Page 42 of Echoes of War

While the fish cooked, I made the coco and poured it into a couple of camping mugs. We sipped it down, feasting on the fish once it was ready. After a few hours of chatting around the fire, we sat in comfortable silence, taking in the scenery.

“Thank you,” she said, breaking the silence.

I blinked at her, perplexed at what exactly I’d done that had warranted such a pleasantry from my sharp-tongued girl. “For what?”

“For making today special. I … I know I’m confusing and, yes, I can be selfish at times. I’ve earned that right.” The pain in her eyes as she recalled my words last night was enough to bring me to my knees, “But, Alexiares, you give me this weird warm and fuzzy feeling that fucking terrifies me. And I just want to keep you safe. It sucks knowing it’s not up to me. And, I think, I don’t want to fight it anymore. I think I want to let it happen. I think I want to accept what you’re trying to give me. I want to make you feel special in return. I’m learning, and I’m trying. Please, be patient with me.”

I swallowed hard, cursing myself for the accusation I’d placed upon her last night.

“One day at a time, princess, one day at a time.” I kissed her hand, pulling her close as I moved to her forehead, down to her cheeks, into the curve of her neck. Bringing my face level with her, I stopped short, hovering right over her mouth. “Make no mistake, one of these days, those lips will be mine.”

The ride back to Duluth was quiet, but not in a bad way. I could tell we were both lost in our thoughts on how things had shifted permanently between us. I didn’t have much experience with relationships.

Finley had been my first real girlfriend. Even that didn’t last long. She quickly had become my wife under my own presumption that our bullshit love was the real thing. Then she’d ripped off the bandaid and showed her true colors, slowly stripping down the man I was in an effort to make me be her match. In a way, I guess I was. That didn’t mean I wanted to be that man forever.

With Amaia, things weren’t like that. The best thing about being with her was that I could be myself without shame. She sawall the horrible in me, yet sought out the little good that remained. Amaia made me want to be better, to do better.

So I ran with that. Whatever she had to offer me, I would happily take. That was something we could figure out along the way. I just knew I wanted it to work, to whatever end.

When I glanced behind me during the ride, her eyes were tightly closed, but there was a sense of peace that appeared across her face. It flickered in and out over the minutes and scenery that passed and I knew that the fleeting pain that sucked away the peace had nothing to do with me.

Reina had been upset over the last week in between her excitement at birthday planning. She remained enough in her right mind to mention that Seth’s was a week after Amaia’s, right before Christmas. Amaia and Seth had a three-year tradition of doing something together to celebrate, whether it was to spend the day out riding and being free, or playing in the waves near Monterey Bay. What had mattered to them both was to spend that time celebrating together, then they would have a joint party with their family at the tavern later that night. Which is exactly why I had warned against Reina’s idea of how to spend her birthday today. I had no idea how she would react when she opened that door to her place.

She gave me a gentle hug as she hopped off the back of my bike and made her way to her room. I lingered behind her, hoping for the best but fully expecting the worst.

“Shit—” she yelped, flames fully encompassing both hands.

A room full of terrified faces yelled out a unified, “Surprise!”

Reina had truly gone all out. She’d decorated the room in forgotten birthday pieces she collected around Duluth and from an abandoned Party City she’d found near the outer ends of the settlement. Faded streamers hung from the ceiling, with half bobbing balloons randomly placed around the apartment. A sorry-lookingHappy Birthdayhung over the window in the living room with the ‘I’ in the birthday missing.

“Oh my … you guys.” Tears pooled in her dark brown eyes and I stepped closer, not sure if they were happy tears or sad ones.

Reina skipped over, studying her face with a sincere look of concern, and pulled her into a hug. “Happy birthday, Maia,” she said, her chin resting atop Amaia’s head.

“Happy birthday, sister.” Tomoe stood behind the both of them, a meek grin on her face that didn’t match her haze-filled eyes.

Reina reached back, grabbing Moe’s hand and pulling her into a group hug.

Sloan sat atop the kitchen counter, a birthday kazoo hanging out the corner of her mouth and she blew it sarcastically. “Always was my favorite day of the year. Happy birthday to my truest friend.” An actual honest smile brightening up her freckled face.

“Your only friend if we’re honest,” Abel added quietly.

That earned him a stern glare from Sloan. “Don’t push your luck, you’re already on thin ice.”

Abel grinned in knowledge of his protection in Amaia’s presence. “To many, many more. Reina and I made a cake!” He rushed over to the center island and pointed to a sad, un-iced loaf that sat atop the counter with a singular candle.

My hand fell to the small of her back, pushing her forward, still watching her reaction in case I needed to kick everyone out. Myself included. She deserved at least a little privacy on her own day.

The tears fell down her face, and I sighed a relief at what were evidently happy ones.

“I love you guys so much, thank you,” she said. “This is more than I could have asked for.”

“Please, this isn’t even half of the crap Reina pulls back home,” Moe offered, as if all the time and effort they’d put in making this day special for her, was nothing worth noting.

Reina released a giggle. “Can’t say it’s my best work, but if you like it, I love it! Come on, let’s do cake!”

“It’s perfect. Let me go wash up, I’ll be back and we can cut it,” Amaia said warmly, and they all believed her.

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