by Hope Ramsay
Sara sat down across from her at the big island. “Rachel,” she said.
“What is it, honey?” Rachel asked as she slipped the bowl into the sink.
“Sit down a second.” Sara patted Rachel’s hand. “Look, this thing with Colton got me to thinking a lot—not just about my relationship with him but with the whole family. Sometimes I go a mile a minute and lose track of what really counts, you know? I just want to tell you you’ve been a sweet, wonderful stepmother to me, despite my holding you at arm’s length. The only thing you did wrong was you weren’t my mother. And I want to say…I’m sorry. I never allowed us to grow closer. I never gave you a chance.”
“Oh, sweetheart. You were a teenager, too old to accept a mother substitute. And you were awfully independent. All you girls were. You all stuck together so tightly and mothered Rafe. If anything, I consider that strong bond a tribute to your mother.”
“Those years after Mom died—we didn’t know what else to do. We had to pull together. What that must’ve been like, to enter a house full of teenagers…”
“You had fierce loyalty to your mother. That’s as it should be.” She squeezed Sara’s hand. “There’s nothing to forgive.”
“Well, you’ve always been kind and openhearted. I’m trying to take an example from you. And…I hope we can finally get to know each other better.”
“Oh, Sara. Honey.” Rachel’s eyes got a little watery. Sara suddenly realized she could do a lot better. She got up from the island stool and hugged Rachel. “I love you. I just want you to know that.”
“I love you too, sweetheart.” Rachel squeezed her back for a long moment. Then she walked over to a built-in hutch and took out two wineglasses, grabbed a bottle from the cupboard, and poured them each a glass of red wine. “Happy birthday, Sara,” she said. “May this be your year.”
Sara clinked glasses and forced a smile, for Rachel’s sake. She didn’t think her year was exactly starting off on the right foot, but she didn’t want to be any more of a killjoy on her birthday. “Any ideas about Gabby?” she asked.
“Have faith, my dear. Sometimes bad things self-destruct on their own.”
“Sometimes good things do too,” came out of Sara’s mouth before she could censor herself.
“Oh, honey,” Rachel said, giving her another hug, which Sara took gratefully. Sara brushed away a tear. “I don’t know about that. Part of love is learning to iron out your differences. Don’t give up yet.”
Just then, Evie and Joe showed up with Julia and Michael. Rafe and Kaitlyn had ridden together and picked up Nonna and Rocket, and Gabby had actually convinced Malcolm to forego his usual late-afternoon workout and join the family, although Sara wouldn’t have minded if he hadn’t. Her dad had grilled chicken and vegetables tonight and thrown on some nice unhealthy brats just for Sara.
Julia shoved a little flat rectangle into her hands, wrapped in bright-pink tissue paper with lots of tape. “It’s a pwesent.” She grinned, showing a huge gap where one of her top teeth had recently fallen out.
“For me?” Sara asked, shaking the package. “Hmm. What could it be?”
“Open mine, open mine!” Michael said, running up and shoving another package at her.
Sara caught Evie’s eye as she hugged her niece and nephew. “You better open them now, Sara. They’ve been driving me crazy all day.”
“Hurry up, hurry up!” Michael said.
Sara unwrapped a package of sparkly hair barrettes from Julia and a pair of Spider-Man socks from Michael. “My favorite things!” Sara exclaimed as she brought both kids in for a hug. Julia was already trying to get the barrettes into her hair. “I love you both so much,” Sara said, winking at Evie. “I’m so lucky to be your aunt.” She wasn’t kidding. The day might pretty much suck, but these kids were a huge bright spot.
“Can we have pie now?” Michael asked as his mother led him and Julia to the table. The dog followed close in tow, confident he would get food dropped, accidentally or intentionally, by the little ones.
Rafe came in at the last minute and slid into a seat beside Malcolm. “So how’s business going, Mal?” he asked.
“Fantastic,” Malcolm said with a wolfish grin. “Stocks are up and life is good. I’m making a killing.”
“I heard on MSNBC today that Wall Street is robbing Main Street,” Nonna said. “Hedge fund guys are all crooks.”
Malcolm stiffened and shot Nonna a disgusted look. “Hey, watch it, Grandma. That’s my job you’re talking about.”
“Take it easy,” Gabby whispered, giving Malcolm an elbow. “She has dementia, remember?”
“This one political reporter said it,” Nonna said. “I forget his name.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Malcolm said. Sara looked up. Rafe stopped serving himself potatoes. Evie frowned.
Gabby stood up. “No, Malcolm, you don’t know what you’re talking about, and I’ve had enough. No one talks to my Nonna like that.”
