Page 65 of Broken Boundaries

I leave work a little early to put the final touches on Aspen’s cake. I wanted to make sure it was ready by the time she gets home from work. I watch out my window like a stalker waiting to see her drive up, and when I finally see her car, I walk outside as casually as I can.

“Hey, Birthday Girl. Got a sec?” I call out to her.

She smiles and walks toward me. “Hey, where’d you run off to this afternoon? You didn’t even get a cupcake.”

“I had some work I needed to do in one of the guest cabins, and then I wanted to get back here to finish up your birthday surprise.”

Her eyes go wide. “What?”

“You didn’t think I wouldn’t celebrate your birthday, did you?” I ask.

“You’ve already done so much. The decorations, the gift card. . .”

I shake my head. “Nah, that was all the girls. I can’t take credit for any of that. I had my own thing planned. Come in.”

I wave her into the house, and she follows behind me. “This is too much.”

“It’s not. It’s not enough.” Nothing will ever be enough for her.

She follows me to the kitchen, where the cake is sitting out on the counter, with a small gift bag next to it.

She looks down at the cake that’s covered in chocolate frosting. “Brooks, did you make this?”

When she looks up at me with glossy eyes, I wonder if I’ve gone too far. I’m trying to not fall in love with my son’s ex, and yet here I am, baking her a fucking birthday cake. Sometimes I wonder if I like to torture myself.

“I did, but just know I’ve never been much of a baker, so I’m not sure how good it’s going to be.”

“It’s the thought that counts, Brooks. This is so special. Thank you so much.” I hear the waver in her voice, and I hope she doesn’t start crying. This was supposed to be a happy moment to celebrate her. The last thing I want to do is make her cry.

I nudge the bag closer to her. “Here. Open your gift.”

She rummages through the tissue paper before pulling out a square box. My heart is beating annoyingly fast as I watch her open it. I don’t give gifts to people often. Zach usually just wants money. My parents just want my time. I usually get Harper something on her birthday and Christmas, but it’s always pretty generic. Aspen deserves something special.

Now that she’s opening it, I’m nervous that she won’t like it.

She opens the box and gasps.

“Brooks…” She pulls out the belt buckle I had custom-made for her. It’s a smaller one, nothing like the big ones I wear. It’s got a horse with a few flowers around it and her name engraved in it. The outside has a border of sapphire gems for her birthstone.

“You’re gettin’ so good on the horse that I, uh, figured you needed to look the part.”

Her voice cracks as she repeats my name. “This is incredible. Thank you. Really. Thank you.”

“Of course.”

“Can I… Can I hug you?” she asks. The question doesn’t help my heart rate. It feels like my chest is about to explode. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to deny Aspen anything.

I open my arms wide, and she walks right into them. I wrap myself around her, holding her close. I’ve been trying to keep her at a distance these last few weeks. It’s been tough to say the least. This hug, feeling her against me, means just as much to me as it probably does to her.

“Happy birthday, darlin’.”

“Thanks, Brooks.”

I hold her for longer than I should, just feeling her in my arms. She fits perfectly against me.

She pulls back and looks up at me. “Can I ask for one more thing for my birthday?”

“Sure.”