Page 89 of Unbreakable Love

She leaned a shoulder against the wall, her face all smile and her body all nonchalant.

“What are you doing here?” I cried out and rushed to her, threw my arms around her, and hugged her so tight I knocked her back a step. “What the heck? What is going on?”

She hugged me back fiercely, like we hadn’t said goodbye to each other a week ago and whispered in my ear, “Your new man flew me back. I told him you’d never had a birthday party before, and he promised to make it happen.”

Tears fell down my cheeks and I shoved my face into the crook of her neck. I was a mess, a hot and sweaty and tearstained mess. And all in front of Gavin’s family within the first five minutes.

“You should probably thank him,” she muttered and ran her hand up and down her back.

“I don’t want them to see me like this.”

She tugged my arms from her shoulders, making them fall. I was still crying, still laughing, and had to look like a complete idiot. “I think you’ll find it’s okay. Go thank him,” she told me.

I glanced up and saw… no one.

What in the world?

“They took Josie outside,” Gavin said, and I dropped my hands from my sister completely and spun in a circle.

He was still by the door, at the bottom of a set of stairs. He had his hands shoved into his jeans and a broad smile stretching his cheeks.

“That’s my cue,” Maize whispered, but I didn’t look at her. Couldn’t.

There was the squeak of a door and the quiet slam of it after followed.

“You flew my sister in.”

“If it makes me seem less awesome, she got here last night and leaves tonight. She couldn’t make it longer with finals coming up.”

Like that mattered. He’d flown my sister in. For my birthday.

“I can’t believe you did this for me.” I wiped mascara and makeup from beneath my eyes. My entire body shook. “No one’s ever done something like this for me, and the cost…”

I gasped. The cost of the flight alone.

“The money isn’t a problem, and I keep trying to tell you that you deserve to be taken care of too.” He strode toward me. Long, confident strides ate up the distance while I was trying to remember how to think, how to breathe. “Are you going to thank me? Or is this argument about the clean car all over again?”

I huffed. Only this man could make me laugh at a time like this. Make the argument of what he’d done seem like nothing.

“I don’t know,” I finally admitted. “I don’t know what to say. The day alone was already going to be great, but this… you didn’t have to do this.”

“I know.” He took my hand in his and brushed his thumb over the back of mine. “I wanted to. It’s as simple as that. You could tell me thank you.”

“Thank you,” I blurted, then yanked him toward me. I rolled to my toes, slipped my hand from his, and clasped his cheeks. “Thank you, Gavin. So very much. I’ve said it a dozen times already it feels like, but this is the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

A dog barked and it was quickly followed by scratching at the door.

Gavin grinned. “They’ll want to come back and make sure you’re okay and get to know you.”

“I need a second to freshen up, I think.”

He scanned my face and winced. Nice. I probably looked like a raccoon.

“Probably, but you’re still beautiful.” He bent his head and kissed me. “I’m not waiting for your last surprise of the day. Josie’s spending the night here and my parents are getting her to school in the morning.” He rested his hand at my hip and squeezed. “Spend the night with me?”

I’d spent all week wondering what that would be like. Wanting it. Wishing it could happen.

“Yes,” I rasped and kissed him again. “Yes, I’d like that.”

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