Page 77

A wall of sound hits me, and I jump back into Killian. He steadies me as I take in the crowd in the diner. I swear half the town is here. My parents, Landon, Piper, and the Michaelsons, the diner employees and all our regulars, Cane and his mom, Joe from the guesthouse, Evan from the grocery store—even Caitlin’s teacher, Ms. Neumann, and some of the kids and parents from her class. I look back at Killian, my heart thudding.

“Did you do this?”

“You deserve to have a celebration just for you, love.”

“But … how? You don’t even know most of these people.”

Killian shrugs. “I know you. And I know people want to celebrate you.” His smile warms me from the inside out. I didn’t even tell him it was my birthday, and he still did all this for me.

I don’t have time to process that, though, before Piper tugs me away from him, presses a Red Bull into my hand, and declares, “Party time!”

You’d think these people never saw me, for the way everyone wants to stop and talk to me. And Killian. Everyone has a lot of questions for Killian.

“And how did you two meet?”

“What do you do, young man?”

“How old are you?” That’s a common one, and no one hides their relief when he tells them he’s only thirty-three.

Killian takes it all in his stride, never leaving my side as we pass from person to person. He’s met some people around town, but he organized a surprise party full of relative strangers just for me, and it’s one of the most thoughtful things anyone’s ever done for me.

“You again,” Armie Holbrook, a regular in the diner who’s been in Clover Pines since before my parents were even born, says to Killian when we stop by him and his two chess buddies, Thomas Carson and Wayne Bouchard. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the three of them separately, or without a chess board in front of them. James is hovering around, watching them play.

“Good to see you again,” Killian tells them, his lips twitching at the edges.

“Guess what!” James says, tugging at Killian’s sleeve.

“I don’t know, Bug. What?”

“Mr. Bouchard said I can come to chess club and they’ll teach me how to play. Can I?”

Killian looks at me, his eyes wide, like he’s not sure what to do about the fact that James is asking him, not me. I don’t mind, and it doesn’t exactly come as a big shock, considering Killian has been looking after them so much, but I take pity on him.

“Are you sure?” I ask the men. “We don’t want to be a bother.”

“It’s not a bother at all, Scar. He’s a good kid.”

I hesitate. It’s not a bother. That’s what everyone says, and I’m trying to believe it.

“All right,” I say, finally. “If you’re sure. Thank you.”

James jumps up and down, happily. “Can Killian come? If you learn too, we can practice at home,” he says, looking at Killian like he hung the moon.

Killian looks at the men, before answering.

Armie raises a brow. “Can you play, son?”

“A little, but not well. My grandpa taught me and he’s a notorious cheater at any kind of game.”

Thomas snorts. “We’ll set you right.”

Killian isn’t the only one being welcomed to Clover Pines by the townsfolk. The rest of the Michaelsons are fitting right in. Fallon has managed to snag herself an invite to a read-and-sip book club from Cassandra’s daughter-in-law, Gabi, despite the fact she hasn’t read a book since high school. “I like wine,” she says, when Killian questions her.

“You should come, Scar! And we should ask Piper—I bet she’d love it,” Gabi says, grinning at me from beside Fallon.

It’s not the first time Gabi’s asked me. She mentions it every couple of months and I say, “We’ll see,” even though I know I won’t have time.

I don’t like wine and I don’t remember the last time I had time to read a book that didn’t have pictures, but for once I’m tempted to say yes, anyway. I’m supposed to be letting my family help out with the kids a bit more, but this would be more than finding a babysitter for one night. “It sounds fun, but I just don’t think I’d have time to read the book,” I say, and a surprised look crosses Gabi’s face, because even I can hear I actually sound interested this time.