to live for the hope of it all.

Chapter 52

February 14th, 2024

"So when I hold her close, I might loosen my grip,
But I won't ever let her go,
I won't ever let her go..."

Bailey

"What's got you in such a dopey mood?" Grandpa Matt asked as I spun around the table to collect my homework from the night before.

"You'll laugh at me," I said, cheeks turning as pink as the sweater I picked out today.

Cliche, I know.

"Try me," he said.

"It's just uh, my first Valentine's Day with Beckett."

"Bailey," he laughs softly. "That's next week hon."

"What?" I laughed, because he looked completely serious. "It's today, Grandpa Matt."

His brows furrowed as I pulled out my phone to show him, and then he frowned.

"Are you okay?" I asked, watching his lost face nervously.

"Yeah," he coughed, but his eyes told a different story. "I think I'm coming down with something, so I'm gonna head back to bed."

"Do you need anything?"

"No, Bay," he smiled softly, kissing my forehead and heading down the hall to his bedroom. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

Huh. Okay then.

Grabbing my bag, I ran outside to meet Beckett by his truck. He had texted me to be ready by 7 today so he could take me to breakfast, and I beamed when I read it.

Beckett stood with the passenger side open, and flowers in his hand. But not just any flowers, origami paper tulips, all different colors. I laughed when I reached him, smiling as I kissed him.

"We're already a cliche," he laughed. "Figured I'd keep the trope going."

"Trope? Where'd you learn that word?" I questioned, taking the flowers and admiring them as he closed the door behind me before getting in on the other side.

"That Lynn Painter book on your shelf."

He went through my shelf?

"What?" I asked, alarmed.

"Yeah last week when you were changing, I was just flipping through it and saw you annotated the part where Wes says it to Liz," he paused, smiling cheekily when he saw the blush forming on my face. "I might have to read that one."

Oh god.

He'd read the annotations to Better Than The Movies.

I wrote his name in that book.

This is mortifying.

"Did you ever read my letter?" He asked, interlacing our fingers as he drove. "In the back of Happy Place?"

I'm the worst girlfriend ever.

"I haven't," I admitted. "I'm sorry, I, uh, I should have read it on Christmas. But we were on the outs and I was nervous you'd changed your mind, so I left it in my suitcase. Then I forgot about it later, I'm sorry."

"Hey," he laughed. "It's okay, I was just wondering. You should read it, today maybe."

"I will," I promise, squeezing his hand. "As soon as I get home."

__________________________________

Beckett ended up taking me to Lucy's for breakfast, and his attention was on me the entire time. It was a little nerve wracking, but I loved it.