“Always.”
“What are we?” I grazed my teeth against my bottom lip. “I mean, I know we are husband and wife by paper. And I know we are friends. But are we just friends with benefits, or are we… more than that?”
I lowered my head, feeling a bit embarrassed by the question.
“Stella...” He placed his finger beneath my chin and raised my head. “You have no clue how long I’ve wanted to be more than with you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I just assumed I shouldn’t bring it up since you had your situation with Jeff that just ended. But… that’s all I want. All I want is you. All of you. Your body and your soul.”
My cheeks hurt as I smiled so hard. “Me too.” So much me too.
“It’s always nice when it’s a mutual thing,” he joked.
“Makes it a bit easier,” I agreed.
He grew a bit bashful and shifted us in the chair. “I’ve never had a girlfriend.”
“Well, lucky for you, you’ve had a wife, and rumor has it you’ve been the best husband ever.”
He laughed, and I loved the sound. “Is that so?”
“Yes. Your wife told me.”
“She’s pretty amazing.”
I shrugged. “You should wait to see what she got you for Christmas. You’ll probably really adore her.”
He kissed me.
I loved it.
“This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had,” he swore, holding me close to his body. I turned so I was facing him, straddling him in the chair. My arms wrapped around his neck, and I held him close. “Is that so?”
“It is. I can’t even think of what you could’ve gotten me as a gift that’s better than you.”
I laughed. “You’re starting to sound like a romantic comedy, sir.”
“The Stella effect.” He chuckled, giving me more ocean kisses. “I’ve been hanging around you too much.”
“Do you want your gift now? I have to have Grams bring it over from the guesthouse but knowing Grams, I’m certain she’s up already awake.”
“That’s great. Then I can give her the gift I got her,” he mentioned.
My heart swooned. He bought Grams a gift, too?
Did he know it? Did he know he was such a good person?
After getting dressed, we called Grams over, and she came carrying gifts for both Damian and me.
“Merry Christmas!” she remarked, coming in wearing a grin from ear to ear. We all exchanged hugs and greetings before heading to the living room to open Grams’s gifts to us, and she opened ours.
“New tarot cards?” she observed as she opened Damian’s gift set. It had crystals and magic spell books along with sage and tea. “This is amazing.”
“I have no clue what any of that stuff is, but I figured it reminded me of you.”
“You know me well,” she commented.
I couldn’t help but laugh as the two hugged. I then handed Grams her gift from me.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“You’ll see. Open it,” I replied.
She did as I said and laughed as she pulled out the same deck of tarot cards that Damian had given her. “You two didn’t know you got me the same cards?”
“Not at all,” I told her.
“Kindred spirits,” she said, smiling toward the both of us. “Your souls must be entangled.”
I smiled toward Damian, and he smiled toward me.
Grams grinned and clapped her hands together. “I knew it.”
“Knew what?” I asked.
She gestured toward Damian and me. “This.”
I blushed and didn’t say anything to her comment, but she didn’t go into more detail about her discovery. She simply handed out our gifts. She handed them out to us each. She’d given me a set
of new paintbrushes and art supplies, which was exactly what I needed. Damian’s gift was extra special. He grabbed the package and opened it.
It was one of Kevin’s most prized possessions—his favorite camera that he used for his photography.
“He asked me to give it to you,” Grams said. “He said you’d take good care of it. He also mentioned how he wished he could’ve seen your work shine.”
Damian’s eyes filled with emotion as he held something from the father he was never able to meet. He cleared his throat and tried to pull himself together. “Thank you, Maple.”
“It was his favorite,” I told him. He took his greatest works of art with that camera.
“I’ll treasure it,” he said, trying to shake off his nerves.
“Okay, while I’d love to get emotional with you both, Stella’s gift for you is waiting on the front porch, and it shouldn’t be out there for too long. So, I’m going to head home and allow you two to exchange gifts.” Grams stood from the table and gave me a hug along with ocean kisses, then she embraced Damian. After their hug, she placed her hands against his cheeks. “You are good.”
That made my eyes glass over.
After she left, I took a deep breath and clapped my hands. “Are you ready?”
“I think so.”
“Okay, follow me to the front porch.”
Before we stepped outside, I stopped in front of the door. “I feel like I should preface this by saying I think you deserve the world, Damian. You’re an amazing human being, and it breaks my heart to know that the world has hurt you. So, I thought I’d get you something that was taken from you. Even though it’s not the same, I hope you feel the love.” I sighed, feeling my nerves skyrocketing, overthinking the gift.
“Whatever it is, it’ll be more than enough.”
I sure hoped so.
Stepping to the side, I let him walk onto the porch. I followed closely behind him, feeling knots in my stomach with nerves.
When his eyes met the gift, it was clear what it had been. A cage sat on the porch with a huge bow sitting on top. Inside the cage was a golden retriever puppy, the same kind Damian had for a short period of time when he was a child.
