Page 51 of Full Circle

Wesley gave me a smile that was more sad than happy. “Definitely. But I’ll take the punishment for the rest of my life if it means I give you the perfect birthday.”

CHAPTER 21

PLENTY OF FISH IN THE SEA

WESLEY

Phillip might have actually earned the obscene amount of money I paid him by pulling this off. Celeste’s smile hadn’t left her face, and she clung to her dad like a newborn baby. It irked me to no end that I had to include Desiree, Hillary, and her dipshit excuse for a son, Jeremy, in the mix, but when I first approached Mr. Hendricks with the idea, he was adamant that the “whole family” be included. Blood coated my mouth from how hard I bit down my retort on that one.

Despite their black cloud tainting the event, we had an incredible time. The night started off with a catered meal from a local barbecue place that I thought Celeste would like. The moans that came from her mouth while eating ribs definitely put a tent in my jeans, and I hastily threw a napkin over my lap before her father could see. If I had my way, she’d be moaning like that around my dick by the end of the night.

Everyone tried to keep the conversation light throughout the dinner. No one discussed Doug’s deteriorating health or the fact that the nurse who accompanied him had to help him with soft foods because his gums were starting to bleed from all the chemicals in his body. His teeth were so sensitive, he couldn’t handle food he had to chew. Thankfully, Celeste was too distracted by Marla’s story about a Comfy Cushion regular to notice.

After everyone stuffed their faces (except for Desiree, who did nothing but bitch about the food and the accommodations the entire meal), Mr. Jennison, the director of the Georgia Aquarium, gave us all a tour of the building. He explained the aquarium’s conservation efforts, how they acquired all the animals in their care, and the kinds of things we could do to help take care of the ocean. Celeste had stars in her eyes the entire time, gazing at all the animals in rapt wonder. She and Maggie were two bleeding hearted peas in a pod, cooing over all the colorful fish, and swearing they were now vegetarians. We all had a good laugh when we went into the shark area and a large hammerhead swam up to the glass out of nowhere, making Maggie shriek and jump three feet in the air. Hillary rolled her eyes and pouted the whole time because I refused to take any photos with her.

Seal trainers gave us a private show and let us interact directly with the animals. Even Mr. Hendricks yelped with delight when a seal came right up to his wheelchair and rested its head on his knees. Nana wouldn’t come within 20 feet of them, saying the way they moved reminded her of a bad horror film she watched in the 70’s.

I had such a surge of pride seeing all the people I cared about so happy and carefree, knowing I was able to give them this experience. Just one day without the threat of death and scans and medical procedures hanging over our heads. We all needed it, me just as much as the rest of them. I found myself whipping out my polaroid camera a hundred times to capture the unadulterated bliss on Celeste’s face.

The final part of my hat trick was really the biggest risk. I had no idea if Celeste would be willing to do it or how she would react, but I wanted to take the chance rather than miss an opportunity. Mr. Jennison led us “backstage” to see the labs, medical areas, and behind the scenes spots where only employees typically go. When we got to the humungous pool that led into the largest part of the aquarium, I not-so casually sidled up behind Celeste and Maggie, having tried to hold back and let them have their fun throughout the tour. I’d already seen everything a dozen times, after all. But now I needed to be close to her, see her reaction firsthand, and find a way to put a band aid on the situation if she refused.

“Would you like to take a dive in with the fish, Ms. Hendricks?” Mr. Jennison asked politely.

Maggie and Celeste’s jaws dropped.

Nailed it.

“Seriously?” Celeste gasped.

“We can do that?!” Maggie was jumping up and down like a cheerleader.

He nodded, gesturing to the wetsuits and scuba gear in an alcove behind us. “With the professionals, of course.”

“OH MY GOD!” They screamed in unison and simultaneously made a mad dash towards the gear.

Desiree looked like she was going to vomit. “We’re just going to let a couple of teenagers swim in a cesspool of fish droppings, Doug?”

Before Mr. Hendricks could respond, I snapped. “You’re not her mother so why don’t you take a backseat on this one, Desi.”

Marla and Nana both tried to cover their snickers with fake coughs, and I could see Celeste watching the scene like a deer in headlights. Desiree’s mouth dropped open, her face contorting in an ugly sneer, when Mr. Hendricks surprised us all by saying, “Stay out of it, Desiree. Wesley went to a lot of trouble to make tonight special for all of us and you’re not gonna ruin my daughter’s birthday.”

The itch to pull out my camera and keep the polaroid of her face was almost too great to ignore. My hand actually snuck towards the device hanging around my neck on instinct, but at the last second, I dropped it. She was fuming, turning red and visibly bristling. Even Hillary and Jeremy looked scared.

“Darling!” she whined. “You can’t possibly think I would want to ruin Celeste’s special day. I’m only thinking of what’s best for her!”

“I’ll be fine, Desiree. Thank you for thinking of me,” Celeste replied before her father could say anything. Doug looked at her in surprise.

Desiree swallowed thickly, perturbed at Celeste’s kindness. But that was my girl. Kind to everyone, whether they deserved it or not.

One of the animal handlers came out from a back room already in their wetsuit and demonstrated to Maggie and Celeste how to put on the equipment and the proper way to use it. While they were distracted, Marla came over to me and whispered with a wink, “This was perfect, Wes. I’m so glad you thought of it!”

Nana nodded. “Rachel would have loved every minute of this,” she added wistfully.

Damn it, now I wanted to tear up like a baby.

“Can’t I go in, too?” Hillary pled. “Why does Celeste get to do everything?!”

I turned away from them before I lost my shit and therefore all of Doug’s respect. Instead I focused on Celeste, who now had on a wetsuit, flippers, and large goggles on her head. Excitement radiated from her. She beamed at me, practically giddy with anticipation.

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