“You didn’t have to buy me anything,” he said, but the look on his face suggested it had been a long time since anyone had bought him a present and he was the teensiest bit curious as to what it could be.
“Now, I want you to keep an open mind,” she said.
“Uh-oh. That’s usually not a good sign.”
“It’s nothing bad, I promise.” She walked over to the bed and dumped the contents of the bags out onto the comforter. “I was going to start you out slowly with a shirt or two, but there were some awesome clearance sales. I got a bit carried away.”
“I guess,” Cedric said, staring at the clothes piled there.
Colorful clothes. Shirts and pants and even boxers. And not a single black item.
Cedric picked up a polo shirt the same creamy beige as the carpet and looked at the tag on the collar. “Out of curiosity, how did you know what size to buy?”
“I peeked at the tags on your clothes yesterday.”
He laid the shirt across the bed with the others. “So, you’ve been planning this, have you?”
“Just for a day or two.” She’d worried he might be angry with her, that maybe this was crossing some invisible line in the sand that he’d drawn. Instead he looked almost…amused. “I know you like to wear black all the time, but I really like it when I see you wear something different. So I decided to get some for you”
“The truth is, I don’t. It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other. That just happens to be most of what I own.”
She shot him a disbelieving look. “See for yourself,” he said and she followed him into his closet.
And damned if he wasn’t telling the truth. Row upon row of black. There were some colored clothes of course, but most of it was black.
“I have the fashion sense of a brick. I just wear whatever is there. Most of my shopping is done for me, and I guess they just assume I like black so they buy a lot of it.”
“Well, now you have more colorful clothes,” she said, feeling relief and a tiny bit of pride. “Anything you don’t like I can return.”
“I’m sure I’ll like it all,” he said.
“Okay, but just so we’re clear, if you don’t like the clothes I bought you, don’t be afraid to say so. It won’t hurt my feelings.”
At least, not too much.
“I love it all,” he insisted.
“But you haven’t even looked at most of it.”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s from you.”
That was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever said to her. Especially since technically, they were really from himself. He’d be paying the bill. She’d only picked them out.
“How did your appointment go?” he asked.
“I’m right on schedule, so no worries there. Do you have to work?”
“Not necessarily.” Pushing off from the door frame he walked slowly toward her. “That shopping probably took a lot out of you, huh?”
“No, not really.”
“I think it did. You look awfully tired.”
Oh boy, he had that look. That sizzling predatory grin. They were going to play the nap game again. A grin curled her mouth. “Yeah, you’re right, I’m completely exhausted.”
“I thought you were.”
He dropped his towel and had her out of her clothes and under the covers in a minute flat. They made love most of the afternoon, had dinner, watched a movie, then had another nap in Cedric’s room before bed. They just couldn’t seem to get enough of each other.
“Maybe I should go,” she told Cedric around midnight, when she was getting too sleepy to keep her eyes open. She didn’t want him to be uncomfortable, or feel as if he had to let her stay because he had last night.
Instead of letting go, his arm closed tightly around her. “No. I want you to stay.”
That was all she needed to hear. She burrowed under the covers, cuddling against him. If it ended tomorrow or whenever, at least they would have had this final night together. That was all they could do, live as if each day together might be their last.
______________
Diana Mortimer, Cedric’s Aunt, arrived two weeks later. Anna was eager and also a bit nervous to finally spend time with the woman who had practically raised Cedric. The one family member he loved and spoke so fondly of.
She stood at a corner, trying to make herself invisible as she watched Cedric hug his Aunt and kiss her on the cheek as they exchanged greetings. As much as Anna would have liked to be able to tell herself Cedric’s Aunt looked like a normal everyday person, she didn’t.
She looked gorgeous and glamorous. And Anna felt weird as she watched them. Then Diana looked around, her eyes screeching to a halt on Anna, as though she’d just realized someone else was standing there with them.
“Oh there she is!” Diana exclaimed.
She swept across the room, gliding with such smooth grace, Anna could swear her feet never hit the ground. She took Anna by the shoulders and looked her up and down. For some reason Anna waited for her to shove her away in disgust or possibly spit on her shoes. Instead, tears welled in her eyes and she yanked Anna, very unladylike, into a crushing hug.
Anna was so shocked that for a minute she forgot to breathe, and when she finally did, a cloud of flowery perfume filled her lungs. Over her shoulder, Anna saw Cedric cringe.
“Oh, moonpie, she’s adorable!”
Moonpie? Anna mouthed the nickname back to him and Cedric rolled his eyes. Diana held her at arm’s length again, the tears hovering just inside her lids, as if they knew better than to spill over and mar her perfectly applied makeup. Anna felt like a new family pet, a fuzzy little puppy they could housebreak and teach tricks. And she didn’t get it.
“When are you due, sweetheart?” Diana asked her, her grip on her arms not loosening.
“Oh in a month. Thirteenth of next month to be precise,”
Diana seemed to get even more excited, and so Cedric stepped in, “Urmmm. Aunt Diana, why don’t we get you settled in, then we’ll talk?”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” she said, gently touching her shellacked hair. “I must look a fright after the long trip. Could you please have my bags taken to my suite?”