Page 76 of The Broken Queen
Gio crawled in next to me and helped secure the blindfold in place. “No peeking, Elvis.”
The smile on my face refused to budge as the car started and we began driving. Gio’s grip on my thigh was firm, and since I was wearing a pleated skirt with black tights, his fingers played a game of tracing lines up my thigh, dangerously close to where my core clenched.
My hair was down and curled. I wore makeup and a black,cropped, long-sleeved shirt with my skirt and cute platform boots. It was a huge contrast to how I had spent my eighteenth, holed up in my room with no makeup while I stuffed my face and ate copious amounts of junk food.
“Okay, almost there,” Kingston said from the front.
I tried to listen for any sounds of where we might be going, but I couldn’t make anything out.
The car came to a gentle stop, and Gio began exiting the car while telling me to keep the blindfold in place. I felt his hand guide me until I was clear of the roof and door, and then suddenly I heard a loud, “SURPRISE!”
My blindfold was lifted and there on the front steps of the manor were my parents, Juan, Taylor, and Alex. There was a banner that said my Happy Birthday across it, and Alex held a bundle of balloons for me.
“You drove around to the manor?” I laughed as Kingston walked over and pulled my hand in his.
Gio did the same on the other side. “Nothing but the best for our queen.”
I rolled my eyes and followed everyone inside, for the first time ever showing that I was proudly with both brothers. If anyone noticed or made a face of disapproval, I didn’t see it. Everyone just seemed happy to be celebrating me.
The dining, lounge area past the foyer was decorated with black and white balloons, with gold ribbons and streamers. Sinatra played over the speaker system, and there on the massive table, where our families used to gather for meals, was a display of tiered foods, drinks, appetizers, and my favorite cake in the middle.
I was moved by how much work everyone had put into things. Alex came over and began gushing about the food and all the different things I needed to try. It truly felt like the worry over Markos and Scotty had been put to rest, but I kept glancing over at my father, trying to sense if he felt it too or if he couldn’t seem tofully enjoy himself because he felt the threat lingering over our heads.
I needed to know why Scotty went to visit Uncle Decker.
Kingston walked over and pushed a few pieces of hair out of my face before pressing a quick kiss to my mouth, and it took me by surprise. So much so that I blinked up at him, shocked. He’d just kissed me in front of our families…did that mean Gio wouldn’t be able to, or were they going to rip off the band-aid right here, tonight, on my birthday?
Kingston must have realized my surprise because he leaned in close and said, “I told you. The sooner the better,mi reina.”
He pulled away and wandered off toward the corner his siblings were in, and I decided to head toward my dad. He surprisingly didn’t seem affected by what he might have witnessed, which only made me want to ask him about it.
“Are you having a good birthday, honey?”
I grabbed a stuffed mushroom and popped it into my mouth before nodding. “Really good.”
“Good.” He set a few more pieces of food on his plate before moving to the side.
“Does it weird you out?” I moved with him, speaking in a hushed voice.
Dad glanced around like we were spies. “Does what weird me out?”
He even used a fake whisper to play along. I rolled my eyes while letting out a bit of a relieved laugh. “Just…um, me with them.”
How did one ask their dad if it freaked him out to see his daughter showing PDA to her boyfriends?
My dad smiled down at his plate of food. “Do you remember how often you’d get in trouble for sneaking into their bed as a little girl?”
“Yeah.” I smiled, remembering he even took away my favorite stuffed animal to try and punish me over it.
“Yet you just kept wandering back to them. You said it was where you felt the safest.”
That was true. Gio and Kingston were my pillars, and whenever I felt the anxiety of my father’s world, or Scotty’s, the twins would be where I found stability.
My dad held his plate while tasting a piece of chicken, then continued, “It was never my fear of them falling in love with you that made me so worried, honey. It was only ever what would happen if they fell for you but couldn’t have you. That happened, and somehow, someway, we’re here now. We made it through. If they treat you well, and you’re happy, that’s all I care about. Besides, I couldn’t really have hoped for better. They would do anything to keep you safe. I know that now.”
My eyes burned, but with happy tears. I wrapped my arms around his middle and squeezed him. “Thanks, Dad.”
I was going to ask him about Scotty when my mother swooped in and pulled me over to the table of presents.
