Dania {18+}

Chapter 22

"Why are you so nice to me?" I sobbed.

He pet my hair and pressed a kiss to my forehead, his lips brushed over the tips of my fingers that covered my eyes. He took my hands in his.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response. It's just a dress and a pair of shoes, love." His hands cupped my cheeks.

"But they even match. The red bottoms and the roses." I sniffled, bursting into another bout of tears. "You put so much thought into this."

"Baby girl, I don't even want to see your reaction when I show you the matching red stone on the necklace."

"A necklace?!" I looked up at him, my eyes were still glossy from unshed tears. My chest huffed as I struggled to catch my breath.

"I just bought a small one, since I've never seen you wearing a necklace and some matching earrings." He explained slowly as if he were delivering some bad news. He opened the velvet-covered jewelry box. "They're just Swarovski crystals, the red gems are rubies, though. I wanted to go for diamonds, but I figured you'd be overwhelmed; I just didn't anticipate you'd be so touched by the shoes and the dress." At least he drew the line somewhere.

He lifted the necklace and placed it around my neck. I could see my reflection on the screen of the TV in front of me. I shivered when his fingers brushed at the nape of my neck while fastening the clasp.

The white crystals formed a chain of flowers that went around my neck. A slightly larger flower sat at the dip above where my collar bones ended. A ruby pendant shone against the silver setting as if the rose had a single, red dewdrop falling from it. The earrings were made up of similar flowers and ruby teardrops.

"You're a dream," I whispered, my voice hoarse. The attentiveness to coordinating the colors and the amount of time and searching it must have taken him, blew me away. He did all the work so that I didn't have to worry about anything. He noticed I hated choosing what to wear since I had asked him a couple of times to just choose for me. He noticed I wasn't crazy about necklaces. He matched the shades of red. He anticipated my taste with scary accuracy. Once again, he showed me just how much attention he paid to me.

Tess and I would always joke that the bar of standards for men wasn't just low, it didn't exist. I never expected much from anyone, not from any man. But Reyn. Reyn. To me, he was the standard. He was more than I could ever dream of.

"Then I hope you never wake up so you can stay with me forever." He teased. "Go shower and put on your dress. I want to see you in it." He pulled me up and pressed a kiss to the back of my hand before pushing me towards the closet to change.

"Yes, sir," I agreed with a salute. I could hear him chuckle behind me.

The gown had an inner silk lining. It had to be the most comfortable and well-thought-out dress I had ever worn. A sartorial piece of artwork. The puffed sleeves ended just above my elbows and hung off my shoulder. I felt like I stepped out of a fairy tale. I felt as if I belonged in a castle, or maybe running along real roses in a meadow or garden somewhere. I twirled around, watching myself in the full-length mirror. The skirts lifted and twirled gracefully along with me. I laughed with delight.

"I'm guessing you like the way it looks?" Reyn shouted from outside.

I flung the door open and ran towards him, my skirts gently lifted with my hands.

"Daddy, daddy, watch this," I gushed before showing him the way my dress blossomed like a real rose with a turn. The layers of fabric separated like petals.

"Just like a real princess." His eyes trailed from tip to bottom. I didn't miss the way that they lingered at my breasts, which were thoroughly and well supported with the built-in cups stitched into the bodice. He paused to take in my right leg which was exposed by the slit as well.