Page 93 of That Time We Kissed Under the Mistletoe
“Ha ha.” I surrender to a nervous laugh as Three unlocks the door. And I’m already trembling a little as I cross the threshold behind him and a chorus of voices shouts, “Surprise!”
“Gah!” I squeal.
Three spins around, grabbing my arm to steady me, which is a good thing, because I’m about to faint. Once he’s got me secured, he flashes a grin that could light up the entire town. “Happy birthday, Sara. One day early.”
Peering around him, I spot Kenny blowing a noisemaker. The woman with a baby strapped to her must be his wife. In front of them are four children of varying heights, some with missing teeth, all wearing party hats, blowing horns, and waving orange streamers.
“Welcome to Operation Surprise Sara,” Three says.
“Hashtag OSS,” Kenny calls out.
Three puts a hand on my lower back and guides me over to the table with a sheet cake on display. It’sMy Little Ponythemed, with a picture of Applejack in icing. The cups, plates, and napkins all haveMy Little Ponyon them too. And at least a dozen sparkly orange helium balloons float around us.
“Three.” Igasp. “How?”
“It was a team effort,” Kenny chirps. I turn to him and a bright smile splits his face. “Three ordered the cake and balloons and everything else yesterday. I made the pickups and brought the stuff here while you two were at the hospital.”
The woman chuckles. “I guess that makes the kids and me ‘the stuff.’” She comes toward me and reaches for my hand. “I’m Madeline. Nice to meet you, Sara. And happy birthday.”
“Thank you so much.” I turn to Three, putting a hand to my heart, and willing my racing pulse to calm down. “I can’t believe you did all this for me.”
“Well, you said you always wanted a normal birthday party with balloons and cake and kids your age.” He ducks his head. “Kenny’s kids are alittleyoung, but at one point or another, you too were three, five, seven, and nine. Just like them.”
“It’s perfect,” I manage, but my brain’s gone fizzy and lightheaded. These past few days have already been overwhelming. Add two generations of Kenny to the mix, and it’s all a lot to process. Still, the idea behind this is the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for me.
Yes, even theMy Little Ponycake.
I glance around the room taking in everything—the cake, the balloons, streamers, noisemakers, party hats. In the meantime, the kids all crowd around the table begging for cake. Madeline hovers over them. “I’m going to regret letting you rugrats have so much sugar this afternoon, but you can’t have a birthday without cake.” She takes charge, lighting the candles, then everyone sings—at high volume and gloriously off-key.
Three moves in close and my whole body warms at his proximity. “Now close your eyes, and make a wish before you blow out the candles,” he says. “But don’t tell anyone what you wish for.”
A giggle slips out of me. “Yes, I’m aware of the rules of blowing out candles, Three. I don’t live under a rock, you know.”
I shut my eyes and dig deep for the one thing I’d wish for above everything else.
I wish I could keep seeing Three Fuller after Christmas.
The kids all clap while I blow out the candles. I don’t really believe in the power of a birthday wish, but still, the moment feels pretty magical in its own way. And the truth is, I’m not ready for this reconnection with Three to be over.
Hope is scary. Terrifying, even. But a birthday party—two days before Christmas—feels like the best time to have a little faith.
While Madeline cuts and serves the cake, Kenny retrieves a gallon of rocky road from the freezer and adds a scoop to each plate. Since there aren’t enough chairs at Three’s table, the kids just plop down on the floor and everyone digs in, chatting and laughing and going back for seconds. When Three gets a smear of frosting on his lips, all I want to do is kiss it off. But unfortunately, we’re not alone.
Maybe it’s not too late to change my wish.
As if on cue, Kenny tells the kids to finish up because they have to get going.
“Already?” I ask, feeling a little guilty for wishing them away, but also a little relieved and grateful.
“We just came for cake,” he says. “Gotta get the baby home for a nap.”
“Huh.” I lift a brow. “You mean the one that’s sound asleep on Madeline?”
Kenny darts his eyes to Three then back to me. “What can I say? My kids are just born … lazy.”
“Hey!” the oldest one shouts from his seat on the floor. “I’m not lazy!” Crumbs of cake spew from his mouth.
“You’re right, Logan.” Three chuckles. “You’re not. Kenny’s just too polite to admit that I asked you to come for the surprise and for cake, but I’ve got other plans for us after.”
