A/N: This is another multi-chapter fic. Charles surprises Liza with a new gift every day for a week. Ensuing chapters will cover her 'cashing in' her gift vouchers. HUGE thanks to oc7ober for all of her fabulous ideas for this and my other stories. You may not be a writer but you're a fantastic reader and I truly appreciate all of your ideas, they keep me writing :)
Charles walked through the front door very glad his day was finally over. The past few weeks had been hectic and he felt like they'd been going nonstop. He noticed the downstairs was quiet so he assumed all of his 'girls' were upstairs. He padded up the stairs and found them in Bianca's room reading a story. The girls snuggled up on either side of Liza.
"The Prince made sure the Princess knew just how much he loved her. He never wanted her to forget how special she was to him. So everyday for the next seven days he brought her a gift…"
Charles stood in the doorway watching the beautiful sight before him. He listened to Liza's words and realized that in the craziness of the last few weeks that they hadn't been able to go on their usual weekly date night. Charles never wanted Liza to feel like he was taking her for granted. She loved his girls as if they were her own, but he didn't want her to think he was with her just so she could help with the girls. If his failed marriage taught him anything, it was that you had to say what you felt, not just assume your partner already knew.
I need more details
More texts, calls, and emails
Be more specific
Yes, I'm here to listen
I know I'm needy
But tell me you need me
No don't be afraid, babe
C'mon, explain
If you love me, love me, love me like you say
Darling, tell me all the ways
Tell me all the ways
As she finished the story he was struck with an idea. He'd put his plan into action Monday morning. It was at this moment that Bianca noticed her father standing in the doorway.
"Daddy!" She squealed as she ran up and threw her arms around him.
"Hey, how are all my girls doing this evening?" he asked, giving Bianca and Nicole a hug.
"We're great daddy. Liza was just reading us a new story about the most beautiful princess," Bianca told her father.
The girls spent the next 20 minutes telling their father all about their day at school. After, they brushed their teeth and Charles tucked them in.
When he was finished, he found Liza in her favorite spot, reading a manuscript on the couch in his study. He poured two glasses of scotch before taking a seat next to her. She accepted the offered glass with a big smile on her face.
"How was the meeting?"
"Dull." he said with a chuckle.
"Spreadsheets and accounting data have never really been my thing. My dad was always good with that. I remember when I was in high school my dad couldn't understand how I could memorize countless baseball stats with ease but when it came to business figures I shut down. He would always say numbers are numbers. Of course it was one of the many things my father and I didn't agree on. How was dinner with girls?"
"Great. They really enjoyed learning how to make pasta bolognese. We may have had a minor incident with a jar of sauce but we covered our tracks so well you'd never know." Liza, at the girls request, had been teaching them how to cook and bake.
Charles laughed as he pulled her close.
"While I know how much they love cooking with you, I never want you to feel like you have to do it. I mean of course if you want to sure but I never want you to feel like it's something you're obligated to do," Charles said rambling. His guilt was taking over and he wasn't sure how to properly explain to her what he was thinking and feeling. She confided in him awhile back that one of the reasons why her and Josh did not work out was because he wanted children and she didn't want anymore of them.
Liza could sense Charles' worry. She had a pretty good idea what he was thinking. It was true that she had told him the same thing she had told Josh. She loved Caitlin but didn't want any more kids.
"Hey," she said softly, turning his face to hers.
"I told you I didn't want anymore kids because I didn't want to have to put my career on hold to raise another kid like I did with Caitlin. David surely wasn't going to put his on hold so the job fell to me. With Bianca and Nicole it's not like that and I know you'd never ask that. When I found out Bianca was telling people she had a second mommy I can't tell you how amazing that made me feel. I love these girls like they're my own not because I am obligated to, but because I want to. If you need to work late like you did tonight why would I have the girls be with a babysitter when I can be with them? I love being with them."
Charles wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve a woman like Liza but he was going to make sure that next week she knew exactly how much he loved and appreciated her.
Monday morning
Liza had just finished her second meeting of the morning and was catching up on some work emails when she noticed a man walking in her direction carrying a huge bouquet of red roses. He stopped at her desk before confirming that she was indeed Liza Miller the intended recipient. She nodded yes and took a minute to enjoy the beauty of the flowers before searching for a card.
"So everyday for the next seven days he brought her a gift…3 Your Secret Admirer."
Diana was walking past her desk and stopped to admire the flowers.
"Liza what a beautiful bouquet. New boyfriend you haven't told me about?" she questioned.
"Um no," she stammered. "Actually the card says they're from a secret admirer."
"I always found secret admirers to be creepy. The thought of someone always watching you… Anyway if you want a clue I've seen Jimmy in the mailroom taking special interest in you whenever he walks by."
