“You have a deal, my darling.” He passes a hand through his hair, mussing the already messy blond locks. “But be warned, I won’t let you leave the bed until at least midnight. I might even handcuff you to it.”

I wriggle, smirking at him. “Oooh, threaten me with a good time, why don’t you.”

He scrubs his hair again, and I see a Band-Aid on his forearm, on the inside, near the crease of his elbow.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“What’s what?”

“The Band-Aid. Did you get hurt?”

“Oh, that. Uh, yeah, a branch caught me. No big deal.”

“Hmmm. But it was bad enough you needed a Band-Aid?”

He typically refuses to use them. Usually he just rinses cuts out with soap and water and then super-glues over them. Which, as an ICU nurse, drives me a little nuts. So a Band-Aid is weird.

“Oh, well. My tour guide insisted. She was such an earnest, sweet little thing that I couldn’t say no. She didn’t know a thing about Revolutionary War history, bless her heart, but she was trying.”

“Sweet little thing, huh?” I tease, my voice drily sarcastic.

“Oh stop. She was all of sixteen and it was her first job, and I guarantee you she got it because her mom worked in the gift shop or something.” He yawns, and then I do.

“You gave me your yawn, asshole.” I laugh.

“You work another double tomorrow?”

“Alan is insisting I take the afternoon off. So just the morning shift.”

“Good man. I’ll have to send him a bottle of whiskey or something.”

“Alan doesn’t drink. Send him some fancy tea instead.”

“Oh, the irony,” he laughs. “Buying tea as a gift while in Boston researching the Revolutionary War.”

I want to laugh, but I’m having trouble keeping my eyes open. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“I love you.” Pause. “Nadia?”

“Love you, Adrian.”

“Nadia.”

“Hmm.”

“Diamond solitaire earrings, or a sapphire pendant necklace?”

“Neither. Just you. Snuggles and kisses and lots of sex and you making me that fancy pour-over coffee.”

“Nadia.”

“Sapphire. The only diamond I own is the one on my finger, the one you put there the day you proposed. It’s the only diamond I want.” I’m asleep, mostly. My brain and my mouth haven’t quite gotten the memo, because I miss him so damn much.

“Talk to you tomorrow. Sleep good, my love.”

“You too.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.” It’s whispered, barely audible.

I feel my phone slip out of my hand and thunk onto the floor, but I’m too far asleep to care.

Magic; Lies

I wish I could say I’m not a good liar. But that would be a lie.