Page 33

RUMI

Who knew a birthday party for a one-year-old could completely take over your life?

Evee’s party is set to start in less than an hour, and Ava, Emerson, and I are running around Hey Honey’s like chickens with our heads cut off making sure everything is prepped.

Luke let us close early today, allowing us to use the space for the party.

“Annie should be here any minute with cupcakes and a cake for Evee,” Ava says in between blowing up balloons. “That just leaves this balloon arch and setting up the backdrop for a little photo op.”

Emerson is hanging up streamers around the space, offering to help since she opened this morning and was already here. “How many people are we expecting?” she asks over her tattooed shoulder as she tapes the green streamer to the window.

“Not too many,” Ava answers. “Probably like 30 people and then the kids of those who have them.”

My hands freeze around the plates of snacks I’m preparing. “That many?” I gawk. “I thought it was just us, Luke, Annie, the girls from Love I see Drew, Mia, Elsie, and Sierra sitting at one of the tables while Luke, Eddie, and Emmett are chasing after Eddie’s twin girls and Emmett’s daughter.

By the cupcakes, Annie holds Drew’s son and chats with Emerson and Ava, who grabbed Evee from me once most of the guests arrived.

Before I realize, a wave of emotion ripples through me, and there’s a tight swell rising in my throat as my eyes burn with a prickle of heat. I blink a few times, trying to stop any tears from falling, not wanting anyone to think I’m upset.

In reality, the thought of all these people here to celebrate Evee fills me with so much happiness, it seems to be overflowing.

It’s like all these missing pieces to a puzzle that I’ve been trying to find for so long have come together.

Some were for the background landscape while some made the picture whole, but all together, they create the perfect image.

I wipe a stray tear from the corner of my eye, just as the front door behind me opens, and it’s like the final piece clicks into place.

“You came.” I wrap my arms around myself, not sure what to do with them.

Jack leans in, and a hand comes to my arm as he bends down to press a kiss to my cheek. The gesture is small and quick yet natural. Like he didn’t think about it—he just did it.

His lips are warm against my cheek, his facial hair tickling my skin as he lightly squeezes my arm with his calloused hand.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” he says just before he stands back up to his full height, dropping his arm to his side.

He’s wearing a backwards black baseball hat, dressed in a dark green T-shirt and the same black shorts he wore last week.

It takes everything in me to school my features, including keeping my mouth closed to avoid drooling at his thigh tattoos and backwards hat.

“And I have this for Evee girl.” He holds up a leopard print bag with white tissue paper.

I open my mouth to say how he didn’t have to bring a gift, that coming was enough—it’s more than instinct at this point; it’s second nature.

But I fight it, the words, “Thank you,” coming out instead, and Jack gives me a nod of approval, like he knew what I was about to say and thought otherwise.

I reach to take the gift from him, but he doesn’t let me.

Taking the hint, I walk him over to the gift table, his hand on my back as we weave through the pods of people talking, Jack giving small waves to everyone he knows.

The gift table is next to where we set up the cupcakes, so Jack sets his gift down to say hi to Ava, Annie, and his sister.

“Thanks for coming,” Ava says, passing Evee to him without an ounce of hesitation. “Your turn for baby duty.”

Jack takes Evee, holding her against him with ease—all the practice last week paid off, and my heart squeezes as she brings her hands to his cheeks and giggles, showing off her third tooth that recently started growing in.

“Hi, Evee girl,” he coos. Jack isn’t one to use a baby voice like others tend to do, but he always takes on a higher tone when he talks to Evee.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” he says to her, and I feel my knees threaten to buckle, the urge to faint like a cartoon character with hearts over my eyes is strong, and Ava must know exactly what she’s doing to me by giving Evee to Jack.

I can tell by the look she gives to Emerson before they both turn to look at me, knowing smirks on both of their faces.