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“Tonight?”

“Tonight.”

Now all Sadie had to do was wait for the festivities to die down. Which, at a Mackenzie party, could be well after midnight.

It was currently just past nine p.m. and Sadie was sitting at a table in the backyard watching Ellie and Eden do karaoke to aWickedsong. They were nailing it, of course, and Sadie watched in awe at Ellie at how easily she held her own with her aunt. There was no doubt in Sadie’s mind that if her current desire to be an ultrasound tech didn’t work out, Ellie definitely had a future on stage.

As Ellie made her way off the patio that was serving as the makeshift stage, she rejoined Sadie at the table.

“How’d I sound?”

“Amazing as usual.”

Leaning toward her, Sadie kissed her. She loved that they didn’t have to care who saw them, even with Ellie’s whole family and Sadie’s parents somewhere in the crowd of people. There was a long table set up with half-empty boxes of every pizza imaginable, as well as breadsticks and two birthday cakes. Sadie loved that their parents made sure they each had their own.

“So,” Ellie put her hand on Sadie’s inner thigh as she whispered into her ear, “this party should be over soon.”

“I thought Mackenzie parties never ended.”

“Just disperse.” Ellie smirked. “We’ll take it to my room as people start to leave, okay?”

“I need to give you your present, too.”

Ellie’s eyebrow arched as her smirk grew. “Oh, is that what the kids are calling it now?”

Rolling her eyes was completely involuntary for Sadie.

“You are just like Mason.”

“So I’ve been told.”

Another painfully long hour passed before the party had finally wound down to just a few people. Sadie watched as Ellie said goodnight to her parents and siblings before taking Sadie’s hand and walking her out to her car. The noises from the party and the songs that were still playing on the portable speakers faded as they walked into the front yard. There were only a few cars left, and Sadie was suddenly insanely nervous about what was about to happen.

And on top of it all, she still wanted to give Ellie her present. Nervously, Sadie reached into her car and pulled the small black box out of the back seat. She’d been glad no one seemed to have noticed it with the top down on her car. Sadie held it in her hand as Ellie smiled at her.

“What’s that?”

“Your birthday present.”

“It looks like jewelry.” Ellie’s eyes sparked. “I love jewelry.”

“Aww, man. Really? I guess I shouldn’t have gotten you this then.”

Extending the box out to Ellie, she watched as she carefully opened it. Ellie gasped, putting her hand to her heart as she studied the ring.

“Sadie,” Ellie tenderly took the ring out and held it in between her fingers, “it’s gorgeous.”

“It’s from the 1920s.”

“Shut up. It is not.”

“It is,” Sadie laughed. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.” Carefully, Ellie slipped the ring onto her ring finger with the heart facing inward. She studied it for a moment longer before wrapping her arms around Sadie’s neck. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Their lips came together sweetly, but it quickly turned into something more. Ellie gently pushed Sadie against the car door before seeming to remember they were closer to her bedroom. Looking over her shoulder toward the backyard, Ellie nodded toward the garage.