Bittersweet Memories (Off-Limits #4)(97)

I offer Alanna my arm and walk her toward the blossom tree that I’ve visited every year on her birthday, except this time, there’s a waiter standing by a table with dozens of candles around it.

Alanna gasps, and I smile to myself. I’ve always wanted to do this for her and never had the chance to. Even if she doesn’t remember, I’m going to keep every promise I made her.

“Silas, this is… it’s beautiful. Is this all for me?”

I cup her cheek gently and lean in, my heart overflowing with happiness. This might be for her, but it’s also for me. It’s for the young me who wanted to give Alanna the world and couldn’t. It’s for the girl who loved me when I had nothing and never treated me differently. “Happy birthday,” I whisper, my lips brushing against hers. I kiss her tenderly before pulling away. She’s far too beautiful tonight, and touching her is dangerous. I’ll be tempted to lay her down underneath the tree, the breeze caressing her skin as I sink deep inside her.

Alanna chuckles as though she knows what I’m thinking, and I can’t help but smirk as I pull out her chair for her before sitting down opposite her.

Her gaze drops to the jewelry box on the table, and I nod. “Open it.”

She does as I ask, but instead of gushing over the diamond necklace I bought her, she snaps the box closed in shock. “Are you insane? Those aren’t real, are they?”

A surprised laugh escapes my lips, and I nod. “Of course they’re real, my love.”

“You’re crazy, aren’t you?”

I nod. “A little.”

“What makes you think I won’t just sell this?”

I shrug. “I’ll just buy you a new one, baby.”

She looks into my eyes with so much love in her gaze that my heart skips a beat. I know she isn’t ready to say the words, but I hear them loud and clear nonetheless.

“There’s more.”

She raises her brows, and I push an envelope toward her. Alanna takes it with trembling fingers and opens the birthday card I made for her. Yet another tradition she’s forgotten.

“Wow,” she whispers. “Did you… did you commission this?”

I smile at her and shake my head. “I drew it.”

She looks at me which such disbelief that I burst out laughing. “You don’t believe me?”

“I didn’t know you could draw. This… is this what I look like in your eyes?”

I drew a portrait of her standing in the sun, her face tipped up toward the light, a serene smile on her face. It’s what she looks like on Sunday mornings, and it’s an image so seared in my mind that I drew it from memory.

“Yes,” I tell her, “and no. You’re far more beautiful than that, Alanna. My drawing skills don’t do you justice.”

“Silas, I… I…” I lean in and watch her struggle to find the right words, even though I can see her feelings reflected in her eyes.

“Happy birthday, my love.”

She nods, her eyes filling with tears. “Thank you,” she says eventually, her voice breaking. “Thank you for letting me experience true happiness. Before you, I didn’t know what it really felt like. I thought I did, but I was wrong.”

I smile at her and nod. “This is nothing yet, baby. Every day we’re together, I’m going to do my best to make you happier than the day before.” Even if you can’t remember me, I’m going to make sure your heart always will.

I glance at the waiter, and he approaches us with our starters. This is the birthday I once promised her, and I’m so glad I got to keep my promise.





Chapter Sixty-Two





Alanna



“I’m exhausted,” I complain as Silas parks in the car lift. He rarely uses it anymore, and I think it’s because I once vaguely indicated I didn’t exactly love it. He’s thoughtful like that, picking up on little cues that not even I am fully aware of.

He tips his head back against the headrest and smiles at me as the lift moves up. “I know, baby. Not much longer left now. I used to hate being so busy at work, but having you around makes it so much bearable. I love being able to see you all day, but I still want more.”

Since the elections are coming up, the ψ division has been working non-stop, trying to prevent foreign interference, and every time we circumvent one attempt, three more are launched. It never ends. Silas, my team, and I have practically been living at the office. It feels like Si and I haven’t been able to spend a moment alone in nearly two weeks.

“More?” I suppose we haven’t been as intimate as we usually would’ve been. By the time we get home, we’re both exhausted, and I often just go to bed after dinner.

“More.”

Silas steps out of the car and walks around it to open the door for me, offering me his hand as I get out. He entwines our fingers and pulls me along, leading me to my room silently.

“I’ve had enough of this,” he tells me as he opens my wardrobe. I watch in confusion as he grabs as many of my clothes as he can before marching out of my room and straight into his. He walks into his walk-in wardrobe and puts my clothes down on one of the counters.

“I… what are you doing?”

He smirks at me. “What do you think I’m doing?”