“I know, but I want them for pictures. Please, baby, will you go get them?”
She could tell Matty wanted to protest but in the end, she relented. “Okay, yeah, I’ll go get them. Where are they?”
“Still in the box. Look in my bottom drawer.”
Slowly, their lives had begun to merge. She had things at Matty’s place, and Matty had things at hers.
“Okay, yeah, I’ll go get it. I’ll try to be fast.”
She gave her a quick kiss and went out the door. The engine of her new-to-her used car came to life. Something else that was new in their life together.
The last few months had been exciting and filled with changes. Good changes. The house was fully cleaned out. The walls had been painted, new hardwood flooring had been laid, and they had furnished most of the rooms. She still didn’t have a bed in the guest room or a desk in what would be the office, but that was fine. The living areas were fully and wholly usable and that made a huge heaviness leave her shoulders. It was a happy and calming place. That was why she picked pale blue for the living room and a prettyyellow for the kitchen with a lemon theme. A little kitschy? Yes. But it made her smile, and Reese liked smiling these days.
Once Matty’s car was out of sight, she texted Bette back. Less than a minute later, her SUV was pulling in the driveway. She rushed outside.
“Did she give you any problems with leaving the house?” Bette asked as she got out, popping the hatch on the back of the car as she went.
“I think she wanted to but didn’t argue.”
“I hope we can get this all done before she gets here. Kerrie and Kenny are going to try to stall her. Does she still think the party is at 1:30?” Zoe asked as she came around the side.
All three of them began grabbing bags, with Reese gently picking up the cake box. “Yes, she doesn’t realize it’s really at 2:00. She’s going to be so surprised.”
Working together, the living room was soon transformed. A large banner with "Congratulations" in foil letters on it hung over the food table. Streamers were quickly pinned here and there, over the windows and on the stair banister. All three were sweating by the time they had finished.
“I think we did great!” Zoe gushed, wiping her forehead.
Reese nodded, fanning herself as she flipped on the ceiling fan. “Yeah, it’s really festive in here.”
People began to show up not long after they finished. Elsie and her husband Jake were the first, followed by Jayvon and his girlfriend. Before long, the little bungalow was buzzing with people.
“Aunty Reese, Aunty Reese, I can see her car!” Gage yelled as he ran inside. As soon as Haley and her family arrived, Reese had tasked him as the lookout for Matty.
“Thank you, Gage. Okay, everyone, let’s get ready to surprise her. When she comes in, let’s all yell congratulations,” Reese instructed.
Everyone turned to face the front door. It felt like it took ten minutes for her to pass the window and then get to the front door with Kenny and Kerrie behind her.
When the door opened, there was a pause, then the room erupted into a chorus of “Congratulations!”
Matty’s mouth dropped open as she clutched the shoebox tightly to her chest. Behind her, Kenny jumped, causing Kerrie to grab him when he nearly fell over. Matty and Kenny’s faces were painted with shock while Kerrie was grinning big. Reese hoped someone got a picture of it.
“What—what is this?” Matty asked.
“This is for you. We wanted to celebrate your new job,” Reese gushed.
“But I thought we were celebrating your house?”
“We can do both.”
Matty’s mouth opened and closed a few times before she launched herself into Reese’s arms. She whispered in a raw voice, “Thank you, baby.”
“You’re welcome. You deserve it.”
They stayed embraced for a few more seconds before pulling apart. They had guests waiting.
“Okay, let’s start eating. We’ve got all the finger foods and cake.”
“Cake?” Matty asked. She was still holding the box.
