“Now, I have a surprise for you.”
She looked around the space she had just transformed. “Was this not it?”
“It isasurprise, and I appreciate you doing all this work. But it’s notyoursurprise. Mel told me you let your birthday pass without letting any of us know.” I gave her a scolding look but couldn’t keep the smile from my face.
“Oh.” For some reason she made herself smaller at that comment, and I didn’t like it one bit. She needed to know she deserved to be celebrated, and I was determined to have a part in showing her that.
“Come on, follow me.” I led her out to the ATV, and as we got on I revelled in the feeling of her arms around my waist. The distance to my yard was not long enough, and when she hopped down onto the ground, I felt naked without her touch.
“What is this?” She looked at the space of churned up earth outlined with the brand-new wood fence Garrett and I just finished putting up.
God, I hoped I had been reading her right.
“I know it doesn’t look like much right now…” I started, gathering my courage. “But I’ve noticed how much you’ve been loving all the different flowers and spending time with Grandma Trixie in the garden or Gloria at the flower shop… I wanted to prep your own cut flower garden for you. It still needs work…obviously, we’d need to plant seeds in the spring. I’ll help you and I’m sure Mel and Grandma and Mom will, too. You can pick whatever kind of flowers you want. I even built some supports for sunflow?—”
I was cut off with anoomphas her arms wrapped around my neck and her body slammed against mine with a force that surprised me. I slid my arms around her waist and lifted her up into me, taking in a deep breath of the vanilla almond scent of her shampoo.
“Thank you, Calvin.” She pulled away and looked at me withsilent tears streaming down her face. “This is the most amazing gift anyone hasevergiven me.”
I put her down, lifted my hands to cup her face and wiped away her tears with my thumbs. “I’m so happy you like it.”
“Iloveit,” she countered.
“Why didn’t you tell anyone it was your birthday?”
Her eyes clouded over, and she tried to pull away from my hands and put distance between us. I wasn’t going to let that happen, not when she had been so happy just a moment ago.
“Please, tell me. Please give me the opportunity to hold space for you and celebrate you.”
“Ever since my grandpa passed away, my birthday has been just another day. I’d try to plan things, an evening with friends or a reservation at a fancy restaurant, and Nick would always havesomethingcome up that would change those plans. Whether it was being so late for our reservation that we weren’t able to be seated and that somehow was my fault, or he stood me up completely, or one time he got so angry, he—” She cut herself off before finishing that memory, and it broke my heart that she had so many of them. “It just got easier to not plan anything at all.”
“Not here, okay? My family lovesyou, and we want to celebrate you. Your birthday is not just another day.” As far as I was concerned, the day she came into existence was my favourite day ever.
The smile that brightened her face was pure as she looked up at me. “Thank you for saying that. The truth is, every day I’ve spent with your family, I have beensoincredibly happy. Every day I’ve been in Love has been better than any birthday I’ve ever had.”
I was delighted in the fact that she felt that way about my family and only hoped we could continue giving that to her.
The life I’d been living lately felt like a dream. Like it was all too good to be true, and if I blinked it would all escape me.
The weekend with the girls was incredible, and things had been blossoming in the weeks since. I loved every moment I’ve got to spend with Trixie in her garden, learning about the different plants, how to harvest them, and what grows well together. Vicky, and our chats about books had also become a big part of my morning routine. We both loved to have more cream than necessary in our coffees and adored a good enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel.
I woke up bright and early the morning of the Harvest Bonfire, ready to meet with Gloria to get the flowers all set up inside the barn. Calvin had been working so hard, and I admired his work ethic and drive toward giving his family everything. His ideas were so creative and thoughtful. The way he wanted to surprise his mom and grandma melted me, and I was ecstatic to help him execute those plans. Not to mention the birthday present he had given me. I was still reeling from that, and didn’t know what to do with the knowledge that this family—that hadknown me for such a short time—accepted me as one of their own like it was nothing.
To me it was everything.
The vintage items that had been saved from the old wedding chapel were stunning, and they only sparked further inspiration when I thought about the old rail house.
Gloria told me she’d be here at eight, so I headed out to the barn shortly before to start pouring water into all the vases. I grabbed a few buckets from the side of the house, filling them up from the garden hose, and made my way to the barn.
Huh?The door was already open. Maybe Calvin had gotten here before I had. I hoped Trixie didn’t come out here and spoil the surprise before we could show her.
But when I caught a glimpse of the first edge of the table, my breath left me and the buckets of water slipped from my hands.
“Oh no, no, no,” I cried as I ran into the barn.
It had been trashed.
The tables had not only been upturned but some were also broken. The doilies were lying on the dirty floor of the barn. The vintage glassware was scattered everywhere—most of it shattered. Even some of the string lights I’d hung had been torn down. It wasn’t only a mess, but priceless things had been ruined.
