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Jude was waiting for me by the car, and we drove to the closest florist, buying every single flower they had. I had no idea about what matched and what didn’t, so we thought it safest to just get everything and let Mom decide.
We’d crammed as many flowers as we could into my car, the trunk too small to fit more than a few bundles. Jude was covered in bouquets, his body pressed against the door. I had flowers on my lap and dashboard. The back seat was covered, the smell making me nauseous.
Jude let out a pained groan when I hit a dip in the road and his head smashed against the window. “If anyone sees us, it’ll haunt us for the rest of our short lives.”
“Our lives aren’t going to be short.”
He scoffed. “You used to be more realistic than this. Just because Dad got lucky doesn’t mean we will.”
“Not sure I’d describe getting shot and nearly dying as lucky.”
“Nearly dying means he’s still alive.”
I pulled up in front of the house this time, not wanting to carry all the flowers farther than I had to.
After getting them out of the car and to the backyard that Mom had transformed into a casino, we hid in the living room. Jude sat in the seat farthest away from a still-sleeping Daisy, and I sat down next to her.
She opened one eye when the couch moved but then went straight back to sleep.
“Do you think she’s hungry? Maybe we should get food ready just in case,” Jude whispered, his eyes never leaving Daisy.
“She’s fine. And I can assure you she won’t eat you even if she gets hungry.”
“You don’t know that.”
Mom rushing past the room diverted our attention. “They’re pulling into the driveway. Everyone outside. Quickly.”
We got up, and I whistled, causing Daisy to jump off the couch, her tongue lolling out of the side of her admittedly giant mouth, her tail once again wagging.
Jude slowly backed up. “Has she grown in the last hour?”
I picked up her lead, ignoring my brother. We took up position in the backyard, Daisy sniffing every inch of the yard and swiping anything to the ground that was within reach of her wagging tail.
The backyard was full of people. Mom must have invited all her friends in her frenzy to make the party special for Vanna.
When Vanna and Freya walked through the back door, we all yelled, “Surprise.” Vanna stared with wide eyes at the crowd in front of her, her mouth comically dropping open.
Mom rushed up to her, leading her down the steps into the backyard. “Happy birthday, darling.”
“You created a casino in the backyard.” Vanna’s voice was full of awe, a look of wonder on her face.
Mom took her hand. “You mentioned you loved playing cards, so I thought this would be perfect.”
She threw her arms around Mom, and I just made out her whispered “Thank you.”
Liam hugged her next, followed by Quinn, who pressed Vanna against her ever-growing belly.
Vanna kissed first her cheek, then her belly. “How is the little peanut?” She straightened up again. “And how was your honeymoon?”
“All is as it should be. And the honeymoon was beautiful. I think it was my favorite one.”
I looked at Daisy, who was sitting contentedly next to me. “I should have put a bow on you.”
Jude nodded at Vanna, who was staring at me, then Daisy. “Too late.”
Vanna stopped in front of us, her face flushed, her smile big. “I didn’t know you had a dog. She’s gorgeous.”
She leaned down and ran her hands through Daisy’s fur—not that she had to lean very far—whispering to her. Daisy was lapping it up, pushing her head into Vanna’s belly, her tail going wild.
