Tinsley, dressed in a pink ball gown, spots us from across the yard and screeches her brother’s name, tearing over to jump into his arms.
He laughs as he catches her and spins her around. “Happy birthday, pipsqueak.”
“No, silly,” she tells him with a roll of her eyes. “I’m Aurora.”
“My bad,” he says, placing her gently on the ground and passing her a large gift bag with a unicorn printed on it.
“Ooh, what is it?” she squeaks, trying to lift it, but it’s way too heavy for her.
“Shi—shoot, sorry,” he says, wincing when Emily smacks him over the head. Reaching into the bag, he pulls out a box with a giant dollhouse printed on the front.
“Thank you!” Tinsley squeals with excitement, while I groan inwardly.
Another flat pack.
I know exactly who’ll be putting that together later. The arsehole spent over an hour watching me fix up the chest of drawersandput Tinsley’s bed together the other day. I don’t think he even knows how to hold a screwdriver. Of course, he was happy to accept the credit when Juliet thanked us later.
Tinsley hugs her brother and Emily before turning to me, her sparkling green eyes locked on the pink gift bag in my hand.
“Happy birthday, Sprout,” I say, crouching down to pass it to her.
I grimace as the tight pants cut into my circulation. Thankfully the seams hold.
“Thanks, Blake,” she says shyly, peering into the bag and pulling out the Little Mermaid Lego set.
“You’re welcome, kiddo.”
Emily helps me to my feet as Tinsley runs off to play with her friends, her presents forgotten. We carry the gifts over to a table near the back door that seems to have been set up for that purpose, and Juliet comes over to greet us wearing a fitted Snow White costume, her shoulder-length blonde hair falling in a neat bob framing her face.
My mouth runs dry as I appreciate how stunning she looks. I won’t lie, I noticed how attractive she was on Thursday when we came by to help with Tinsley’s bedroom furniture, but holy smokes, this woman is effortlessly gorgeous.
“Thanks for coming,” she says with a beaming smile that lights up her green eyes. “You guys look fantastic.”
“Thanks for having us.” I rub the back of my neck, feeling like an absolute joker, but a quick glance around the party tells me all the adults got into the spirit of the festivities. There’s an array of princess outfits on the mums, and a few dads who are either dressed in full suit and tie, or costumes like me and Everett.
We follow Juliet over to the marquee, where she introduces us to her friends. Not that I remember anyone’s name. I immediately wish I had pushed harder to get out of this. Making small talk with strangers is my least favourite thing to do.
I’m in the middle of a conversation with Belle fromBeauty and the Beastand her husband, I think his name isRory, when a loud cry rips through the air. Everyone turns in a panic, and I spot Tinsley sitting on one of the stepping stones that follows the garden bed around the property. She’s gripping her knee, tears streaking down her face.
Juliet races over to her, and I excuse myself from the conversation to see if I can help. When I reach them, Juliet is pulling Tinsley’s hand away to check the damage. I wince when I see the gravel embedded in the graze.
“You’re going to want to clean that with disinfectant,” I say softly, so I don’t scare the birthday girl. “Can I help?”
Juliet looks confused for a moment, then recognition dawns in her eyes. “You’re a paramedic.”
“A paramedic student,” I correct, “but yeah. Do you mind?”
She shakes her head and moves out of the way so I can bend and lift Tinsley into my arms. The little princess whimpers and buries her head in my chest.
“Do you have a medical kit?”
“In the bathroom.”
I follow Juliet inside and place Tinsley down on the vanity as her mum rummages around in the cabinet, pulling out the medical kit and passing it to me.
I quickly wash my hands with soap and water and then focus on the little girl in front of me, crouching so I’m eye level with her. “Hey, Sprout. Do you remember what I do for a job?”
She looks at me with shining eyes and nods, tiny hands still gripping her knee.
