“Is that a binky?” Ava grins.
“Yes.” Mom laughs. “We had to get a thumb guard after we took that away.”
Jesus. “Okay, okay. They don’t all need to know every embarrassing moment.”
“Darn. I should’ve come up with one for your school play.”
I shoot Addison a glare and am met with utter joy staring back at me. “And what is that?” I ask, pointing to the row of cupcakes that look like animals of some sort.
“That’s Mr. Whiskers,” Addison says teasingly.
“My stuffed cat.”
“Yup.” Addy snorts.
I can hear my mother cackling behind me. “We couldn’t leave the house without it.”
“I wondered if there was going to be any pussy on these cupcakes,” Zach mutters behind me.
Addison spins to face him throwing her head back in laughter. This give Jason an in. He quickly steps forward and removes a plastic ring from one of the cupcakes before putting a small wooden box in its place.
“What’s this one stand for, Addy?” Jason asks.
Addison is nearly doubled over in laughter at Zach’s remark but straightens and looks over the table, puzzled. “Which one?”
“This one,” he says, pointing to the cupcake with the small dark, shiny box. “Is that his treasure chest?”
“I didn’t make that one,” she says, appearing perplexed. Her gaze moves from Mom to Becca, who are each looking blankly at the other. She reaches for the cupcake and lifts the lid of the box. “It’s empty.” Finally, she turns to me in question, and I shakily drop to one knee.
Why’s my mouth suddenly so dry?“Addy, you’ve already done so much for me.” I have to pause to swallow the lump in my throat.Why’s my mouth suddenly so dry?“But would you make my birthday the best one yet… and marry me?”
Shrieks of oohs and aahs come from all of the guests, and I can practically feel the joy radiating from my mother. Yet my focus is squarely on the beautiful girl standing before me with her hands covering her mouth in shock. Tears stream down her gorgeous face as she stares at me, bewildered. She made this too easy. Inviting everyone dear to us to share in this moment. And there would be no greater gift than knowing every birthday from here on out will be spent with her.
Addison leans forward, cups my cheeks, and gives me a chaste kiss as the bar grows silent. You can hear a pin drop in Pour Decisions right now. “Not that I’d say no, but where’s the ring?” The sassy little wench snickers.
“Oh. Shit.” In my nervousness, I completely forgot. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the platinum solitaire engagement ring. It’s a miracle I haven’t lost it. I’ve carried it with me everywhere since the day after that drunken Zoom call with my mother. “Jeez. Let’s try that again,” I mutter quietly. I clear my throat and try to ignore all of the laughter around me.
“Sassy. Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” She squeals, practically knocking us both to the ground as she collides into me for a hug.
Everyone erupts into cheers, and Jason helps us stand before giving us congratulatory hugs. The rest of the evening is a bit of a blur. Thank goodness I was able to chat a bit with all of my friends before popping the question. Because all I want right now is to take my fiancé home and spend the rest of the evening showing her how much I love her.
We say our goodbyes and promise to meet our friends and family for brunch in the morning before heading out for the night. As we stroll to my truck, fingers entwined, I lift her hand to my lips and kiss it just above where her ring sits. Seeing it there does weird things to me. Churning a pride and love so deep it’s hard to believe it’s real.
“I can’t believe you did this, Trevor.”
“Well, you did all the hard work.”
“I know. That’s what I mean. I did all of that work to surprise you, and you had to go and top me.”
I chuckle. “You want me to take the ring back and do it on a different day?”
“Well, obviously, it’s too late for that now.” She sneers.
What? Is she serious?
“Are you upset I did it during your party?”
