Tonight, he’d barely buttoned up his shirt when someone knocked on his door, and Misty’s beautiful voice called, “It’s me, Link.”
“Come on back,” he said as he moved through his master bathroom to the doorway of his bedroom. Misty would not come back, as she didn’t ever come back into his bedroom.
He found her in the living room, loving on the dogs who liked to follow Link around the ranch.
“You ready for this?” he asked.
“I’m ready.” Misty straightened and looked at him. She wore pure nerves in her face, and Link reached for her.
“Hey, if it’s too much, we just go out the back door for a few minutes,” he said. “There are so many people there, they won’t even notice.”
“It’s a birthday party forus,” she said. “They’re going to notice if we’re not there.”
“Maybe,” Link said, to which Misty simply cocked her head. “If it’s awful, I’ll give my momma a look, and she’ll rein it in.”
“It was your momma we couldn’t stop before.”
Link leaned down and touched his lips to hers. “I know, baby. It’s going to be amazing, okay? Low key. Good food. Birthday cake. The end. It’s not like we can stay out late. We’re cowboys, and we’ll all be dead by seven-thirty.” He grinned at her, so warm inside when she grinned back.
“I love you,” he whispered, his lips catching on hers.
“I love you too,” she said.
“Happy birthday month.”
“To you too.”
Link could stay in his cabin and kiss Misty for a long time, but he didn’t want to incur Momma’s wrath, and she had spent considerable time and effort to plan this party. “Let’s go party.”
The road from the Top Cottage, where Link lived, to True Blue, the family’s recreational barn where they had all their big celebrations—and where Link and Misty would be married in another three months—only took five minutes.
Yes, plenty of trucks had already parked along the road in front of the barn. The front doors stood open, and Link wouldn’t be surprised to hear a pumping beat coming from the barn once he parked and got out of the truck.
He grinned at the stall that had been saved with bright blue streamers. A banner strung from the top corners that said “Birthday Couple,” and he enjoyed the way Misty giggled at it too.
“Your mother is an amazing person,” she said.
“That she is,” Link murmured as he pulled into the marked spot only a few feet from the door. He couldn’t hear or feel a bass beat, but the strumming of guitars met his ears as he got out to go get Misty’s door.
As she slipped from the truck, he took her hand in his, and they faced the entrance together. He hoped he could face every single thing in his life moving forward with her at his side. With her hand in his, he could do anything. Conquer anything. Face any fear or any unknown, or endure any difficult time.
“It feels like we’re late,” Misty said as they entered the small foyer off the front doors. Link turned to his left, the big room of True Blue opening up before him. Tables and chairs stood dressed and ready to feed a lot of people dinner, but Link didn’t see a single person.
That alone got him to come to a stop, confusion furrowing his brow. “Maybe we’re early.”
The kitchen window had been lifted, and Link definitely detected the scent of hot food in the building. The evidence of people was everywhere, and Link took another couple of steps into the room before someone exited the hallway that led back to the kitchen.
Link’s heartbeat came to a complete standstill,which also froze his feet to the ground. His eyes were surely betraying him.
Because Mitch currently strode toward him, wearing a fantastically large grin and waving his hello.
“Mitch.” Link automatically moved into using his hands to accompany his voice as he spoke. “What in the world is happening? What are you doing here?”
Mitch had gotten a lot faster and better at sign language since he’d been at his deaf school, and that alone testified to Link that his cousin and best friend was in the right place for him.
It’s your birthday, Mitch said.And I never miss your birthday. He arrived in front of Link and drew him into a brilliant, brotherly hug. Link wrapped him up in his arms too, laughing right out loud as the surprise continued to stream through him.
Link stepped back and let Misty say hello. She knew a little bit of sign language, and that made Link’s heart happy. Then he asked, “Where’s everyone else?”
