Page 69 of Mending Scars

No. He can’t find out. He’ll be upset and even more worried.

“Can we not do this right now?” I deflected and crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s my birthday.”

His features softened as he sighed in defeat, then quickly hardened again. “Wewillbe talking about this later.” His tone left no room for argument.

Fuck. Shit. Damn.

“Okay,” I replied in resignation, then walked toward the door, hoping that he’d forget by the time the night was over.

Wishful thinking.

When we got inside, we followed Nori to a table in the back of the restaurant where Kamden sat with a bunch of pink balloons and cupcakes.

“Happy birthday!” Nori and Kam shouted in unison.

My mood shifted, even though a tiny sliver of dread lingered in my gut. I buried it down, determined not to let some psycho asshole ruin my birthday. I’d dealt with that enough in my life.

Tears welled in my eyes from the thoughtfulness that had been put into this surprise. I knew I’d be crying more than once before the night was over. “You guys.” My voice cracked as emotion clogged my throat.

“Geez, you’re like a faucet lately,” Nori joked as she hugged me. She pulled back and smiled. “It’s your party, and you can cry if you want to?”

I snorted with laughter and swiped the moisture from my lashes. “Yeah. Thank you for all this.” My eyes drifted from face to face of each of my loved ones. “All of you.”

The night was filled with laughs and joyful banter. No talk of Kaleb, no talk about Kamden’s drinking or rehab—just happiness. I prayed that we would have more times like this in the future, especially once Hayden was born.

Once we were almost finished eating, Kamden pulled out a small, wrapped box from under the table and presented it to me. “Happy Birthday, Ky.”

I took the gift from him. “Kam, you didn’t have to get me anything.” Everything he’d done for me was enough to last me a lifetime.

“I wanted to.” Motioning with his hands, he urged me to open the present. “Go on, open it.”

Ripping the paper off, I revealed a small cardboard box. Inside that was a black jewelry case. I opened the lid and stared down at a necklace with two hearts; a large heart that had the word “sorella”engraved on it dangled from a smaller, open heart.

My vision was clouded as I looked up at Kam. His lips curved up slightly as he grabbed my hand. “The little heart is you—holding me up when I need it most. Thank you for being there to support me through everything.”

I squeezed his hand back, unable to speak as tears trickled down my cheeks. After I wiped my face with my free hand and took a deep breath to compose myself, my words came out soft as cotton when I replied, “Thank you.”

Kamden smiled warmly. “You’re welcome. Let’s see how it looks.”

I took the thin, delicate chain out of the box and clasped it around my neck. I made sure it lay correctly against my skin before looking back up at my brother. “I love it, Kam.”

“Good, I’m glad. Shopping for you was hard.” He chuckled.

“It’s perfect. You made a great choice,” I replied genuinely.

“My turn!” Nori squealed as she handed me a card and a gift bag.

“Not you, too. You guys didn’t have to do all this for me.”

“Just shut up and open the damn gift,” Nori playfully demanded.

I smashed my lips together, fighting the smile trying to break through. “Fine.” I huffed as I tore the envelope open and slipped out the card that was inside. A gift certificate to my favorite spa fell out as I opened the card and read what Nori had wrote inside:

“We may not be sisters by blood, but you’re the only sister I’ll ever need. I love you and can’t wait to be a part of this next chapter in your life. Happy birthday!”

My eyes watered again as they drifted up to Nori. She shook her head, fighting tears as well. “Cut it out, damn it. You’re going to make me cry.”

I chuckled and wiped my eyes before opening my arms to her. She leaned over and hugged me. “Happy Birthday, Ky.”

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