Free Dreaming of Love by Melissa Foster

though I’m a big girl and know how to protect myself against pregnancy.”
    He pressed his hands to her cheeks again and kissed her again, nearly pushing her hesitation out of the way completely.
    “So do I, but that’s not the point. There’s more than one way to hurt a person. Sometimes the worst pain comes from things you can’t see. It’s not about pregnancies. It’s about what’s in here.” He placed his hand above her left breast, covering her heart, and it made her pulse speed up even more. “Let’s see what tomorrow brings.”
    Tomorrow . “I promised you tomorrow, didn’t I?” I’m so glad we have tomorrow. I want a lot of tomorrows with you.
    “Yes, and I intend to take full advantage of every minute.”
    “Promises, promises.” She smiled to let him know she was teasing. Sort of.
    “There are two things I never do. The first is break a promise. The second is the wrong thing.”
    “That’s impossible. Everyone does the wrong thing at some point in their lives.”
    “Not if I can help it.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “ Buonanotte bella. Lo sogno di voi .” He dropped her hand and bowed before walking away slowly.
    “You lost me after good night, beautiful .”
    “Sleep well. I shall dream of you.”
    She had the urge to run to him and leap into his arms, but her legs wouldn’t move. She was swept up in the essence of him. If she moved, she’d surely fall.
    He blew her a kiss as he unlocked his door. “Good night, sweet Emily.”
    “Good night, Dae.”
    She unlocked her door and willed herself to step inside. After closing her door behind her, she leaned against it and closed her eyes. What a day! What a night! What a kiss! She tried to calm her racing heart, but even breathing deeply didn’t lessen the excitement she felt.
    She opened her eyes with a dreamy sigh and turned on the lights. Her keys and purse dropped to the floor at the sight of vases and planters filled with beautiful, vibrant red poppies. They covered the dresser, the bedside table, and from where she stood, she saw that there were planters in the bathroom as well. Nothing was left undecorated. Rustic, heavy planters lined the floor by the glass doors that led to the balcony, spilling over with bright red blooms. Emily’s eyes filled with tears as they swept over the petal-covered bedspread, where a white envelope sat nestled on her pillow.
    “Dae,” she whispered. She reached for the card and opened it carefully, wondering when he’d had time to ask Adelina to help him pull this off. She realized that he couldn’t have written the note, but she didn’t care. It was his voice she heard as she read the words.
     
    My sweet Emily,
    It was the light in your eyes that first attracted me to you last night, but it was the energy radiating from you that drew me closer. And it was you, Em, who kept me there. Thank you for the wonderful day. I can’t wait to spend tomorrow with you.
    —Possibly yours, Dae
     
    Emily fell back on the bed, clasping the card to her chest. She squealed and kicked her feet up and down with glee, then bolted upright. He was right beyond that wall. She could bang on his door and thank him. She should do that. She wanted to do that. But he’d given no indication that he’d planned anything like this. Maybe he didn’t want her to say thank you.
    Well, then, what could she do? What might he want? She stared at the wall that separated them and smiled. Dae Bray, you are so impossibly wonderful.
    She remembered that he had texted her the pictures from earlier. Perfect! She snagged her purse from the floor and dug her phone out. She had several missed texts. She scrolled through them. Daisy. Wes. Elisabeth. Callie. Luke. Ross. Rebecca. Pierce. Jake. And finally, Dae. She rolled her eyes, surprised her mother hadn’t texted, too. Daisy must have told someone about Dae, which must have sent the Braden grapevine into motion. She wondered how loud the buzz was around Trusty, where