Page 74 of Hate to Love You

I think it might be time to pull back. To protect myself before I fall any deeper. Because that’s the way this is headed.

And sleeping with him…while it sounded like a good idea in the beginning, now has disaster written all over it.

“Surprise!” a loud chorus of voices ring out, knocking me from my thoughts.

I stumble to a halt as my eyes widen and fly around the table in the semi-private room we’ve been shown to.

Zara rushes forward to give me an exuberant hug. “Happy Birthday!” she shouts. “Are you totally surprised?”

Surprised is an understatement.

“Shocked,” I say, continuing to glance around at the table filled with my friends.

Luke beams and waves from the other side. Megan and Anna, who live in the apartment next door, wave as well. Mom—the very same Mom who lied to me about having to work tonight—sits near the end of the table. Her grin is ear-to-ear.

The room has been decorated with pink and black balloons. There’s a fancy cake on a small table off to the side. A sign that reads Happy Birthday Natalie has been taped to the wall in the back.

And I’m…speechless.

Brody, who still has his arm wrapped around my waist, leads me to the head of the table, next to Mom. Glass bowls filled with my favorite candies are strategically placed on the long, rectangular table. Colorful confetti has been sprinkled across it.

As soon as I sit down on the chair, Mom leans over and envelops me in her arms. “Happy Birthday, baby girl!” She gives me a big squeeze. “I felt so bad lying to you. Forgive me?”

I shake my head, still trying to process what’s happening. “Thank you.” I meet her eyes. “Did you arrange this?”

Her grin intensifies. “Nope. Brody did!”

She beams at the man who has taken a seat next to me, across from her.

Brody planned this?

Why would he go to all this trouble?

My eyes swing to his in surprise. “You did this?”

He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “I had some help with the planning. Your mom and Zara gave me lots of ideas.”

Unwilling to let Brody brush aside the praise, Mom interrupts, “It was all Brody’s idea. He wanted to do something special for you. Isn’t that sweet?” Her gaze softens as it fastens on him. Admiration shines brightly in her eyes. Any reservations she might have had about me dating a guy like Brody have clearly been swept away. “He really nailed it, don’t you think?”

My mind continues to cartwheel. Not in a million years would I have expected this from him. “Yes, he did.”

I stare at Brody as confusion rushes through me. But it’s more than that. Feelings I’ve only begun to recognize and tamp down are hurtling to the surface.

But I don’t have time to dwell on them because the waitress stops at the table with a round of tequila shots. Even Mom takes one, which is hilarious. She never drinks anything stronger than an occasional glass of wine in the evenings. And yet, here she is belting it back like she does it every Saturday night. The chips and salsa flow, and dinner is amazing. I order my favorite dish—cheese enchiladas swimming in a red mole sauce.

Afterward, I’m forced to wear a huge sombrero that swallows my head as the waitstaff serenades me with “Happy Birthday.” Normally I’d be melting into my seat at all the attention, but I’m buzzed from the shots. Everyone is laughing and having a great time.

We devour the cake and decide to head over to a bar to keep the celebration going. After Mom cancelled our plans, I’d thought for sure this birthday would suck. But that hasn’t turned out to be the case at all. I’ve had the best time. I’m surrounded by the people I love most. Mom and all of my friends are here helping me to celebrate.

And then there’s Brody…

The guy I’ve spent my entire college career avoiding. The very same one who I believed was only attending Whitmore to burn time until he moved up to the NHL, falling into any and every vagina along the way.

But Brody has turned out to be a completely different guy than I pegged him to be.

“Okay, sweetie,” Mom says. “I’m going to take off. There’s no way I’m tagging along to a college bar at my age.”

I’m so glad she was here tonight. This dinner has meant so much to me. Again, it blows my mind that Brody is the one who arranged it.

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