last year.
The cufflinks were from a famous independent designer, and they were absurdly expensive. I wanted to buy them with my own money, so for six months before his birthday, I had worked day and night, painting and selling every piece I could create.
At the stroke of midnight, I snuck into his room. He was frowning over a financial report, but his face broke into a smile the mom
nt he saw me.
“Be serious. No smiling,” I commanded, standing before him. I ordered him to close his eyes,
He obeyed, but the corners of his mouth were still turned up, refusing to be contained.
The room was silent. I stared at his handsome face and felt my mind go blank. My ears roared with a sound I couldn’t place–his
heartbeat, or mine.
“Leo?” Caleb’s voice was soft. He must have gotten tired of waiting.
Flustered, I thrust the velvet box into his hands. “You can open your eyes now.”
He opened it, and his surprise was genuine and bright.
“Help me put them on,” he said with a grin.
I took one out, but my fingertips were trembling. I shoved the box and the cufflink back into his hands, mumbled, “Happy birthday,”
and fled from the room.
Back in my own bed, my mind replayed the scene over and over. One moment I was sure I hadn’t hidden my feelings well enough, the next I was convinced I’d acted like a clumsy child.
A soft knock came at my door. Caleb came in, pulled me out from under the covers, and said fondly. “What are you running for?”
I looked up at him, wanting to say, You have no idea, but the words wouldn’t come.
He handed me a large gift box. Inside was a custom set of paints I had wanted for ages, along with a vintage paintbrush. Either
one was worth far more than the cufflinks
Outside, the spring night air of Seaport City drifted in, carrying the rich, heady scent of magnolia blossoms. It was so thick it felt
like it was smothering me.
“Do you like it?” Caleb asked, playfully messing up my hair. His eyelashes cast long shadows on his cheeks. His gaze was so pure,
so unguarded.
“I love it,” I whispered.
The Rolls–Royce pulled into the Kane estate, driving down the long, tree–lined lane to the main house. Mom was waiting at the door.
“How is he? Is Finn alright?” she asked, her face etched with worry.
Caleb assured her he was fine.
Finn put on his act again, clinging to Mom and complaining that he still felt awful. She offered a few awkward words of comfort before sending him off to rest.
06.29
Chapter 1
But Mom’s worried expression didn’t fade.
“Mom, is something wrong?” Caleb asked.
She pressed a hand to her chest. “I know Finn is fine, but… my heart is racing. I have this terrible feeling.”
08:29
“Do you think… do you think something’s happened to Leo? The place he’s staying now… it might be cold. That’s not good for his heart. Caleb, please, will you go and bring him home?”