Liza inwardly cringed. Jimmy from the mailroom wouldn't even be on her radar even if she was 26.
"Uh really? I never noticed."
"Well of course not Liza. Greatest assistant I've ever had but you can truly be obtuse sometimes."
At that moment Charles walked past Liza's desk giving her a knowing glance.
"Beautiful flowers Liza. Did we miss your birthday?" he asked innocently.
"Oh no, not really sure what they're for. The card says they're from a secret admirer." Liza of course knew they were from Charles recognizing the text as being from the story she'd read the girls the other night.
"How intriguing. Romantic even," he said with a smile.
"Yes, I was just telling Liza how romantic secret admirers can be," Diana said with a fake smile.
Liza bit her lip to keep from laughing. The gleam in Charles' eyes told her he was doing the same.
"Well enjoy and good luck finding out who is," Charles said walking away.
Liza took out her phone and quickly sent him a text.
"Thank you, they're gorgeous but completely unnecessary."
He responded with,
"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom- Marcel Proust."
Liza smiled. While it wasn't necessary for him to send them, it didn't mean that she didn't appreciate the gesture. It was nice to be noticed, wanted and loved. When she was married she often wondered if David even knew she existed.
If you love me, love me, love me like you say
Darling, tell me all the ways
Tell me all the ways
And he said
All the ways, all the ways, all the ways
All the ways tell me all the ways
And he said
All the ways, all the ways (you love me)
All the ways
Tell me all the ways and he said
Take me out dancing don't forget romance
And it's been awhile since
I've been your princess
Tell me your heart's blue when
When I'm not with you
Don't be afraid, babe
C'mon, explain
When they got home Liza placed the vase of flowers on the kitchen island. When the girls saw them, they oohed and ahhed at how beautiful they were.
"Do you think they're fit for a princess?" Charles asked his daughters.
They nodded an enthusiastic yes .
Later that night when Liza was taking a shower he asked the girls if they'd help him with a gift for her. They were delighted to help and after Liza read them a story they snuck back into Nicole's room to work on their drawing.
Day 2
Liza had just finished her first meeting of the morning and was heading for a cup of coffee when she saw Charles leaving his office. He smiled at her.
She was going to smile back, maybe even say something witty when Diana barked her name.
"Liza!"
Charles gave her a sympathetic look as she turned and headed for Diana's office.
"Hi Diana. Did you need something?" She said as she entered her office.
"Coffee. Oh and I just saw Jimmy leave an envelope on your desk. Looks like your secret admirer might not be so secret after all," she said with a smirk. Liza cringed. Choosing to ignore Diana's last statement she quickly ran to get her coffee. When she got back to her desk there was indeed an envelope waiting for her. The envelope had Liza Miller scrawled on it in what looked like slightly childish cursive handwriting. Now Liza was definitely intrigued. Not wanting to give Diana anymore fodder for her ridiculous ideas about Jimmy she quickly pocketed the note, heading for a more private spot to open it.
She headed into the stairwell sitting down on the top step. She opened the envelope and smiled. It was a note from the girls. "This voucher entitles Liza Miller to one meal of her choice fit for a princess. Bianca had drawn her, her sister and her dad cooking and Nicole had written the note in her newly learnt cursive handwriting. She was so captivated by the note and the adorable drawing that she didn't hear the stairwell door open. It wasn't until she felt a kiss on the top of head that she realized she was no longer alone.
Charles sat down next to her and she rested her head on his shoulder.
"This was incredibly sweet thank you," she said with a smile.
"The girls wanted to show their appreciation for you too. My only ask is that you go easy on the meal request. You know my skills are limited."
Liza laughed.
"Well maybe in the kitchen but there are other areas where I know your skills aren't limited."
"Is that so?" he asked as he leaned in to give her a kiss. At that moment Liza's phone started to buzz. It was Diana. Man did she ever have the worst timing. Liza gave him one more quick kiss before heading to Diana's office. As Charles watched her leave, he suddenly had a great idea for gift number three.
Day 3
Liza Miller was having one crazy day. It started off with Diana arriving with a hair emergency. On her way to work she'd had a run in with an overly enthusiastic pigeon and the bird had won. Liza had suggested she just go home, shower and come back but Diana did not want to miss the myriad of important meetings they had coming up, so it was up to Liza to come up with a solution. Liza had temporarily converted one of Diana's broaches into a hair clip and she seemed satisfied with that solution. Then she had to mediate another Keysley/ Zane spat. She felt like she should add referee to her job description as she seemed to be doing that a lot lately.
