Perpetual Devotion (Book 4 in the Original BOC Series) ✔

Chapter Thirty-Two

"What's that?"

The tug on the corner of his lips curled into a grin at her bright-eyed curiosity. Max lowered a brow, watching Darla pry her fingers from being weaved with his, and stepped around to stand facing him instead. Her opal eyes stared at the square shaped, worn-cornered black box held in his hand when he pulled it from the knothole in the tree trunk.

Darla glanced up at him, falling her gaze on the box again as she stepped closer.

She bit her lip, raising her shoulders and smiled, "Is that for me?"

She gasped happily at Max's curt nod, holding the box towards her. Her fingers took it, hugging it to her chest and whipped around to run over to the wooden swing.

Max followed at a much calmer, less-exciting pace and walked around to stand in front of her with his arms crossed. His focus was on Darla staring down at the box resting in her lap, her fingers running down the black cover.

She lifted her head, smiling up at him, "What'd you get me?"

Max rolled his eyes, dropping his arms at his sides and motioned at the box while pointing out that she had to open it to find out. He sighed heavily, letting his head roll back with the sunlight hitting his handsome face when Darla asked why he got her a present to begin with.

"Good fuckin' Lord, woman! Just open it! What does it matter why I got it?"

Darla lowered a brow, pursing her lips to the side and shrugged, "It matters to me, Maxie, because I didn't get you anything."

"Sigh..."

His opal eyed beauty batted her eyes, raising her shoulders and pleaded for him to tell her the reason behind the gift. Then she sweetly threatened that she wouldn't open it until he did, but Max retorted that she didn't have to if she didn't want to, that it was her loss.

"Oh, Max! Why can't you just tell me?" she frowned, staring up at his hardened expression.

He squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a long breath. He lowered into a squat in front of her, meeting her offended gaze and Max shook his head, lifting his hand up to the side of her face. Darla didn't pull away from his touch, instead leaning into it, and waited for him to say something.

"If you open it," he suddenly spoke, raising a brow. "I'll tell you why."

Darla beamed, nodding and looked down at the box in her lap. Her blonde hero dropped his hand from her face, and sat down on the grass with his forearm resting on his propped up knee. His brown eyes stared longingly at the excited girl untying the weirdly tied gray ribbon.

She left the ribbon on her lap, using her fingers to take hold of the box's cover and slide it off. Darla's eyes blinked, her smile faded as she stared at the content inside. She glanced up at Max's boyish grin before she dropped the cover and the ribbon off to the side, then reached into the box.

Holding up her palm in front of her, Darla used her other hand's fingers to lightly caress one of the pale hued feathered wings. There was a slight honey tint arching down to the middle part sitting between the wings, and they were attached to a golden piece holding the entire thing together.

Darla lifted her palm up, tilting her head to peer underneath the wings without touching it; oblivious to the amused look she was getting from Max. She used the tip of her finger to lift the wing slowly and made it tilt onto its side, revealing that the golden piece was actually a clip.

Her eyes widened when they met Max's brown ones, her lips parting as she whispered, "It's... It's a butterfly clip!"

Max laughed, nodding as he sat up and took the butterfly out of her hand and motioned her closer. Darla stared at him in awe while he was busy using one hand to hold back the side of her hair and used the other, with the butterfly, to pin it in place. She sat back, her fingers placing a gentle touch to the clip. A smile painted across her lips, meeting Max's eyes once again.