“Why don’t you ask her, and if she agrees to go, I’ll tell Mike I’m coming with him.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’m going to suggest the trip as a birthday gift on Saturday, which brings me to the next topic.”
“I assume she’s told you she doesn’t want to celebrate it?”
I nod.
“She didn’t celebrate her twenty-first last year, and we didn’t force it. It was too soon after the accident, but I’m not letting her get away with it this year.”
“Do you have something in mind? I was going to suggest we throw a small party here. Invite Nana and Monica, and my sisters will come, and I wanted her to meet my friends.”
“That sounds lovely, but can we move the venue? Stevie never goes out, and we need to rectify that. She spends her life here, at our place, work, the park or the gym, and her mom’s and nana’s places when she goes home. But that’s it. She’s not living, and now she has extra time on her hands, and I think it’s our duty as her besties to rectify that. Starting with her birthday.”
“Should we force it if it’s not what she wants?”
“Yes.” She stands. “A little tough love is required. Leave the details to me. I’ll text you a venue and time tomorrow, and invite your friends and your sisters. The more, the merrier. Oh, and we’ll be heading to Nana’s on Saturday morning, so keep your full day free.”
“That suits. Betsy is going to sell some of my books in her store, and I promised I’d make the first delivery this weekend.”
“Two birds. One stone.” She smacks a loud kiss on my cheek. “Stevie will need us. She has finally decided to open the gifts Garrick gave her last year, and it’s going to be emotional.”
ChapterFifty-Seven
Stevie
“Ifeel like I’m going to throw up,” I admit, rubbing a hand over my flat stomach as I stare at the boxes lining Nana’s thick rustic table.
“It’s time, Little Poppy.” Nana gives me a quick hug.
“You can do this, sweetheart.” Mom kisses my brow.
“We’re all here to hold you up,” Hadley supplies as Beck gives my hand a squeeze.
It’s been almost two weeks since I was shut out of Garrick’s life, and it still hurts so much, but I’m getting used to my new norm. I have no choice. My therapist is helping a lot as is Beck. He surprised me this morning with a trip to France, and I surprised myself by agreeing without hesitation. It sounds incredible, and I could use a break away from here.
Hugh and Dawn have invited me for dinner tomorrow to celebrate my birthday. Hudson is coming too. They told me to bring Mom, Nana, Beck, and Hadley. My initial instinct was to say no as being at the house in North Bend is hard for me with all the memories. But I have to at least try to move on, and maybe it will help me to feel closer to Garrick.
My biggest fear in being shut out is he will fade from my memory, so I said yes to the invite.
Hadley basically forced me into going out tonight, using blatant emotional blackmail she refuses to apologize for. She told me she’d continue to refuse the trip with Mike if I didn’t go out tonight. She’s reserved a table at a new restaurant in Seattle that has a bar attached, so we can do cocktails before dinner and stick around for more drinks and dancing later if the mood takes us.
I was against it at first, but now I’m looking forward to it. In a muted enthusiastic way.
“Maybe open this one first,” Nana suggests, handing me a white envelope.
I accept it with trembling fingers, sandwiched between Beck and Hadley as I open it. Tears prick my eyes as I remove the airplane tickets for flights that have already flown. I smile over a sob. “It was flights to Ireland for last summer,” I confirm, shuffling to the other two tickets at the back. “And tickets to see the Book of Kells and visit Newgrange.” On instinct, I rub the ink on the back of my neck and the tattoo on my wrist. I glance up at Beck through glassy eyes. “The Celtic symbols on our tattoos are featured in the Book of Kells and the one on my neck is carved into the walls at Newgrange. We had said we’d visit one day.”
“It was a very thoughtful gift.”
“It was,” I agree, swiping at my tears.
Carefully placing the envelope and tickets down, I open the smaller of the three boxes, revealing a bottle of expensive champagne and a crystal flute with my name and the date of my twenty-first birthday engraved on it. I almost choke on my sobs, and Beck snakes his arm around my shoulders, letting me use him for support.
When I open the remaining boxes to reveal a stunning black and gold designer dress with a strapless top, belted waist, and full skirt and matching shoes and purse, I burst into uncontrollable tears and sob against Beck’s shirt.
The poor guy needs a backup shirt whenever I’m around because I always seem to be ruining his with my tears these days.
Nana hands me some tissues, and I finally get a hold of myself, forcing my tears to abate. Today is supposed to be a happy day, and no one needs to see me falling apart again. My family and friends have been so worried about me, and I owe it to them, as well as myself, to not put a dampener on things. I need to try harder and appreciate the trouble everyone has gone to today for me. I’m so lucky to have these people in my life, and I want them to know it.
