Page 78 of First Surrender
“On a Saturday?”
“Yeah, yesterday was a rough one. I probably would have worked through the night but-” I stop midsentence, not wanting to finish my thought.
“But, you didn’t want me to be alone,” she assumes, correctly, with a defeated sigh.
“I wanted to come home to you,” I insist.
Her alarm is still going off down the hall as she scoots off the bed and away from me. “The party is at 4:00 if you can make it. If not, no biggy.”
No biggy.Why can’t she just tell me that she wants me there?
Because she wouldn’t risk the disappointment if I didn’t show.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Natalie
“Sissy, can we do cake now?” Dec begs with over-the-top enthusiasm. He rarely calls me sissy anymore, usually only when he’s overly happy or sad, and even though his party just started, I can tell he’s having the best day of his life.
All his friends have arrived and are taking turns launching themselves across the couch onto the balloon-covered floor. The four moms here are in the kitchen with me, watching them go wild, and laughing at their antics.
“Let’s wait just a little bit.” I ruffle his hair at the top where it’s still long and he nods, quickly jumping back into the chaos.
Little boys are energy-filled monsters, but funny monsters.
Jackson didn’t say when he’d be home, but I hoped he’d come to the party. We had Dec’s favorite dinner on his actual birthday the other day and gave him his bike, so it’s probably too much to expect him to be here too.
“Natalie the party is great. Dec’s so happy.” Sienna is the mom that I know the best. She’s the one that has been the most kind and helpful since I’ve had Dec. The other three moms seem to have their own little group dynamic.
“Thank you. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to pull it off. Last year we didn’t get to have a party, things were still prettychaotic.” She knows more about the situation with my mom than the other three, so I don’t expand further.
“You have a lovely home,” Kelly, I think, says.
“Oh, it’s not mine. We’re only here temporarily.”
“That’s right. The Sheriff lives here, right?” She asks the question to which she clearly knows the answer.
“Yeah. Jackson was kind enough to let us stay here after the fire.”
“He is something else, isn’t he?” Jennifer adds.
“Uh, yeah. I guess.” I must blush because Sienna jumps and tries to steer the conversation away, bringing up the weather. It’s a beautiful day so it doesn’t distract the moms much.
“Are you guys together?” Kelly noses.
“Oh, um no. We’re friendly. I mean we’re friends.”
“Oof, I’d love to be friends with Sheriff Malec. I heard he doesn’t date.” Maryanna is the one who speaks up this time. She doesn’t beat around the bush.
“Aren’t you married?” Sienna asks her. She shrugs.
“JACKSON!” Dec shouts from the living room, running full speed at the man as he’s barely stepped through the door.
“There’s the birthday boy!” Jackson matches his energy, strong-arming Dec before he can react, body slamming him on the couch WWE style.
The giggles echoing out of the room make me want to cry. Dec deserves all of this.
I look back to my guests but only Sienna is looking at me, her face full of knowing. I bite my lip to keep from smiling and bless her for not saying anything out loud about my obvious crush on the man who is tickling my brother to death.