Where We Belong (A Touch of Fate #1)(83)

Gently tapping my leg, Max clears his throat. “There’s one more.” Looking down, I see a bright green piece of paper gripped tightly in his hands. He offers it to me and I gently take it from him. I notice that he’s not smiling. He’s looking at me, but it’s more like he’s looking through me. Glancing down, I see that the coupon is blank. The stickers, stamps, and drawings are all there, but no words. I flip it over, and when I find that the other side is blank too, I look back at him.

“It’s good for anything,” he says quietly, glancing nervously at Harley before turning his chocolate eyes on me.

Leaving one card out, I stack the others and neatly tuck them back into the envelope. “I love it, Max,” I say, swallowing past the lump he unintentionally put in my throat. “It’s the best birthday present anyone has ever given me.” His eyes widen, a grin tugging at the side of his mouth.

“Really?” he asks hopefully. I hear a light sob and I know it’s probably Harley, but I can’t look. Right now all of my attention is riveted solely on this one little man, who has me completely wrapped around each and every one of his fingers.

I reach out, yanking him into my arms, pulling him against me. He wraps his arms around my neck and laughs when I tighten my hold. Burying my head in his messy brown hair, I whisper, enunciating every word, “The. Best. Ever.” He nods against my shoulder and I pull back, framing his face with my hands. Leaning forward, I place my lips against the top of his head for a brief second before I pull back and hand him a bright blue coupon.

He scrunches his eyebrows and looks at me questioningly. Standing up, I reach out my hand to pull Max to his feet. He’s smiling up at me, his eyes bright with joy. "I want to play soccer. How about you?”

“Yeah!” he says, jumping up. He fist-pumps the air and then turns toward the door. Stopping abruptly in his tracks, he runs back to me and shoves the blue coupon back into my hands.

“Keep it. This one is free,” he says before running off into the kitchen. “I’m gonna get my shoes on and I’ll meet you outside,” he yells.

Quinn walks up and wraps her arm around me, pulling me in for a hug. “You were great,” she whispers before pulling away from me. “I’ll give you two a second.” I watch her retreating back and then turn to Harley. She’s sitting on the couch, her feet tucked neatly underneath her butt. I can tell she’s been crying because her eyes are red and puffy and she has tear tracks running down her face.

“I love him,” I say softly. Unfolding herself, she walks over to me and strokes a hand down the side of my face.

“I know you do,” she says, grazing her lips across my mouth. “He loves you too.” Wrapping my arm around her neck, I pull her to me, kissing the side of her head. “It really is the best present I’ve ever gotten.”

Harley chuckles and turns her face to mine. “You haven’t seen my present yet,” she says seductively.

“Mmmm,” I mumble into her hair. “You already gave me my birthday present…like five times.”

She laughs, swatting my chest playfully. “Not that. I made you something too.”

“Can I have it?” I ask. Walking to the couch, I tug her down next to me and pull her legs onto my lap. Reaching across to the end table, she picks up an envelope and lays it in my lap.

“I hope you like it,” she says, biting her lower lip.

Once again, I find myself opening a sealed envelope. Small cards are stacked neatly in the envelope and I slide them out. They are very similar to the ones Max gave me, only these are littered with little hearts and flowers around the edges. Sifting through the cards, I notice that there are five—and they are all blank.

My curious eyes find Harley’s. “They’re blank.”

“They are.” Her eyes are smiling at me, her straight, white teeth framed by her dimples.

I look at the papers and then back up to her. “For whatever I want?” I ask with a hint of suggestion. One eyebrow raised, she slowly nods at me.

Suddenly, I feel the need to confirm. “Like anything, anything?”

“Apart from giving you Max,” she laughs, “they’re good for absolutely anything.” Her hand slides up my chest and wraps around my neck, tangling in my hair. She strokes my scalp several times, her tiny nails causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. “I trust you,” she whispers against my mouth. “So yes, they’re good for anything.”

Her soft lips close over mine and her tongue enters, instantly tangling with mine. I groan into her mouth and gently fist my hand in her hair at the nape of her neck.

“TY! COME ON!” Max yells through the back door. Harley giggles as she pulls back, and I close my eyes, dropping my forehead to hers.

“Cockblocker,” I murmur. Tossing her head back, Harley lets out a throaty laugh that makes my cock twitch.

Her phone pings and she slides off the couch, grabbing it from the coffee table. A smile spreads across her face as she types furiously on the screen. "Who is it?" I ask, curious who put that look on her face.

She glances at me briefly before turning her attention back to her phone. "It's my friend, Celeste. She was just checking in to say ‘hi.’"

"Do I know her?" I ask. "I don't think I've ever heard you talk about her."