As the end of the day approached she couldn't wait to get home and put her feet up. The girls were at Pauline's tonight and Charles had suggested they order takeout and watch a movie. She thought that was a fantastic idea. She had been so busy today she hadn't thought about her next 'gift' until she noticed a small rolled up piece of paper with a ribbon around it tucked into the pen cup on her desk. As she removed the ribbon and read the paper she broke out into a huge grin. Her day may have been terrible, but this 'gift' from Charles made her realize how incredibly lucky she was.
The bearer of this voucher is entitled to one stairwell rendezvous ;)
She quickly sent Charles a text.
"Wouldn't want this voucher falling into the wrong hands."
Charles was pouring himself a cup of coffee when he got her text. He looked up and met her eyes and watched her give a quick glance in the direction of Diana's office and he laughed. He couldn't help it. A couple of people (who hadn't noticed the exchange between the two) stared at him but he could care less. Charles' day had been stressful as well and he'd needed to laugh. At one point he thought maybe she hadn't seen his carefully placed note. He was thinking of texting her to look for it when he'd gotten her message.
That night they'd ordered chinese food then settled in for a movie. She noticed Top Gun was on TV and she got excited.
"Honestly they should've found some way of keeping 80's Tom Cruise alive. Those were his best movies. I remember binge watching them with friends in college. Current Tom Cruise is like some alien from a another planet"
Charles laughed and discreetly took out his phone and opened the Amazon app inspired for gift number 4.
Day 4
Liza was happy to see that unlike the day before, today saw a relatively normal start to the day. No clamilties with Diana, Zane and Kelsey were civil, and no other major catastrophes seemed to occur. Well she'd spoken too soon. Somehow Jimmy in the mailroom (she knew she didn't like him) had sent two packages to the wrong authors. Kelsey had sent a package to an author of a rather risque book on millennial dating (Alexa Summers) whose book signing was later today and Diana had sent promotional materials to an author of a young adult novelist (Jenny Darning) who's signing was tomorrow. Well somehow the young adult novelist got some rather lurid signs and posters for her signing table and vice versa.
"Liza!" Diana had snapped.
"It seems your secret admirer screwed up when mailing out the promotional materials for our upcoming book signings."
"Uh I don't think he's my," Diana quickly cut her off.
"Focus Liza. I need you to take a ride up to Westchester and pick up the materials for Alexa's book signing which is tonight. When you drop them off you'll be given Jenny's materials at which point you'll head back to Westchester to drop them off."
Liza couldn't say no as this was her job and she quickly grabbed her purse, Diana already had a car waiting for her downstairs. She texted Charles before she left letting him know where she was going and that she wouldn't be able to meet him for lunch.
"Ugh it seems my 'secret admirer' mailed out packages to the wrong authors and now I have to head up to Westchester and back twice. Sorry I won't be able to make lunch."
Charles saw her text and pitied her. He knew her afternoon was not going to be fun.
"Poor Jimmy, I'm sure Diana had his head on a silver platter. Will miss you at lunch but I promise a back massage for your trouble later."
Liza was already on her way when she got Charles' response.
"A massage sounds heavenly… wait? How did you know about Jimmy?"
"Liza everyone knows Jimmy has a crush on you so naturally one might expect him to be your secret admirer. Honestly I can't blame the guy," he texted back.
Liza was floored by his text. Everyone knows? Maybe Diana was right, maybe she was a little obtuse.
"Ah well Jimmy's out of luck. I prefer semi-divorced single dads from Manhattan ;)"
Charles laughed at her response.
By the time her two round trip journeys were complete, it was nearly six thirty. She was dead on her feet and looking forward to that back massage. She had been given some release forms from Alexa Summers and thought she'd drop them off before getting ready to leave. Charles was still in his office as was Diana but she was just awaiting the release forms and then she was leaving as well.
"Here you go Diana."
"Thank you Liza, I trust everything went smoothly?"
"Yes both authors were very understanding and everything got to where it needed to go on time."
"Good, I knew I could trust you with this. Well I'm going to get going. Enzo's cooking tonight and I don't want to be late."
Liza was heading to Charles' office when she noticed a small wrapped package on her desk. Must be her 'gift' she thought. She opened it and nearly squealed with delight. It was the entire 80's Tom Cruise movie collection.
She headed straight for his office to thank him. She noticed he was looking over some papers so she quietly walked in and shut the door. Charles looked up and smiled seeing it was Liza.
She sauntered over giving him a big kiss.
"Thank you! I LOVED my gift," she said, a huge smile on her face. "NowI'm going to need to find a proper way of thanking you."
He pulled her into his lap.
"I can think of a few ways," he said, kissing her.
A few minutes later they were interrupted by a knock on his door. They pulled away, Liza resting her forehead on his as she let out a frustrated sigh.
"Charles it's Diana." Liza remarked at Diana's impeccable timing. She exctrated herself from his lap and went to stand behind the door.
"Come in."
