𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 | 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐬.

Chapter thirty two.

Hardin

Tessa quickly changed into jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt when I told her to dress casual and warm. She packed an overnight bag at my request and bounced down the stairs, the smile on her face evidence of how happy she was. I loved seeing that light shine in her eyes.

"Ready!" she said. "Now, will you tell me where we're going?"

"Nope."

She playfully slapped me on the arm. "Brat. Why won't you tell me your plan?"

"Because it's a surprise. Tess, I thought you loved surprises."

Laughing, Tessa nodded. "I do!"

Taking her bag out of her hands, I winked. "All right, then let's get the show on the road."

First place on my lists of stops was the new store Tessa talked about checking out every time we passed it. Pulling up in front of the store, I parked. She instantly got excited.

"Oh, Hardin! You brought me to the new little store! I've been dying to go in and see if I could find something for Chloe's room. It's so bare, and I was thinking we could redecorate it for Christmas."

I stilled, my heart pounding in my chest. This woman never ceased to amaze me. She never thought about herself, always others, and the fact that she was thinking about Chloe and making her happy made me fall in love with her even more. I didn't think it would be possible to love her any harder, but she kept proving me wrong.

Tessa's smile faded as she looked at me. "I mean, if you'd rather have Emmeline or your mom plan something I totally understand."

Her words jerked me back to reality. "What? No! I want you to do what you want to the house. To Chloe's room. She'd love it if you decorated it."

The corners of her mouth rose again. "Okay, you worried me when you went still."

I took her hand and brought it to my lips. Kissing it gently, I said, "You amaze me. That's all."

Her eyes shined bright with happiness.

"Let's go shopping," I said, kissing her hand once more.

Two hours later I was walking out of the store with my arms loaded with bags.

"I can't believe we found all that stuff!" Tessa said with a fist pump. She opened the back door of my truck, and I started piling the bags on the seat.

"I can't believe we were in that store for two hours," I groaned then sighed.

Her hand moved across my back, causing my body to come to life. With a blushing expression, she uttered, "I promise I'll make it up to you later."

Turning to her, I grinned. "Want to shop some more?"

She laughed and lifted on her tiptoes to kiss me. After a quick peek, she asked, "Now what?"

"Now we head to the next location."

Tess placed her hands on her hips and frowned. She looked so damn cute I had to fight the urge to take her into my arms and dry hump her.