Page 83 of Everlasting Love

“Shane, let me down, please. I need to hug Evan.” Jasmine twists her body on my shoulders.

“Hang on a sec.” I tighten my hold on Daisy and then help Jas slide down my body until her feet touch the ground.

The minute she’s steady, she takes the few steps to Evan and throws her arms around him without any warning. “I hope my hug makes you feel better, Evan. Hugs always make me feel better.”

He stands stiffly for a moment and looks up at me with confusion. I tip my head to him and widen my eyes. He relaxes and then wraps his arms around Jas, returning her embrace. Shesmiles against his chest and I watch Evan’s body relax—the Jas effect. Jas tightens her hold briefly, then lets him go.

He stares at her with a look of wonder. “Thank you. I … uh … feel much better now.”

Jas’s smile is as wide as I’ve ever seen as she twists her body from side to side. “I’m glad. If you need another hug, just say so.” He grins at her and they walk side by side toward our little group.

Collecting Poppy’s hand in mine, the kids and I make our way to everyone else. “Happy birthday!” they all shout at once, bringing a smile to my lips and gratitude to my heart.

I chuckle and make my way around the group. When I stop at Toby, he wraps his hand around the back of my neck and pulls me in tight. “I’m so incredibly happy to be able to wish my best friend a happy birthday face-to-face. It’s been too long, man.” The emotion in his voice and etched on his face is like a punch to the gut. I never considered that I was hurting him when I ignored my birthday. In some ways, I’m no better than my father, and that realization makes me sick to my stomach.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been so caught up in my head that I didn’t stop to see what I’ve been doing to the people who care about me. I promise to do better.” Emotion clogs my throat, and I swallow it down so I can pull myself together.

“We’re always here whenever you’re ready.” He winks at me and pats me on the back, then tips his head toward Vi and Jas. “They’ve been the best thing to ever happen to you. I’m happy for you, man.”

I watch Nix fuss over Jas and the way she has her chin tucked into her shoulder as Violet chuckles at something he says and the love I have for them grows. I’m content and thankful that she persisted and I finally relented to what had been building between us since the first moment I laid eyes on her. “Thank you.” I turn to look at him with a smile. “For everything.”

He simply nods and I continue making my way around the group, thanking each person for being here to celebrate my birthday.

Hope wraps her arms around my middle and squeezes me tight. When she pulls away, her eyes are shiny but her lips are tipped up. “Happy birthday, Shane. I’m so happy and relieved to see you building the life you deserve. Wyatt would be proud of you.”

I swallow and blink away the sting in my eyes. “You know he’d want that for you, too.”

She looks past me but nods subtly. “When I’m ready.”

“That’s all anyone can ask.” I squeeze her hand. “Thanks for coming.”

“Of course. We wouldn’t miss this for the world but we can’t stay for long.”

Last but not least, I make it to Vi and grip her hips, pulling her roughly into me. “You did this?”

Her hands land on my chest and she looks up at me sheepishly, a worried smile touching her lips. “Yeah. I hope you don’t mind.”

I shake my head at her and grin. “I haven’t wanted to acknowledge my birthday since I got back”—her smile drops, and she opens her mouth to speak but I place a finger over her lips—“but I’m glad you did this because it’s time to live my life. Thanks, Blue.”

“You’re welcome.” She presses up onto her toes, and I bend down to meet her in the middle to share a safe-for-public-consumption kiss. She pulls away slowly and when her eyes meet mine, they’re full of heat that I can’t wait to build into an inferno later. “We’d better sing and cut the cake because Hope and Evan need to get to soccer.”

I tuck her loose hair behind her ear. “Thank you for including them.”

“They’re important to you. There’s no way I would have left them out. It took a little effort to work out how to get in touch with them but we got there in the end.” She smiles and it lights up her face as she calls everyone together. And here, in the middle of the park on a Monday afternoon, my friends sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to me and share a slice of cake to celebrate my life.

29

SHANE

Through the living room window,I watch the storm roll in. Thick, dark clouds have been building all day and intermittent claps of thunder sound in the distance as the darkened sky flashes with light. Violet had just finished her shower, and I was sharing a story with Jas when the electricity went out. I had to finish reading the story using the flashlight on my phone.

Vi hands me a cup of chamomile tea, and I look at her questioningly. “Gas hot water heater, so it’s not going to be as hot as it should be.”

I nod and take a sip. “Thank you.” This has been our routine since my birthday, and I like it.

I like it a lot.

It’s a quiet moment at the end of each day, once Jas is in bed, where the two of us connect simply over a cup of Vi’s favorite tea. I brush her wet hair over her shoulder and wrap my arm around her, then pull her into me and take another sip of the hot tea while we both stare out of the window in silence. I don’t know whether it’s a psychosomatic response to the tea or if it’s the sexwe’ve been having every night but I’ve been sleeping better lately—which I’m certain is the initial reason Vi started making the tea for me each night. Maybe it’s because I’m feeling more settled and stable than I have for a long time. Perhaps it’s because I’m not as stuck in the past and I’m beginning to think about the future. Whatever it is, it’s made a huge difference for me. “It’s gonna be a rough night.”

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