Just as I was talking to him, my phone beeped with a text message. It was from the restricted number again.
“I hope you didn’t find my last text out of line. I just needed you to know that I find you exquisite and I couldn’t let another day go by without telling you.”
When I tried to send a reply, the message wouldn’t go through. I thought it was strange, but it was Connor, so I would play his game with him until tonight when he got home from work. After leaving the hospital, I had a few errands to run and then I met Peyton for lunch at our favorite restaurant. I walked over to the booth where she was sitting.
“You’re late,” she said.
“Just by five minutes and you’re always late. You were late for your own wedding.” I laughed.
She sighed. “I know. Don’t remind me.”
“So, tell me all about the fabulous honeymoon,” I said as I took a sip of water.
“It was amazing! I didn’t want to come home.” She pouted.
I reached in my purse for my phone when I heard it beeping. As I pulled it out, there was another text message from that same restricted number. Connor must be bored today or something, I thought.
“I hope you’re enjoying my text messages. A woman as stunning as you should be told every day, multiple times. To me, you’re a queen and you should be treated as such.”
I smiled and laughed at the same time as I shook my head.
“What’s so funny?” Peyton asked.
“It’s Connor and his game playing. Look at the text messages he’s been sending me since this morning,” I said as I handed Peyton my phone.
“He’s so romantic. Why the restricted number, though?”
“I don’t know. To keep it interesting, I guess.”
She smiled at me and then continued to tell me about her and Henry’s honeymoon. Once we finished lunch, we walked out of the restaurant and parted ways. When I arrived home, I was greeted at the elevator by Mason and Julia.
“Girl, wait until you see what’s in the kitchen for you.” He smiled.
Curiosity got the best of me, so I put my purse down and walked to the kitchen. I gasped when I saw three dozen pink roses sitting in separate vases on the counter.
“Looks like Connor has really outdone himself today,” Mason said.
I walked over and pulled the card from one of the vases. It read:
To the most beautiful woman in the world.
No one will ever come close to your beauty.
My heart melted when I read that, and I couldn’t wait until Connor came home. As I set the card down, I heard my phone beep. There was another text message from that same number.
“Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman. I want you to think of me every time you look at them.”
A few hours had passed and Connor finally arrived home. As he stepped off the elevator, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight before he even had the chance to put his briefcase down.
“Wow, now I like that greeting.” He smiled as he kissed me. “I thought I was going to get yelled at for not calling you all day. You wouldn’t believe the shit going on at the office right now. I was in back-to-back meetings all day.”
I smiled at him and walked back to the kitchen to take the chicken out of the oven. Connor followed behind me.
“Where did those flowers come from?” he asked.
“From someone who thinks I’m the most beautiful and exquisite woman in the world.” I smiled as I set the chicken on the stove.
“Of course you are, baby, but who sent them?”
I turned around and looked at him. “A hot and sexy man sent them to me, along with those romantic texts all day.”
Suddenly, Connor got angry. “Ellery, I will ask you one last time: Who the fuck sent you those flowers and what texts are you talking about?!” he yelled.
I couldn’t believe how upset he was. This was his game and he had the nerve to yell at me.
“Jesus, Connor, calm down. You’re the one who sent them. Why are you yelling at me?”
As he looked at me, his eyes turned dark. “I didn’t send you those flowers or any text messages today. I told you I was in back-to-back meetings all day!” he yelled again. “Give me your phone!” he commanded.
He was scaring me and I didn’t like it. With shaking hands, I opened the text messages on my phone and handed it to him. As he read them, the look on his face was daunting. He looked at me and then back at the flowers. He picked up the card from the counter and read it.
“When did these flowers come?” he asked.
“I don’t know. They were delivered when I was out with Peyton.”
Connor pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed it. “Mason, it’s Connor. Were you here when the flowers for Ellery were delivered? I see. Thank you,” he said as he hung up.
“He said that when he and Julia got home from the park, they were outside the door.”
“Connor, I thought they were from you along with the text messages. Now you’re scaring me,” I said as my bottom lip started to quiver.
“Why the hell would I send you text messages from a restricted number?”