“I can’t give you my gift from inside the bathtub, either.”
We both laughed as he helped me out of the tub. I loved this part, too. Caleb liked to dry me off and get me settled after we showered. He was very good as he drew the supersoft Egyptian cotton towel over my skin. He gave extra attention to my breasts and even dropped a few soft kisses as he worked. “You’re so beautiful, standing here like this for me,” he said on a whisper.
Caleb was very good at just about everything, and I didn’t even try to stop the few tears that fell as I watched him take care of me. He didn’t react at all to my crying, which oddly, only served to help me to fall even harder for him. The only concession he made to having noticed my tears was when he finished with the towel at my cheeks before helping me into my robe.
HE handed me a red velvet case with Cartier embossed on the top. “For you,” he said with an unreadable expression as my heart bounced around inside my chest.
Dressed in my robe, I sat beside him and accepted the box with shaking hands. I lifted the lid to find a link bracelet in white gold with the classic Cartier C diamond clasp. The bracelet had three charms attached. A lighthouse with what looked like a diamond at the top to represent the light, a little house with a round window filled in with a red stone, and finally a heart-shaped padlock with a tiny key linked to the lock handle.
“Oh, Caleb, it’s so beautiful. Thank you. Thank you for such a perfect gift.” I leaned forward and kissed him. “Where did you get this?”
“I found it when I was in Abu Dhabi, and I thought you might like it.”
“I more than like it. I love it. How did you know I always wanted a charm bracelet?”
“Well, I didn’t, but I hoped you would,” he said. “I’m really glad you love it—so does this mean you’ll drive the new car I’m getting for you?” He gave me his melting little-boy grin.
“You aren’t going to let the car thing go, I can see. All right, I agree to the car, but right now I want you to help me put this gorgeous bracelet on, and tell me why you chose each charm.”
“Thank you,” he said while gently closing the diamond C clasp around my wrist. “It started when I was looking for something that would remind you of me when you wore it. I know the C is for Cartier, but it’s also the first letter of Caleb, so you should think of me when you see that part.” He winked. “The little house with the round window is your cottage of course, but the little red stone in the window reminded me of a meatball . . . so you got a cottage with a meatball window. That should be self-explanatory.” He chuckled. “The lighthouse is the Fairchild Light to represent how you are a south-end island girl.” He kissed me sweetly. “The padlock is my heart . . . to which there is only one key. The key is you. You are my key, Brooke Casterley.”
“That was the most beautiful explanation I’ve ever heard . . .”
“Look at the back of the padlock, and you’ll see my initials are engraved there. I had yours added to the shaft of the key.”
In beautiful antique script were the initials C.J.W.B. on the padlock, and on the key were mine, B.E.C. “So I won’t ever forget that you are the heart and I am your key?” I asked.
“That is correct, beautiful.”
“What if I told you that you are the same for me, Caleb? That I am the heart and you are my key?”
“Am I, Brooke?”
I nodded my head up and down because I needed a moment to compose myself from the onslaught of emotions bubbling up. “You are inside my h-heart, Caaa—leb. You’re in here s-so very deep, inside a p-part of me I thought—I thought—wouldn’t ever be c-capable of f-f-feeling this way.” I splayed my palm over my heart and struggled to get the rest of the words out. “But my heart does work. You healed what was broken inside it and brought that part back to life. I know now what I was feeling. I didn’t recognize it right away because I’d never felt it before, but I figured it out when you went away on your trip. I missed you dreadfully, but more than that, I saw how much you cared by having your people looking out for me while you were away. That’s when I knew for sure. So, at the same time you were choosing this beautiful gift for me, I was realizing I had fallen in love with you.” I took his face in both of my hands, rubbed my thumbs over his cheeks, and felt the stubble on his jaw beneath my fingers. “I love you, Caleb Blackstone, who is so very deep inside of my heart.”