“Is he afraid I’m going to get into the cabinets?” I scoffed. “I’m not a toddler, and I’m breathing fine—wait. Is this about my birthday? I’m not dressed for a party if that’s what I’m walking into.”
“It’s not a party,” Mom said, arching her brow when she met my gaze. “I can tell you that he’ll be the only one home when we drop you off. So leave it alone, Julianne.”
I sat back and nodded. Mom never pulled out my full name unless she meant the discussion was over. I met her eyes in the mirror again and pulled two fingers across my mouth, pretending to zip it shut.
“Enjoy the rest of your thirties,” Sean quipped and reached back to tap my knee after he pulled up in front of my driveway.
“I will, Sean. All seventy-two hours of them,” I said, squeezing his shoulder as I made my way out of the back seat. Forty had seemed like a daunting number before I was diagnosed with lupus, but aging meant something completely different now. It was something I hoped for rather than anticipated with dread.
I’d always loved birthdays, but now birthdays had more resonance than presents and cake. They meant I was still here, and I wanted to collect as many birthdays as possible. The extra lines around my eyes and growing gray roots that always irritated me when I glanced in the mirror seemed inconsequential now.
I had a good life, and I simply wanted more of it.
“Thanks for lunch,” I said, and I stumbled back when my mother clobbered me with a tight hug.
“Are you okay?” I laughed as I rubbed her back. “I’m not working right now, so you can come back any afternoon you’d like.”
I’d felt awful about being too sick to finalize my part, but Kaitie and Sierra had incorporated all my work into the project, creating a presentation the client had loved. Frank had called me the week after I’d come home from the hospital to both thank me for all my hard work and yell at me for making myself so sick in the process. He assured me that he would send more freelance projects my way in the new year—and that he’d never hire Elyse again.
“I’m fine,” Mom whispered. I almost teared up at her watery smile, and now I was even more suspicious of what I was walking into. “And that sounds good. Happy early birthday, sweetheart.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I kissed her cheek and gave Sean one last wave before I headed back inside.
I unlocked the door slowly, scanning the living room and kitchen as I locked it behind me. Nothing seemed off, and the dining room and kitchen tables were empty. No bakery boxes or flowers and balloons. Maybe Landon really did ask my mother what time I was coming back so I wouldn’t be home alone. That was fine, if a little disappointing. He needed to get over this fear eventually, but as with everyone else in my life at the moment, I’d let him fuss over me if it made him feel better.
For now.
I let out a long sigh as I shrugged off my coat and turned to hang it up on my coatrack.
I jumped when an arm wrapped around my waist and a hand went over my eyes.
“Don’t turn around.”
Landon’s whisper fanned hot against my neck and triggered goose bumps down my arm. We’d made slow, careful love since I’d been sick, and I was very ready for hot and dirty again. That would beat the hell out of cake and flowers.
“Are you kidnapping me? I could besointo this.” I held my wrists above my head. “Do you need to tie me up so I don’t struggle?”
His gruff chuckle vibrated against my back.
“Not today, but I’ll note that very good idea.” He framed my waist and turned me around. “I’ll let you go up the stairs with your eyes open, but you need to shut them before the last step, okay?”
He wore a tight black T-shirt and sweatpants, looking hot as hell, but he didn’t appear to be taking me anywhere. I was confused—but excited and pretty turned on in anticipation of whatever secret he had upstairs.
“You got it, sir.” I shot him a wry grin as I grazed my hand down his chest.
“Sir, huh?” His shoulders shook with a chuckle. “We’ll explore this new kink of yours later, but come on.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the stairs. “Remember, eyes shut before the last step.”
“Yes, I remember,” I sighed, trying to crane my neck to see what was going on, but the upstairs light was off and I couldn’t make out anything. I stopped at the next to last step and clenched my eyes shut.
“Okay. Eyes are closed,” I said, slowly raising my foot to feel around for the final step. Landon took my hands and led me to what I was sure was my bedroom, judging by the familiar dip in the carpet right before the threshold.
“All right, open your eyes.”
When I blinked my eyes open, the first thing I noticed was a trail of rose petals leading to my bed and arranged into a heart on top of my comforter. A bottle of champagne was chilling on ice in a silver bucket on my nightstand.
“This is amazing,” I croaked out, pressing my hand to my chest as I swept my gaze over the room. “What’s this for? My birthday isn’t for a few days.”
“These are the plans I had after the awards dinner. I told you,” Landon whispered, brushing my hair off my neck to press a kiss behind my ear. “Not ruined, just delayed. Plus, it’s better to do it at home anyway.”
