Hell, even Miss Thelma came to say hello.
She kisses my cheek and then pats it. "You’re a good boy," she says. “Got yourself a good one, I see.” I grin because she’s talking about Lana. And I know that I do.
“She’s the best,” I say and she smiles, the both of us looking out over the crowd.
All these people are here to see me.
“And you deserve it.” She doesn’t wait for me to respond, simply floats across the lawn to where Sorren is sitting with his wife and pulls a chair between them.
Because she’s great like that.
I deserve it.
All these people came out here for me.
It’s humbling and I’m so lost in thought I don’t hear Lana approach.
“Birthday song or no birthday song?” she asks softly, her arm wrapping around my back.
I open my mouth and I close it.
It’s a question I’ve never been asked before.
“Oh, I, um, I don’t know,” I say honestly.
There’s a strange sensation building in my chest. An emotion I’m not sure I can handle. And she nods.
And then she starts to sing low and quiet so only I can hear.
She sings the song, giving it to me but not making it a big deal. Not putting me on display.
When she finishes, I thread my fingers through her hair, cupping her face as I slant my mouth over hers, telling her all the things I can’t say.
The things that would break me if I let them escape.
But I need her to know how much I appreciate this.
How much I appreciateher.
“I love you,” I murmur and she smiles against my lips.
“I love you. And now, it’s time for cake.”
“Is this one of those I can have my dessert and eat it too?”
“I already told you that you can have your dessert later,” she whispers, and I grin because I have no doubt that I’ll enjoy that just as much as whatever sugary confection awaits.
46
MASON
“The craziest thing happened today,” Lana says as I help her into my truck.
“Yeah, what’s that?” I can’t wait to take her away for the weekend. She’s earned it. We’veearned it.
The last several months have been a potent mix of exhausting and healing and fucking nerve-racking. Every morning, I wake up wondering if Bodhi will be gone. He promised he wouldn’t—that he wouldn’t leave me without saying goodbye—but that felt like a promise he wouldn’t be able to keep, not because he didn’t want to, but because hecouldn’t.
He’d thrown himself into work, doing extra hours with Sorren at Vetted Paws at night and dragging himself to Twinscapes in the morning. I’d seen Hank there a lot too, and I was thankful for their unwavering support. Bodhi declined coming with me to therapy, saying he wasn’t ready to unleash the past—not yet. And how could he? There was still so much unknown with the case going back to trial.
