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“Yes!” she screamed so loud my ears rang. George must’ve been in a similar shape since he stuck a finger in one and wiggled it around.
“Inside voice,” CJ and I chorused together. We looked at each other and smiled, and I instantly felt better. Were there a lot of people in my home I didn’t know? Yes. Was I a little overwhelmed by the surprise of it all? Absolutely. But as I gazed up into his twinkling blue eyes, I realized that it would all be okay. CJ only wanted the best for us, and I knew he’d gone above and beyond to make it happen. My mom’s presence was the perfect example of that.
“Do you think she can handle this?” I tilted my head toward Lexi.
He snorted. “One hundred percent. She’s going to love it.”
My shoulders relaxed, and I took a deep breath. CJ knew the light of my life as well as I did. If he thought she’d be fine, I believed him. I wouldn’t put my fears and insecurities on her. “Then let’s go.”
“You want to come say hi to all the people who came for your party, Lexi-girl?”
We all waited for her normal retort that her name was Lexi, but instead, she screamed an enthusiastic, “Yes,” and reached for him. When he hesitated, I passed her over. +
“Lead the way.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
Sliding my arm through the crook of his arm, I nodded. Behind us, Margie aww’d, and I heard George fake vomiting noises. I didn’t know what I was doing right now, and I felt like I was flying blind, but for the first time in so long, I also felt safe. “Lead on.”
As CJ predicted, Lexi was fine. She said, “Nice to meet you,” to every new person she met in a way that clued me in that she’d been coached by someone. The squeal of pure delight when she saw my mother was only surpassed by the gasp of delight later in the day when CJ walked in carrying a three-layer cake with black and white checkered fondant squares to represent a flag, a black road driving on top of each tier with all of the vehicles from Cars represented placed along the way, and a big red number three candle sparkling at the top. It was spectacular.
My daughter beamed with pride as the chorus of voices rose around my dining room as we sang Happy Birthday. CJ stood at the end of the table recording it all, while Lexi sat in my lap, and it felt so damn good to have someone here sharing knowing glances and special smiles at her cuteness. The minute she blew out the candle, she said, “I make a wish, but I not telling, so it will come true.”
He winked at me, and I melted. All of my reservations about relationships and dating employees and everything else disappeared in that one blink of his eye. Like they’d done all day, the grandmother figures in the house stepped in and took over the cutting of the cake. Lexi wiggled off of my lap, so I stood up and walked over to CJ. “So, this was pretty awesome.”
“It’s about to get better.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me into the empty hallway. “Kevin, I quit.” My ears buzzed, and I wondered if I was going to pass out. After all of this, he was leaving. Then he cupped my face between his hands and said, “So after this is all over, will you take me to bed?”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CJ
If I hadn’t been so sure that Kevin cared about me even half as much as I loved him, I wouldn’t have dropped the I quit bomb on him quite like that. I felt bad at how fast his face paled to ghostly white, but it had been pretty damn satisfying watching it flush red and his pupil blow wide when I followed it up with my little proposal.
He opened his mouth, and I pressed my index finger gently against his lips. “Hold that thought until after everyone’s gone.”
I thought telling him I quit was humorous, but it was nothing compared to the ragey face he was sporting by the time the last of the guests headed out the door. By then, he'd carried a worn-out Lexi up to her room and deposited her in bed.
“I think she had a pretty successful birthday, don't you?” Lorraine asked me.
“I think so. I really hope she enjoyed it as much as it looked like she did.” I’d stressed trying to give her the best birthday possible.
Kevin came down the hall, stalking toward me, where I leaned against the counter in front of the sink. “What do you think, son?”
He jumped at the sound of his mom's voice.
“Oh, sorry, mom. I thought you were in bed already.”
“You mean you hoped I was.” She snickered.
His face went bright red, and he sputtered. “What…what do you mean by that?”
She rolled her eyes. “Listen, CJ was nice enough to clean the sheets and make the bed in my room up for me. I don't expect to see either one of you on the couch in the morning. We're all grown here, and I know what new couples get up to.”
She looked over at me and winked, and I held both my hands over my heart. She paused and kissed her son's cheek, whispering, “I love you,” and then headed upstairs.
Wide-eyed, Kevin swiveled back in my direction. “What do you think she meant by that?”
Taking a few steps to meet him in the middle of the room, I gripped his hands in mine. “What do you say we take this conversation up to your room?” He bit his bottom lip, anxiety rolling off of him, so I added, “Or we can talk in the living room. Whichever is most comfortable for you.”