Normally Charles would stand whenever someone walked into his office but in his current state he was grateful for the desk in front of him.
As the door swung open Liza made sure she was concealed behind it.
"I was just getting off the elevator downstairs when I realized I never gave you the invoices you requested."
"Ah thank you, but you didn't have to come back for that. You could have just given them to me tomorrow."
"Really it was no trouble."
When she left Liza let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.
"That woman should win an award for the world's timing," Liza said dramatically.
Charles laughed.
"How about we head home. If I remember correctly I promised someone a massage."
Liza's eyes lit up as they exited his office.
Day 5
Liza was overjoyed that it was finally Friday. She was looking forward to a weekend of doing absolutely nothing. Charles had two meetings out of the office this morning and her and Diana had a lunch meeting downtown so she hadn't seen him the first half of the day. She didn't want to admit it (because they were totally unnecessary) but she was really enjoying his daily gifts. With the week she'd had they'd been a bright spot each day.
While at lunch, her and Diana had actually been carded for the glasses of wine they'd ordered. Of course Diana had been flattered but Liza just found it to be a nuisance. As she reached into her purse for her driver's license, she noticed a small gold envelope inside. She realized Charles must have put it in her bag before she even left for work. Now that they were back in the office she could finally read it.
The bearer of this voucher is entitled to a GUARANTEED uninterrupted rendezvous in my office
She sent Charles a text, "So you say this rendezvous is guaranteed to be uninterrupted? I don't know, it's kind of risky based on past experience. You sure it will be worth the chance I'd be taking ;)"She knew it would definitely be worth it she just wanted to tease him.
"Worth it? So I guess you're the kind of woman where seeing is believing. When we get home tonight I'll have to give you a demo, for informational purposes of course."
Liza read his text and closed her eyes, daydreaming about the 'demo' she'd be receiving later. Her state of bliss was short lived however as a minute later Diana was indeed barking her name again. Someone really needs to have a serious talk with this woman about her timing Liza thought as she headed for her office.
Day 6
Liza stretched lazily as she woke, wincing at her deliciously sore muscles. Charles had given her an overly enthusiastic demonstration of their future office rendezvous and said rendezvous had occupied her dreams all night. She smiled as she felt him pull her closer kissing the back of her hair.
"Morning beautiful," he said sleepily.
"Morning," she said, turning her head to give him a kiss.
"I don't think I can move. You may have broken me last night. Not that I'm complaining," she said with a smile.
Charles chuckled.
"Well we don't have to move till later this afternoon. Your sixth gift is booked at that time so you can relax this morning."
"Ohhh really? I want to thank you again for all these gifts. They were of course unnecessary but they really made my week. Plus I have something to look forward to when I cash in my vouchers. That's like two gifts in one."
Charles smiled as he gave her a kiss. He was delighted that his plan seemed to work out better than he had hoped it would.
"So do I get any hints about where we're going this afternoon?"
"I booked us a couples massage. Thought it would be a nice relaxing way to start the weekend."
Liza loved the idea and had another one of her own. Turning, straddling his lap, she said,
"Well I better make sure we got our money's worth with that masseuse."
"Who am I to argue with your brilliant logic," he said as pulling her in for a passionate kiss.
Day 7
Liza was brushing her teeth when she noticed a small red gift bag on the sink counter. She quickly finished and opened the bag. Inside was a rectangular red and gold box with Cartier scrawled across the top. She opened the box and inside was a yellow gold Cartier Love Bracelet bangle. It was gorgeous. She loved it but also knew it was very expensive. Inside the bag was a small card that gave more information about the collection. The Love Collection had been created in 1970s New York and was an iconic symbol of love that transgressed convention and was a timeless tribute to passionate romance. Another card at the bottom was from Charles.
I choose you. And I'll choose you over and over. Without a pause, without a doubt, in a heartbeat. I'll keep choosing you.
This man was near the definition of perfection and she had no idea how she'd gotten this lucky. If this week had taught her anything it was that no matter how crazy life got when you had someone by your side, you could get through anything.
She ran downstairs and found him making himself a cup of coffee in the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind before saying,
"I love you. That means I'm not just here for the pretty parts. I'm here no matter what."
He turned to give her a kiss.
"Ditto."
And he said
"Girl, you take care of me
You are my therapy
The better half of me"
Say it again, say it again, oh
"Girl, you take care of me
You are my therapy
The better half of me"
Say it again, say it again
If you love me, love me, love me like you say
Darling, tell me all the ways
Tell me all the ways
And he said
All the ways, all the ways, all the ways
Tell me all the ways And he said
All the ways, all the ways (you love me)
All the ways
Tell me all the ways
And he said (the way you)
All the ways, all the ways (you love me)
All the ways (the way you)
All the ways, all the ways (you love me)
The way you
You love me