Us.

Chapter 25: Hearts

Claire's P.O.V. (The next day)

Braden's heart has kept me asleep all night, and I've never slept better. I open my eyes and look up and see Braden with his beautiful eyes closed. Every breath he takes softens his face even more, and he just looks like he is happy. I begin to get up, but Braden's arms are around me. I carefully take them off and carefully stand up. He moves his head a little bit, but that is all he does.

I go into the bathroom and take his shirt off and put on my green sweatshirt instead. I go back out and carefully place his shirt beside him. I then quietly grab my bag and go to the kitchen. I rummage through it and find Braden's present under all of my underwear and bras. Braden wouldn't dare go look under those. I pull out the wrapped present along with the shirt he was wearing when my stitches opened, or whatever. I place the shirt on the counter and the rectangle present on top of it. I go into the walk I pantry and find the stuff to make Braden's favorite breakfast.

Today is going to be all about Braden. He has spent so much time caring for me, worrying about me, and he hasn't had a day to be just his in a long time.

I go back out of the pantry and start making waffles. But these aren't just ordinary waffles. These are Peter Foster's Waffles of Wonder! It's just my dad's waffle recipe but it's still good. I make the waffles, but they stay warm for a very long time, so they should be warm when Braden wakes up. I quickly realize I forgot the key chain in my bag.

I quietly go back into the room and go to my bag and pull the small box out of the front pocket. I turn around to walk out and my eyes stop on Braden. He is laying on his back now, his chest rising and falling. I smile and quietly walk over to him and pull the blankets farther up so it's resting on his shoulders. I lean down and gently kiss his forehead. I then quietly walk out and sit on the counter facing the room so I can wait for him.

***1 hour later***

It's been an hour and I check the clock and it says 10:24. I realize the waffles are probably cold by now. So I make more. As I place the last waffle on the stack then I feel Braden's arms wrap around my torso.

"That smells amazing." He says. I turn around with his arms still around me and I put my hands on his chest.

"Happy birthday." I say quietly because he is right in front of me. I wrap my arms around his waist.

"That was pathetic." He says, imitating me.

"What was?" I ask.

"That. You call that a 'happy birthday'?" He asks.

I unwrap myself and jump up on the counter and spread my arms out wide, jut my hip out, smile, shake my hands, and scream. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRADEN!"

"That was more like it." He says.

I hold my position and Braden gives me a strange look. "Don't look at me like that, I know I'm weird." I say proudly. He gives me a small smile and I drop my arms by my side.

"Can you come here? You're driving me crazy." He says. I smirk and sit down on the edge of the counter and Braden comes over to me. He put his hands on my lower back and I put my arms on his shoulders.

"Saying I love you to the moon and back is an understatement. Think of the longest distance you can imagine and multiply it by a million, and that would still be too small. I would do anything for you without a hesitation. You have absolutely no idea how much you mean to me, and you also have no idea how much I love you." I say with a smile.

"I feel the exact same way, but I love you even more." He says.

"Not possible." I say, taking my right arm off of him and grab his present. He backs away a little bit. He picks up the shirt and laughs, and so do I.