“Did everyone here forget how much I hate surprises?” Halle grumbles under her breath.
Madi snorts behind us, and I pin her with a warning look over my shoulder.
“Aunt Hals no like surprises. Why? They the bestest,” Remi pipes up, completely serious, and the whole group laughs.
“Oh, I remember,” I say, draping my arm over Halle’s shoulders, pulling her into my side.
“And yet here you are, surprising me.” Her eyes narrow to slits, lips pursing.
“Trust me, yeah?” I murmur.
I guide her across the parking lot, my hand tightening on her shoulder. The nerves I had earlier spark back to life, fusing with a buzz of excitement so strong, it vibrates through me.
“I’m gonna cover your eyes for a second. Don’t freak out, okay?” I tell her.
“Hunter…” she warns, but she doesn’t stop me when I slide my palm over her eyes.
The bold block letters spelling ARCADE above the doorare sun-faded, the blue paint chipped, and one of the bulbs in the letterAflickers like it’s grasping for life.
“Mind the step,” I warn her as we step inside.
I remove my hand and watch as her jaw drops instantly.
She takes in the whole place. From the riot of colors to the noise. Every corner pulses with neon lights, kids race between the machines with fistfuls of tickets, their parents watching them from afar with a drink in hand, hot, greasy fries in the other.
Halle’s breath catches. Her hand flies to her chest, gripping her shirt tightly as her eyes shimmer.
“Okay, now!” I call over my shoulder to our crew.
A chorus erupts behind us.
“Happy birthday, Halle!”
“Appy birfday, Aunt Hals!”
“Happy birthday, Halle baby!”
Their voices echo through the arcade, bright and full. For a split second, I can’t help but glance up quickly, hoping like hell that our mom is here somehow, seeing this, seeing us. Seeing how far we’ve pulled ourselves from the mess we grew up in.
“Happy birthday, lil sis,” I say, voice low, and pull her into me. My arms wrap tight around her. “Told you one day I’d have all the money in the world, and we’d come back to the arcade to play as many games as we like for as long as we want.”
Her arms loop around my waist, and she fists the back of my shirt, shoulders trembling, and when I look over her shoulder, I find the two people who matter most watching us—Asher and Madi—eyes full of pride, love, all of it. My chest tightens.
Fuck,I hope this isn’t too much for her.
Panic starts to crawl up my spine, and my mind spinsinto overdrive, whispering every worst-case scenario. Then Halle leans back, raises her fist, and before I realize the shift in her expression?—
THUD.
She punches me dead in the arm.
“Ow, fuck,” I snap, grabbing my bicep. “What was that for?”
“Pay up!” Connor yells before she can even open her mouth.
He sticks his hand out, waving it side to side. “I told ya’ll she’d hit him inside and before the claw machines.”
Madi groans, digging into her purse and slapping a note in his palm. “I thought it was going to happen in the parking lot when she saw us all.”
