Exposed Exposed (Dom Nation #1) - E. Davies Page 0,67
again? My heart fluttered with hope.
I picked up both boxes gingerly, shifting them into the crook of one arm and tucking the cupcake box against my chest to unlock my door. The bottom box was plain cardboard and a lot heavier. Is it a giant cupcake? I wondered. Because I’ll definitely sit down and pig out on it for supper.
Once inside, I headed straight for the couch and set the cupcake box on the table, since I already knew what it was. I slashed the top box with my car keys and tore the flaps open like a kid on Christmas Day.
And then I laughed, pulling a stainless steel electric kettle free from its foam packaging and setting it on the table to admire.
I turned my attention to the cupcake box, relieved to see the treat inside was in perfect condition. I pulled it free from the cardboard lining and gasped. Across the white creamy surface, red frosting ropes crisscrossed the surface, knotted together at four points.
Rex had talented fingers indeed, and I couldn’t help wondering if that talent extended to real-life ropes, too.
“Jesus,” I whispered. But something else caught my eye—a slip of paper tucked into the cupcake box. I gingerly set my Daddy’s creation aside, eagerly fishing out the note.
Make yourself a cup of tea and text Daddy about your day.
-X
“Ohhhh my God,” I breathed out, and before I thought twice, I raised the note to my nose to sniff it.
Wait, what the hell? I stifled a giggle. Ten words in Rex’s very own handwriting and I became a total weirdo. What was I expecting to smell besides ink, anyway?
But the effervescent joy bursting from me was impossible to contain. I was made of glass, my spirit shimmered so brightly. I was awake and alive all of a sudden, my fingers tingling. Even after a long workday, I felt refreshed and renewed like it was a whole new day. And then there was the big, happy, stupid grin I couldn’t wipe off my face.
My Daddy knew just what I needed.
The giddy rush that flooded through me wiped away any doubts I’d had about the weekend all being a finite daydream.
“Okay,” I said out loud to calm myself down. “Right. Okay. Let’s plug this in. Come on, Slate.” I picked up the kettle and walked to the kitchen, plugged it in, and then paced back and forth several times to burn off the energy sparking in me.
I could leap mountains, climb tall buildings—or was it the other way round? Whatever. I could fucking fly if I had to.
The kettle took the place of pride on my kitchen counter as I filled it with water from the tap, flicked the switch, and stood back, hands clasped by my chest. I stared at it like Rex himself was in there, heating up the water with his magic touch.
Oh, God. I’ve never felt like this before. Isaac had made me feel stupid fluttery feelings, sure, but he’d never given me the chance to soar on them before dragging me down, reminding me of my place.
But now? I could imagine a future with Rex—a commingling of our lives, a perfect niche in each of our hearts for each other.
And this little gesture spoke volumes. I was more than a convenient weekend distraction for Rex. I’d finally broken down his walls last night, and he hadn’t hated me for it. Far from it. He’d looked relieved at finally sharing the most tender parts of himself.
The feeling of holding Rex simmered in my chest and thighs and forearms again, just like he was right there with me.
Suddenly I wasn’t worried about being too old, too new to the scene, or too ugly to be Rex’s boy. I’d never felt more fresh-faced and beautiful as I had with him.
“Oh, God help me,” I murmured. When my cup of tea was ready, I went back to the living room to compose a text and admire the cupcake in its place of pride on my table. I couldn’t imagine eating it, but I figured I was supposed to.
Hi, Daddy! I got your gifts. Thank you xxx
I kept typing, trying to figure out how to tell him about my day. It was so fizzy and wonderful in my brain that it was hard to focus. I couldn’t tell if it was a good idea to tell him everything, like the fact Pam thought I was a Daddy now. Not telling him everything seemed impossible.