AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Walking home, I got more flashes of when I was younger. My mom cried for weeks during the proceedings, and my dad’s temper was even shorter. Yet, even with everything going on, I never doubted that they loved me. The main lasting impact was my birthday hatred, which I think broke my mom’s heart every year.
When I got home, the only noise in the apartment was the TV. I looked around. Parker was sitting on the couch, the smell of pizza coming from the kitchen. Gabby’s door was wide open, but her lights were off, so she was gone.
“I don’t want to do any more celebrating. I just wanted to spend my birthday like I usually do.”
“I tried, princess,” Parker took me in his arms. I wrapped my arms around his waist. He circled his finger on my shoulder. “They wouldn’t listen to anyone that you didn’t want a party. Erik told me he knows you better than anyone and knows what you like and don’t like. Richard looked at me like he might have swung if I kept talking. So, I just let it go and let them dig their own graves.”
“They should’ve known better,” I rested my cheek on his chest, using his breath to settle me. “Especially Erik.”
“Well, I do have something for you. It’s a gift, but not really.”
I looked at him skeptically, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at him trying to fix my birthday. There was no fix.
He walked to the kitchen and took out a pizza box from the oven. He opened it to the beautiful sight of a pizza with black olives and basil.
“You didn’t eat at the party, so I had this delivered. I figured there was still some of the day left, and you could sit here with your pizza and watch movies.”
“This is exactly what I’ve wanted all day,” I jumped up and landed a soft kiss on his lips. He caught me and held me against him. I stared at his eyes. His beautiful blue eyes. “Thank you, Parker.”
“Anything for you, princess. I’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of the day in solitude. Happy birthday.”
He grabbed his keys on the island and walked to the door. My heart begged for me to ask him to stay. Maybe a small break in tradition was okay. After all, he did buy the pizza.
“Wait!” I blurted out. He turned, a small smile slowly spreading through his face. “Stay.”
“Wouldn’t that break your carefully crafted ritual?” he teased. His eyes lightened, a spark across them. I couldn’t tear away from his eyes. They were mesmerizingly blue.
“Maybe a small change isn’t such a bad thing. But in moderation.”
I walked over to the couch and fell back on it, holding the pizza box tightly. I patted the seat next to me.
“Well, I’m honored that you’re letting me spend the rest of your birthday with you.”
“Do you want any pizza?”
“I’m okay. Olives are gross.”
I feigned offense at his comment, and he quickly snuck a kiss on my cheek.
He looked up the trashiest romance movies of all time and started our marathon. I laid my head on his shoulder, his cologne mixing with the smell of my pizza. I didn’t know what heaven looked like, sounded like, or felt like, but I was sure this is what it smelled like.
Then, the thought crept into my mind.
Our time together was almost out.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Monday morning.
Nineteen days left.
Amelia lightly tapped on my door, her smiling face coming through the glass. I looked up from my computer and waved her in.
She looked so incredibly put together, as always. I liked her style. She always wore a black or white pantsuit with what I assumed to be various colorful shirts and heels that matched.
“Do you mind if we chat for a minute?” Her voice was quiet, sweet, but stern.
“Sure. I was about to email you to see if you had a minute today,” I turned to her. I sipped my second coffee from my new favorite mug. I never knew a person could have a favorite mug. “What’s on your mind?”
