Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84114 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84114 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
I take a moment to watch Maddie. She’s in jeans and a pink sweater, hair done in soft waves. She’s utterly beautiful, the sexiest thing in this world, and I ache with wanting a life with her.
Grayce crawls around on the floor, her tutu puffed around her like she’s the queen of the realm. She reaches me and grabs hold of my jeans right at the knee and hauls herself up.
She points at the cake and demands, “Da!”
“The princess wants cake intel,” I say, scooping her into my arms. She squeals, grabs a fistful of my ear, causing me to wince, and Maddie’s face softens.
“You did an amazing job, Mads,” I tell her, nodding at the kitchen.
“It’s too much.” She gestures helplessly. “There are, like, forty people on the RSVP. I hope I have enough food.”
I grin. “You clearly don’t understand how this community works. They’ll bring more food, along with drinks. It will be more than enough.”
Her lips curve, but she doesn’t answer. Her eyes dart to the banner, to Grayce chewing on her fist while simultaneously trying to rip off my ear.
I step closer to Maddie. “You okay?”
Those blue eyes hold mine for a long moment, and it seems like she’s going to say something meaningful. But then the doorbell rings and her face shutters.
“It’s showtime,” I say. “You ready?”
“No, but let’s do this.”
Over the next half hour, it’s a steady stream of guests arriving until the house is filled with laughter, joking and kids running wild. As I predicted, everyone arrives with food or drink in hand and the counter and table overflow with food, the living room taken over by a pile of brightly colored gifts. Grayce stares wide-eyed, not used to this many people.
The place turns into a hive, and Maddie, who once flinched at crowds, gets pulled into the center without even realizing it. Brienne kisses her cheek. Winnie slips her a mimosa. And I watch her glow under the steady support of this new family she’s become a part of whether she wants it or not.
By the time we’re ready for cake, Grayce is already yawning. It’s way past her normal nap time after all.
We circle around the dining table and Maddie insists I sit with Grayce on my lap at one end. Everyone sings “Happy Birthday” as Maddie carries in the smash cake with a large candle in the shape of a number one and sets it before Grayce. I bounce her on my knee, leaning around to see the look of awe on her face as she stares at the waving flame. She makes a grab for it, but I’m quicker. “Oh, no you don’t. You’ll hear me repeat this many times, but fire is bad.”
Everyone laughs and I glance up to see Maddie holding her iPhone, recording all of this. Her eyes meet mine and I’m stunned by the emotion there. Obvious joy in this momentous celebration, but something far more vulnerable as well. There’s a softness and maybe a surety I’ve never seen before, but I chalk it up to her being in the moment.
“Let’s blow out the candle, okay, Graycie?” I say. I stand her up on her feet and count, “One, two, three!”
I blow out the candle as Grayce stomps her feet and yells, “Da!”
Mazzy leans forward and removes the smoking candle and I pull the cake closer. I glance at Maddie, her eyes pinned to the screen of her camera to make sure she keeps everything in frame, but the smile on her face is relaxed.
“All right, little girl, this is your cake, and your cake alone. Do with it what you will.”
Everyone watches as I tilt Grayce toward the cake. She stares at it a long moment, trying to figure out what to do, and then plunges a hand right into it. She startles a moment, pulling her hand back to stare at the frosting and chunk of cake in her fist. Her eyes come to me as if questioning what she should do.
“Give it a taste,” I encourage her.
And to my surprise, she does just that. Her eyes flare at the sweetness and she shoves her whole fist into her mouth, inciting more uproarious laughter around the table.
“Da!” Grayce exclaims and then pats me on the face with her messy hand, leaving streaks of frosting behind.
The tide of laughter swells, and when I look up, Maddie’s staring at me. She’s no longer recording, the phone not even in her hand.
She doesn’t look away, and I’m held by her gaze. It occurs to me that others notice this as well as the room has gone silent.
“Maddie?” I ask softly, ignoring Grayce as she shoves her fist back in her mouth. “You okay?”
All heads swivel to look at Maddie. She ignores them, bright eyes latched onto mine.