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“Liar,” Kiara says, taking a seat on the chair opposite me. “We have a girl’s day, followed by a night out.”
“Okay, I guess if you count that, we do celebrate it.”
“That’s not a party,” Nate says stubbornly.
This time I chuckle out loud. I just can’t help myself. “I think you’re just sad you won’t get to party.”
“Hell yeah! Everybody should celebrate their birthday.”
They should, shouldn’t they?
I look down, biting the inside of my cheek. “Well, birthdays were never a big thing for me growing up, so…”
That was one way of putting it. Nobody really cared that much when you were a part of the system. It was just another day. Just another year you’d gotten older, and just one less chance for you to finally find your forever home.
A leg bumps against mine under the table, and when I look up, I see Kiara wink at me. “I’m sorry to disappoint, hotshot, but it’s a special day for the two of us, and we don’t like to share. So, you’ll have to deal with it.”
I give her a grateful smile. Just like me, Kiara was part of the system. We both entered foster care when we were eleven. Every now and then, we’d be placed with different families, but in the end, we’d always end up back where we started. The sad truth was nobody wanted older kids. A big majority of parents wanted cute babies with zero issues and connections to their past life.
I catch Quinn’s piercing gaze on me. I wonder if he can sense this is just a load of bullshit. Either way, he doesn’t say anything.
“It’s going to start soon,” somebody yells, drawing everybody’s attention away from me and the topic of my birthday.
“Come with me?” Quinn asks, offering me his hand.
Not in the mood to finish my dinner, I push from the table, and together, we go to the lounge chairs. Quinn takes a seat first before pulling me into his lap.
I should probably protest. This is as far from casual as we can get, but the reality is, I don’t want to.
Quinn’s arms slip around my waist, and I lean against his chest just as the first sparks of color flash against the dark sky.
Somebody yells, and when I turn around, I see a few of Quinn’s friends setting their own fireworks with loud whoops.
I tilt my head back. “You don’t want to join them?”
Quinn’s lips brush against my temple. “I’m just fine where I am.”
His warm breath touches my skin, and I can feel goosebumps rise on my flesh. A lump forms in my throat, making it hard to breathe.
All of this is making me feel… unsettled.
I like it. I like Quinn. I like the way he makes me feel when he wraps his arms around me. Like nothing bad could ever happen to me as long as he’s there. Like this all isn’t just a sham, but the real deal. I know it’s unreasonable, but it’s true.
Quinn MacLannister is unnerving me to my very bones, and I’m not sure what to do about it.
“What’s on your mind?”
“Just thinking.” I lean my head against his chest and let out a loud sigh. “I love fireworks the most.”
Quinn leans his chin on top of my head. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. With the whole country watching the same sky, it makes you feel like you belong. Even for a little while.”
“Hmm…” His thumb gently skims over my forearm. “I guess you’re right.”
“Plus, it’s pretty.”
That makes him chuckle. “We can’t forget that.”
