"They're beautiful. Thank you, Dad. What kind of flower is this?" I asked. He grinned proudly."Roses are traditionally associated with love but these roses will bring great happiness." He explained. I gasped and stared at him in shock. How could he have known that these were going to bring me great happiness? How could he possibly know? "Why would you do this for me? Do you realize what these cost?" I asked incredulously. My dad smiled sheepishly at me."I made these myself. Your mother used to grow these all the time so I thought I might as well give you some of her prized possessions." He explained. I smiled at him gratefully. "Please keep them safe, Claire. I promise you, no harm shall ever come to them. You'll see." He reassured me. I nodded and hugged him tightly."Thank you! Now I need to go shower, because if I don't, I won't be able to sleep properly tonight." I said apologetically. My father chuckled loudly."Of course! Go take your time dear. I'll call you once I'm finish

There were some very nice dresses that he would love to try on. He wondered if Claire would let him pick something out for her. The last time she wore something that expensive was when they were in college. He sighed to himself, knowing that this was probably the most expensive dress she owned.After the sales associate handed her the bag, she paid and thanked them before making her way back outside. They had gone to the same high school, so they were practically attached at the hip. She hadn't dated anyone since, though. After graduation she decided to focus on her degree and Jake stayed single until recently. He was happy for her. For the past four years, Jake had been a proud father of three children. One of whom he had named after Claire's mother, Rose, who was murdered by the man she called a father."What are you thinking about?" Claire questioned, noticing that he was deep in thought.Jake snapped back to reality and grinned. "Nothing. Just wondering where to take you for dinn

"Are you hungry?" he asked. "Want me to make us breakfast?"Her eyes shot open at his question and she gave him a quick nod before pulling away slightly to sit up, propping herself up on her elbows."I think I should cook something," he added. "You should also take a shower and maybe try to get some more sleep."She groaned softly. "What kind of a guest am I? Don't you think I should be helping you with anything? I mean... I don't exactly live here.""You live here just fine, Claire," he said, placing a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. "It doesn't matter where you live or who takes care of you. That's what you're my wife now. No matter what happens, you'll always have a place in my heart.""Then... I guess cooking breakfast is the least I could do.""Sounds like a plan," he said with a smile. He reached down and removed one of her legs, moving it to the side of the bed. He sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "Come on," he said as he stretched out his hand to help he

The silence between them was comfortable and they both didn't seem to mind. They had become quite close over the past few days and they had developed some sort of trust with each other that they didn't previously have. For example, whenever they met in public Jake always paid attention to her and made sure that she was okay, whether she wanted him to or not. Sometimes they would walk around Milan together, sometimes he would take her out on romantic walks along the coast, sometimes they would make plans to get together to have fun at the beach. The only thing that was missing was his presence at her side. But as long as he was nearby Claire didn't mind spending time with him. However, when he wasn't by her side, she became incredibly nervous and uneasy. Whenever she had to endure his presence, she felt guilty. She knew that she shouldn't have allowed herself to develop an attraction to him but she couldn't help it. When he looked at her or spoke to her she was unable to concentrat

She opened her eyes again after a short while. She turned her head to glance at him. She couldn't believe it. He was still staring at the water, lost in thought.A warm feeling spread throughout her body. He was beautiful. Even though the sun was shining brightly upon him, his dark skin was perfectly shaded by the rays of sunlight and glistened beautifully. His hair, which fell across his face, was slightly damp due to the salty air. She wanted to run her hand through his hair and comb her fingers through his hair, running her fingers through his thick dark locks, causing his hair to stand up wildly. His lips were slightly parted, showing off those perfect pink, puffy lips she loved kissing so much. His jawline was sharp, but not masculine. It gave him a feminine look, making it seem as though he had more curves than muscular. Her eyes traveled downward, admiring the muscles that filled his abdomen and chest. She could just imagine the feel of them beneath her hands. She licked her