Huck groaned, bending over double, his ass hitting the wall so it propped him up, his hands on his knees.
“I hate you all.”
If he’d looked up from his hands, where his head currently was, he’d have seen the biggest, smug as fuck grin on my face, which definitely saidI fucking told you so.
“Well, I’ve had my fill of drama for today, I’m going to see Molly. See you dipshits later. Sands, it’s been nice knowing you.”
His scowl warmed my heart.
“Oh man, Coach is going to kill him.” Drew kept laughing as he followed me down the corridor and out the doors toward the parking lot. “Anyway, thought you weren’t seeing her until later?”
“No, I need to go and see her now and tell her what’s happening. You know she hates surprises, so this way she’s got at least,” I checked my watch, “six hours to get used to a change of plans.”
Ralph pulled the car up to the front doors when he saw us walk out, nodding to Drew as the window lowered. “Am I taking you both today?”
Drew shook his head. “Nah, I drove. You’re still in charge of Clevs.”
Ralph chuckled and the window went back up.
“Thanks, buddy, you know I love you.”
“Yeah, yeah. Okay, see you later? All set for your first official outing as a couple?”
“Just about.” I scoffed.
“Fifty bucks on Coop’s head exploding in the first hour.”
Drew’s laughing got harder and set me off again.
“Yeah, you’re on.” I fist bumped him. “See you later, bud. Seven p.m.”
He took off for his car and I got into the passenger seat next to Ralphie, throwing my crutches through to the back. I had another couple more weeks of it, then I’d be throwing them straight into the nearest garbage truck.
“Hospital?”
“You know it, Ralphie man.”
Molly didn’t often get upset, so when she did, the impact seemed all the more pronounced. After the day she’d spent crying to me, I’d wanted to make sure she had something fun, something special she could enjoy, to take her head out of the stress she was carrying at the moment. And as it was her thirty-third birthday tomorrow, I’d planned a little party with our gang. Nothing big, but just exactly enough for her.
Her office door was ajar and I peered around, knocking on the doorframe as I did. She was sitting at her desk, her forehead resting on her fingertips as she stared intently down at a document, frowning.
“Babe?” I stepped in properly and closed the door behind me. “Are you okay?”
The frown dropped away as she looked up, blinking as if she hadn’t realized I’d been standing there watching her for a minute, taking in everything like it hadn’t been six hours since I last saw her. Like I was seeing everything for the first time. And her smile hit me right where it always did, straight in the heart, a bullseye with precision accuracy.
It never missed.
“Hey.” She stood up, placing some files on top of whatever it was she’d been reading, and moved over to me. Her smile held strong as her lips pressed against mine. “What are you doing here?”
I dropped the bags I’d been carrying and propped my crutches against the wall so I could wrap my arms around her. “Came to see my girl on her birthday eve.”
“Oh, really?”
“Really, come here.” I kissed her nose and led her over to the couch.
She pointed to the bags by the door. “What’s in there? Is that my present?”
“Some of it. But you need to follow my instructions first. And I want a kiss for each one.”
