He laughed. “Oh, come on. Even you would know you should give something to your sweetie on Valentine’s. I mean, my God, they call it Valentine’s Day. You should have at least gotten her a valentine.”

“What did you get Jai?”

“Well, that’s more complicated. Since it’s also our anniversary, I had to go a bit bigger than I might normally. My friend Rita does these really beautiful paper cutouts. First-anniversary presents are traditionally paper, so I commissioned a piece from her. I went back and forth with the subject but decided on cats, since he’s such a cat nut. The cats are at Pemberley—you know, Mr. Darcy’s place?—having tea. He’s going to love it.”

She was struck by his confidence. She’d bought Maddie two major presents so far—one for her birthday and one for Christmas—and both times she’d triple-guessed herself to the point that the entire experience of giving the gifts to her had been ruined. Maddie had claimed to like both, but she hadn’t and still didn’t believe her. Apparently gift-giving wasn’t one of Ryann’s strong suits.

“What can I buy last-minute?” she asked.

He laughed. “You mean, like now? Here, in the car, five minutes from seeing her?”

“I have my phone. I could have something overnighted and show her a picture now.”

He tapped the steering wheel. “Uh, you could book a romantic getaway. You know her schedule pretty well, so being spontaneous shouldn’t be a problem. Or you could—”

“No, no—I don’t need more choices. That’s a good one. Where and how long?”

“She really loves Glenwood Springs and Estes Park. Either would be easy, since the two of you could just leave after work sometime. Drive there on a Friday after her studio hours and come back on a Sunday. That way, no one needs to take any time off.”

“Done,” she said, two minutes later, just as they pulled into a parking spot.

He laughed. “You’re ridiculous. You know that?”

Her stomach dropped, and she stared out the window, fighting tears. They sat there in silence for a long time before he touched the back of her hand, appearing a little guilty.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to make you feel inadequate.”

She laughed, weakly, brushing at her eyes. “No—you’re right. I am ridiculous. I don’t even know how to buy a present for the woman I love.”

He squeezed her hand. “Hey. Stop that. She knows you love her even without a present. I mean, Jesus, you basically gave your former life away to be with her. She damn well better appreciate that, if nothing else. You have a few years to get better at gift-giving with that sacrifice in your pocket.”

She laughed and squeezed his arm. “Thanks. I needed that.”