I couldn’t read his reaction. He stepped toward it with his back to me, and he didn’t say a word. He then walked toward the balcony and looked out into the distance, not going to the puppy. My heart dropped as I watched his hands grip the railing. He stayed quiet for a few moments too long, making my nerves skyrocket throughout my system.
“I’m sorry,” I shot out, feeling as if I’d made the worst mistake. “I just remembered you telling me the story about the Christmas puppy when you were a kid and how you lost it after you moved into another home. And I thought…oh gosh. This was an awful idea, and I’m so sorry if—”
“Stella,” he whispered, his back still toward me. My heart sat in my throat as he paused. He slowly turned toward me, and tears were streaming down his cheeks. I’d seen Damian on the verge of tears before, merely moments ago when Grams gave him his gift from Kevin, but I’d never actually seen him release said emotions.
He cleared his throat and crossed his arms, sniffling as he grew overwhelmed. “He’s mine?” he asked, his voice low and trembling.
“Forever,” I told him. “If you’ll have him.”
He glanced toward the cage and then back at me. “Can I?” he asked.
I laughed. “Based on how he’s wagging his tail, I think he’d like that.”
Damian walked over to the dog and opened the door.
“His name is Milo,” I told him. “He’s two years old and grew up in not the best environment. His owners were abusive, and he’d been moved around from house to house many times because they said he couldn’t be trained, but I didn’t believe that. They were considering putting him down, actually, but when I saw him, I felt it in my soul that he was yours.”
“And I am his,” he quietly stated.
Damian’s tears kept falling as the nervous dog began walking out of the cage toward him. He rubbed up against Damian’s leg and then allowed Damian to pick him up. Milo rested his head against Damian’s shoulder and cuddled into him as if they were always m
eant to be together.
“Thank you, Stella,” Damian said, looking my way. “For believing he deserved another chance. For believing I did, too.”
I moved over to him and wiped his tears away. “Merry Christmas, Damian.”
“I’m falling for you,” he replied, the words somersaulting off his tongue. “Sorry.” He grimaced. Then he paused and shook his head. “Wait, no. I’m not sorry. I’m happy to know you, and I’m lucky to be around you. You’re ridiculous and kind, and I am falling for you. You’re beautiful and funny, and I am falling for you. You’re my first thought in the morning and the last one at night, and I am falling for you. Stella…” He held Milo in one arm and gently caressed my cheek with his other hand. “I am falling for you.”
“I—”
“Wait.” He cleared his throat. “You don’t have to say anything back, just because I said it to you. You can wait. I know you got out of a relationship not that long ago, and I never want to pressure anyone to say any type of words to me and—”
“I’m not falling for you.” I took his free hand into mine. “I already completely fell.”
He pressed his forehead to mine and closed his eyes. “I didn’t know I could have this.”
“Have what?”
“You.”
My heart swooned in ways I didn’t know hearts could swoon.
“And Milo is ours?” he murmured as if he was still unsure if his new companion was real.
Ours.
Us.
We.
Cinderstella and the Beast.
“Yes,” I replied.
He kissed me, and his lips tasted a bit like dreams coming true.
“Can I show you my gift for you now?” he asked me.
“Yes.”
“Okay, but you need to put some shoes on, and I have to drive us there.”
I sat back, a bit shocked. “You’re going to drive?”
He smirked and cleared his throat. “I might have gotten my driver’s license a few days ago.”
“Damian! No, you didn’t!” I playfully slapped his arm.
He laughed. “Don’t cry.”
“I won’t.”
“You are.”
“I know.” I laughed, wiping my tears. “I’m so proud of you.”
He kept snickering, shaking his head toward me. “Let’s go. Milo can ride in your lap.”
After driving for about fifteen minutes he pulled up to a property.
He parked the car—with amazing driving skills, might I add—and looked up at the building. “I found this while I was showing a few clients some real estate properties. When I investigated it, I knew it was meant for you.”
“What do you mean it’s meant for me?”
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a key, and he placed it in my hand. “I bought you an art studio.”
My heart.
It flipped.
It twisted.
It soared.
“You what?”
“I mean, if you hate it—”
“You what?!” I exclaimed again, stunned by his words. “You bought me an art studio?!”
“Yeah. I know you don’t have as much space to work and figured since you’ll probably be doing a lot more commissions since your gallery show, you’d need the space to make it happen.”
“Damian.”
“Yes?”
“I adore you.”
He laughed and lifted Milo from his lap. “You haven’t even seen it yet. You might hate it.”
“There is literally no way in which I would ever hate this.” I started getting giddy and rubbing my hands. “Can we go look at it?”
“Of course.”
We headed inside, and right as I turned the doorknob, my heart got caught in my throat. It was beautiful, with so much natural light shining through the space. It was all painted white with floor-to-ceiling windows and had different stations where I could set up my supplies.
