“Yes,” she confessed, finding his stare. “I know they'll be happy for us, but they've already had their lives flipped upside down because of me. Now I’m piling more on their plates.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and looked at the window. “They won't mind.”
She sighed and took one more sip of coffee. Then she sent her mug to the table and headed for the closet. “I better get dressed. Will you be able to summon clothes from your parents’?”
“Yep,” he answered, doing just that.
She glanced over her shoulder, happy to see he’d merely donned shorts and no shirt. Then she entered the closet and shuffled through the multitude of dresses. When she emerged, she wore a black maxi dress boasting several layers of chiffon and a neckline deep enough to display the chrome tourmaline necklace he’d given her.
She walked to the dresser to get the jewelry, and his gaze followed her across the room. “Black looks good on you.”
“You say that about everything I wear.”
He approached and took her necklace, motioning for her to turn around. “I mean it.”
“I know,” she whispered, shivering as his fingers brushed the back of her neck.
After securing the necklace around her throat and the bracelet around her wrist, he turned her into his arms and gave her a deep kiss. “Are you ready?”
“I guess.”
“We need to conceal the proof,” he noted, gathering her skirt in his fists. Then he grasped her butt and picked her up, urging her to wrap her legs around his waist.
“Let's wait until we get to the front door,” she suggested. “I don't want to hide our lights longer than necessary.”
“Good idea,” he agreed, carrying her down the hallway.
She laid her head on his shoulder, but when they entered the living room, she blinked and straightened. “Quin!”
In the corner, between the fireplace and window, stood a wooden table holding a large TV and a wide range of accessories.
“I forgot about that,” he mumbled.
“What do you mean you forgot about that?”
“I got it Sunday,” he explained, “before we bonded. You made me forget.”
“But I don't need a TV.”
“I know you don't need it, Layla.”
“Then why did you get it?”
“I told you – I want you to show me the things you enjoyed before moving here, and you can show your grandparents your home movies on it.”
“It's huge.”
“Not really. Besides, if you're going to watch TV, you might as well do it right.”
She sighed and met his stare. “Well thank you, but you didn't need to do that.”
“I have to be honest with you, Layla – this wasn't a sacrifice for me. I've been working for my parents for years, getting paid very well to do so, and I don't have anything to spend money on. No house, no car, no bills, my parents refuse to let me pitch in on overhead for the business, and the same goes for upkeep on their house. I don't even buy my own food most the time. I have plenty of money, love, so indulge me by letting me indulge you. Please.”
She smirked and narrowed her eyes in mock suspicion. “Do I have a new library as well?”
He took a measured breath. Then he looked away and headed for the front door.
“Quin!”
“What?”
“Did you really?”
“We have a lot of people waiting for us. Let's argue about this later.”
“You did! Where did you put it?”
“I'll show you when we get home.”
“I can't believe you, Quin. You really built me a library?”
He stopped at the door and found her eyes. “Yes. Well, kind of.”
“When?”
“Sunday.”
“But you were only gone a couple of hours.”
“Yes, and that's why it's not really accurate to say I built it. My mom and dad did most the work.”
“Oh my god, Quin. Your mom and dad built me a library?”
“No, they built me a library. I set the groundwork and told them what I wanted, and they did me a favor by putting it together. It was easy and only took them a few hours.”
“A few hours? Yeah right.”
“I swear. All the material was in our warehouse, and the furnishings and woodwork were things I'd already made. They just had to transfer everything and put it in the right spot, a task they were thrilled to see through. They’ve wanted to use the design for years, but I wouldn't sell it, because I made it with my own home in mind, so I’m sure they enjoyed putting it together. It's what they do. Dad builds it; mom fills it.”
“And what do you do?”
“I do it all.”
“Of course,” she whispered, shaking her head. “I can't believe you did this, Quin. You shouldn't have gone to all that trouble.”