The thank-you gift just got a little more expensive. I hadn’t even realized they would make the place so nice for us.

Jake walked over to the window, hands in his pockets as he took in the view. I came up behind him, wrapping an arm around his waist and resting my head on his shoulder. Even though we were an hour and a half away from home, it felt like we had never left. Home for me was no longer a singular roof over my head but instead the heart that beat next to me, Jake‘s solid presence making me feel safe and comfortable.

“This is beautiful.”

I looked up into Jake’s glittering eyes. “It really is.”

He caught my smile, pressing his lips against mine, the smile spreading.

“Are you ready to host the club tonight?” I asked, my hand sliding under his shirt and rubbing on his lower back, fingers tracing the two columns of muscle that created a small dip leading down to his butt.

“I am,” he said, kissing me again. “I’ve got my talking points ready, questions written down, and drinking game set.”

“Awesome.” I kissed him again, the temperature in the room slowly rising. But before we got too carried away, I wanted to give Jake a gift I’d been holding on to for a couple of weeks. Now finally felt like the right time to give it to him. I slipped away from his grip and went over to my backpack, unzipping it and taking out a long, wrapped rectangular item. Jake watched me with suspicion creeping into his gaze, brows inching closer and closer together.

“Okay, so I ordered this a few weeks ago, but that’s when I got the text and everything went to shit, sooo I held off on giving it to you. But I’ve got a really good feeling about this weekend and think it’s the perfect time.” I held it out, Jake grabbing it in both hands, the navy blue wrapping paper crinkling in his hands.

“A gift for what?”

“For being so amazing,” I said. “My love language is gifts. Just take it.”

Jake chuckled, starting to open it from one of the corners. “You really didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I know, but I wanted to.”

His toothy grin was contagious. He stopped being delicate with the wrapping paper and tore off a shred of it, the rest falling down to the floor. He looked at the blank board of wood he held in his hands, slightly confused.

“Turn it around,” I said, holding my breath for his reaction.