“Me too.”
Denise kissed her cheek. “Later, Jase.”
“Later.” He didn’t look away from Bree. He raised her fingers to his lips, his eyes twinkling over the back of her hand. “I love you. Snot bubbles and all.”
Her face flamed. So undignified. Never mind she’d been lying in a hospital bed for three days.
His smile faded. Her breath caught in her throat as his look became grim. “You can’t ever leave me, Bree. For any reason. You hold my heart together.”
Tears welled up again. She blew another snot bubble.
“Happy birthday…tooooo yooouuu.” The final line of the song trailed off. Everyone clapped and cheered as Gran took a deep breath and blew out her candles. All twenty-nine of them.
Bree squeezed her tight. “Happy birthday, Gran.”
“Thank you, darling girl.” She kissed Bree’s cheek before she turned to accept more hugs and well wishes.
Bree left the cake-cutting to the catering staff and made her way to the side of the large party room where Jase stood with his parents and Denise. Several extended family members and friends stopped her along the way, and it took several minutes to reach the small group.
“Denise broke off as she approached. “I’m getting a refill.” She shook her empty wine glass. “You want one?”
“God, yes. I was going to get one on my way here, but my aunt Amelia is at the bar and I know she’ll ask awkward questions about my sex life.”
Denise glanced sideways at Jase. “Especially when she gets a good look at him.”
“I’m surprised she hasn’t tried to corner him already.”
“I’ll head her off if I see her walking this way.”
“Thanks.”
The resemblance between Jase and his father was uncanny, although he got his eyes from his mother. Bree walked right under his outstretched arm and wrapped her arm around his waist. “Thank you for coming, Mr. and Mrs. Larken. I’m glad you were able to fit this into your trip.”
“Nonsense. We’re honored to be invited. I think it’s fabulous your grandmother celebrates the anniversary of her twenty-ninth birthday.”
Bree grinned. “She’s been doing it for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I didn’t understand why she stayed the same age.”
“And please, call me Melissa.” She tilted her head to her husband, who rested a hand on her shoulder. “You can call him whatever name he’s earned at the time.”
Bree pulled her lips between her teeth and tried to suppress her smile.
Jase let out an exasperated sigh. “What’d you do this time, Dad?”
He opened his mouth to answer.
“He was complaining about how all his children are involved with Air Force people,” Melissa said.
“That’s alright, Melissa,” Bree said. “We all make mistakes in life and have to learn from them. Some have to learn the hard way.” A grin spread across Jase’s father’s face until Bree continued. “By joining the Army.”
Melissa threw her head back and laughed. Jase kissed Bree’s temple, probably to hide the smile she felt.
Jases’s dad cast a glare at his giggling wife. He held his hand out for Bree to shake. “Bill. You can call me Bill.”
Bree smiled and shook his hand. “How was your drive?”
“Long,” Melissa said. “He insisted on taking back roads the whole way here. The drive took twice as long as it should have.”
“It wasn’t twice as long, woman.”
