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“From that day on, you shared the bassinet.”

Shay pulled in with my truck about half an hour later, right when I was getting more briquettes from the garage.

I came to a stop when I noticed just how much stuff he had in the back seat.

What the fuck?

I set the bag of charcoal on the porch banister before heading over to assist him.

He pushed open the door and jumped out, looking flushed and possibly a little irritated.

“Did you buy the whole store, baby?” I had to ask.

He blew out a breath and opened the back seat. “It’s possible I dipped into some of the earnings from my last two fights. But in my defense, I want to celebrate you properly.”

I scratched my forehead, unsure if I could approach more than this. Maybe he wanted to hide whatever was in the bags? I didn’t know how this worked.

“Does this mean you’ll take on more fights?” I wondered.

“I mean…” He weighed his response. “I still only need two or three more to secure TJ’s and Levi’s college funds, but until I figure out what the hell I’m gonna do with my life, it’s also the job that supports me.”

I didn’t mention that Reese and I would happily support him until he figured out his next plan—but we’d done that already. Hadn’t gone over well one bit.

That boy could get ranty and heated.

“Funny, because the perfect birthday gift would be you tellin’ me you won’t enter another illegal cage fight in your life,” I noted.

He snorted and threw me a look over his shoulder. “Are you under the impression your birthday is about you?”

“Uh…”

He shook his head and started hauling out shopping bags. “Today is about me celebrating you and Reese. So suck it up and enjoy it. Sir.”

Flawless logic there. I had a lot to learn about birthdays.

“Now,” he huffed, “ske-fucking-daddle. I don’t want you to see this.”

I showed my palms and backed off.

Instead, I went inside, leaving the door open so he could bring in his mountain of bags easier, and I headed for the backyard where Reese waited for the briquettes.

Not everything Shay had bought was for today, was it?

“By the way, Owner, you look super sexy.”

I glanced at my boy over my shoulder and smirked. “You look super overwhelmed, but it’s sort of workin’ for me.”

He laughed at that.

“Is that Shay?” Reese called from the grill.

I nodded and headed out to him. “Aye. He bought a fuck-ton of stuff. We’re not allowed to help.”

His forehead wrinkled. “I gave him my wish list. I want an ergonomic pillow for our road trips. My neck about killed me after Florida.”

I shrugged and handed over the briquettes. “Apparently our birthday isn’t about us. There are rules.” I pointed to the bag. “We’re out of the applewood in case you have plans to use the smoker anytime soon after today.”

He nodded once. “I saw. It’s on the list.” He peered around me and squinted toward the patio doors. They were semi-tinted, so it wasn’t all that easy to see inside. “I guess we’ll let him do his thing.”