“It’s over three thousand square feet, and I figured you can have your own showcases here to display your artwork. You can have your fancy galas with your this-time-priced-correctly pieces. I made you a few business cards, too, over here. If you hate the design, you can change it, of course, but—”
I cut him off with my lips on his. He placed Milo down and then he pulled me into a hug.
“You like it?”
“I love it. I don’t deserve this.”
“You deserve everything good in this world, Stella.”
And just like that, the love for this man deepened within my soul.
After spending some time in the studio—my studio—we headed back home. Milo spent most of the day cuddled up between Damian and me. When nightfall came, we put Milo to bed and walked out toward the ocean.
Damian held my hand as we allowed the water to wash over our toes. In my mind, I thanked Kevin for bringing Damian into my life. Quietly, I told Mama how good it felt to be happy for maybe the first time in a long time.
I didn’t even have to wonder anymore if Damian felt the same way about me because every time he touched me, I knew.
We made love on Christmas morning and made love in the sand on Christmas night.
26
Stella
* * *
A few days after Christmas, I was still on a high from the holiday. Milo and Damian were inseparable, and every time I saw them together, my heart would soar. I spent the morning getting everything organized for my studio. I sat at my computer, making lists of things I’d need and deciding how I’d set up the space. There were so many possibilities for how the studio could be used, and I was more than excited to explore them all.
As I was sitting at my computer, I gasped when an email popped up. Followed by another. And another.
A flood of commissions began to hit my inbox, and I felt an overwhelming sense of excitement. “Oh my goodness,” I muttered. I rushed from the living room to see Damian, and without any lead-up, I shouted, “Five!”
He raised an eyebrow from his own work. “Five?”
“Sorry. Excited. I mean, firstly, before I explode, hi, how are you? How was your day?” I asked, trying to control my excitement.
He snickered a little. “Good and good. Now, tell me your news before you explode.”
“I got five commission pieces to do!” I did a little jig and clapped my heels together as I jumped.
His eyes widened in shock as he stood from his desk. “Holy shit, that’s amazing!”
“I know. I mean, I just put up my website, and I hardly promote it on social media. So I’m just blown away that it’s even happening.”
“You’re amazing. It’s not shocking that people are taking note of it.”
I felt my cheeks heat a little as they always did whenever Damian paid me a compliment. “I know it’s not a lot. I mean, people probably get a lot more projects than that and—”
“No.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, no?”
“I mean, no, we aren’t going to do this.”
“Do what?”
“Diminish your excitement about how big of an accomplishment this is.” He walked around his desk, then he sat on the edge of it and crossed his arms as he looked at me. “We should celebrate tonight. Let me take you out to dinner.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s not that big of a deal. Plus, I heard you talking on the phone about how much work you must complete. Sorry, I shouldn’t have even crashed into your office, knowing your work schedule has been crazy.”
“Yes, it has. And yes, I’m busy, but never too busy for you. And yes, I’m taking you out to dinner tonight.”
I smiled. “You really don’t have to, Damian. Sorry. My excitement got the best of me.”
He eyed me up and down, and a tiny smile found his lips before he looked down at his wooden floors and then walked over to me. He rubbed his hands up and down my arms. “Be ready at eight. I’ll make reservations.”
“Damian—”
&nb
sp; “I’m so fucking proud of you.”
Six words.
Six heart skips.
Six seconds before my eyes filled with tears.
I couldn’t remember the last time a man said he was proud of me, outside of Kevin.
“Thank you,” I choked out.
“Always,” he replied.
I turned to let him get back to his work, but he called after me. “Stella, wait.”
“Yes?”
He brushed his thumb against his nose and leaned back in his chair. His lips curved up into the smile I was falling in love with, and he said, “Hi there.”
Butterflies. So many butterflies as I bashfully replied, “Hello.”
27
Damian
* * *
December was the month of discovering happiness, and January was the month of lovemaking.
That was it.
That was the month’s recap.
In the living room, on the kitchen countertop, on the beach, in the shower. Every inch of that house had Stella’s body pressed against mine. Each time I made love to her, I swore it felt as if she was promising me forever.
I hope she felt the promises I was silently making, too.
I never had forever, but now all I wanted was it with her.
She began working at her studio in the evenings, and I couldn’t have been happier for her. Some days, I’d take my laptop to the studio to work on my projects because I loved being able to watch her in her element. We hardly talked on those nights, but just being around her made the visits worth it.
Milo was beyond the perfect companion for me. When I looked at him each day, it blew my mind that anyone could’ve hurt the sweet guy or even thought about ending his life because he was a bit difficult to train.
He and I had a lot in common. We’d both been burned, but somehow, we managed to let love in again. I blamed Stella for that ability—finding the saddest souls and reminding them what love looked like, felt like.
Stella and I kept our conversations growing, too. On a Sunday morning, we lay in bed with one another after yet another round of sex, and I held her in my arms. I’d sometimes notice that even though she was comfortable with me and my hands against her body, she still seemed to have a bit of discomfort with herself.
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