Page 124 of All of Me

I roll my eyes, grinning. “And Brooke, I mean it—stay away from Luke.”

She places a hand over her heart like I’ve just wounded her. “What? Me? I would never—Besides, I told you I have my eye on someone else.”

Taylor arches a brow. “For now.”

Brooke sighs. “Fine. I will probably stay away from Luke.”

“Brooke.”

She grins. “No promises. He is a walking red flag, but damn if he’s not an aesthetically pleasing one.”

I groan, shaking my head as we step away from our little corner table, laughing our way toward the door. The weight in my chest feels just a little lighter—at least for now.

forty-four

TALK DIRTY - JASON DERULO FEAT. 2 CHAINZ

OWEN - AUGUST 28, 2014

The smell of cinnamon and sugar pulls me out of sleep, dragging me from the comfort of the covers. Before I can fully process the scent, the door creaks open, and Ruby toddles in on wobbly legs, clutching a crumpled piece of paper in her tiny hands.

“Dada!” she babbles, her voice high and sweet as she climbs onto the bed with determination.

Sara follows behind her, clutching her blanket in one hand, rubbing her eyes with the other. “Happy!” she says, her words clearer but still tinged with sleep. “Birfday!”

“Thank you, ladies,” I say, sitting up and catching Ruby before she tumbles forward. “What’s this?” I take the paper from her tiny hands, careful not to crumple it further.

“Card!” Sara declares proudly, climbing onto the bed beside me.

“It’s from all of us,” Callie says, leaning against the doorway with a mug of coffee in hand.

She’s still in pajamas, her hair in a messy ponytail, and somehow, she looks better than anyone has a right to at this hour.

“Best card ever,” I tell Ruby and Sara, holding it up. It’s covered in colorful scribbles, with Sara’s tiny handprints stamped in blue and purple paint across the bottom. Callie’s neat handwriting reads: Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Ruby claps her hands, letting out an excited squeal that makes all of us laugh.

“It’s perfect,” I say, setting Ruby on my lap as Sara snuggles into my side.

Callie crosses the room, sitting on the edge of the bed with a soft smile. “The girls insisted we make cinnamon rolls last night,” she says, brushing a hand over Sara’s hair.

“Cinnamon rolls?” I ask, grinning.

“Bacon!” Sara pipes up, her face lighting up.

Ruby babbles something unintelligible, pointing toward the door as if to confirm Sara’s announcement.

I laugh, shaking my head. “You two are spoiling me.”

Callie leans in, her voice low and teasing. “That’s the point, birthday boy.”

The workday starts like any other—except my phone buzzes nonstop as soon as I pull into the site. I shift into park and sigh, already smirking. There’s only one group of people who would be blowing up my phone this early.

I pull it from my pocket and glance at the screen.

Luke:

Happy birthday, old man.

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