Malcolm raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, I’m just defending my job.”
Gabby crossed her arms. “Is it really necessary to do that? Geez!”
“Settle down, sweetheart,” he said, sipping his wine. “Your grandmother just insulted my livelihood. The one that’s going to make both of us very comfortable.”
“Make that one of us, Malcolm.” Gabby pulled the giant stone off her finger and placed it on Malcolm’s plate, where it landed with a chink. “I think you should leave.”
Malcolm made the mistake of glancing over at their father for support. Her calm, mellow father, who had welcomed anyone and everyone to their table over the years, was holding his fork with a death grip. His face was red. Maybe he was contemplating using it as a weapon. He quietly set the fork down and tossed his napkin on the table. “You heard her, Malcolm. I believe she’s asking you to go.”
Just then there was a knock on the door. Rafe, who had stood up and assumed the crossed-arm stance of a bouncer, complete with massive biceps, reluctantly glanced in the direction of the front door, torn between answering it and booting Malcolm out on his well-dressed rear.
Fortunately he was spared the decision. Tagg walked in, bearing a small wrapped package. Rafe took the opportunity to escort Malcolm out.
Sara moved to get up. She didn’t need Rafe as her bouncer. She’d get rid of Tagg herself.
“Hi, everybody,” Tagg said sheepishly. “I hope you don’t mind, but I just stopped by to wish Sara a happy birthday.”
Her father met Sara’s gaze across the table and gave her a do-you-want-me-to-take-care-of-this look. Rafe remained on standby, ready to do the same.
Sara got up to deal with Tagg in private. And to get him out of the house, because he was definitely not staying for dinner. She tugged him by the elbow back to the front door, opened it, and went out onto the front stoop.
“I’m not here to try to make up to you,” he said. She shot him a puzzled look. Was this a joke too, like the chest pain? If it was, she was definitely getting Rafe to bounce him. “I mean, I am, but not romantically. Here,” he said, handing her the package. “Open it.”
“Tagg, you didn’t need to—” The last thing she wanted right now was a present from Tagg. Yet he stood there looking contrite. Not exactly humble, but his demeanor was different in a way that threw her.
“Please,” he said. “I wanted you to have this.”
She ripped open the elegantly wrapped gift. It was a Montblanc pen, black and silver and sleek. It must’ve cost a fortune.
“Oh, thank you,” she said, fighting tears. Not because it was a sinfully expensive gift, or because she wanted such an expensive pen, but because she knew exactly why he’d chosen it for her.
He flashed her a smile. “I figured if I got you an expensive one, you’d be a little more careful about where you put it.”
“For this price, I may have to wear it on a string around my neck.” Which she literally had, thanks to Leonore’s thingamabob.
“Y
ou like it?”
She ran her finger along its smooth wooden surface and nodded. It was too fancy for her, but he meant well.
“I thought about what you said,” he said. “I’ve decided to try something new. I’m leaving next week to do a year of research at Stanford. Check out a whole new place. See what it’s like to be alone for a while.”
“That’s wonderful, Tagg.”
He turned his beautiful brown eyes on her. “I want you to know I’ll always love you, Sara.”
“I’ll always love you too.” She kissed him on the cheek and stepped back, amazed that Tagg was taking this so well.
“But if, in the future, you’re ever up for a fresh start…”
She should’ve known he’d qualify that. “Tagg—”
“The only one she’s starting fresh with is me.”
Sara jumped. There, standing in Nonna’s front yard, was Colton. Also carrying a box. But his was bakery big, a square white box. His intense blue gaze locked on to hers, and in that instant Sara saw something that stole her breath away. Their future. Babies with beautiful blue eyes. A house with a fireplace. Two toothbrushes side by side on the sink.
Maybe this birthday wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
Sara’s eyes flooded because, God, he was here.
Colton acknowledged Tagg with a nod, then walked right over to Sara. Behind her, in the house, the family had gotten up from the table and gathered in the foyer. She could see Gabby and Nonna straining to stick their heads out the front door.
Turning to Sara, Colton took her hands in his big, calloused ones. His hands felt warm and steady and wonderful, and she gripped them with all her strength.
“I told you he came for homecoming,” Nonna said in a horrible version of a stage whisper.
He turned to Nonna. “Yes, I did, Nonna.” He said to Sara, “Nonna’s right. I decided that night that if Tagg wasn’t going to take you to the dance, I was going to. That we’d go together, hopping along. But I was on the way up to your door when Tagg called me, feeling guilty that he hadn’t taken you. And I backed down for him.” He looked over at Tagg, who was standing off the porch. “I’m done doing that, by the way.”
“I told you,” Nonna said. “He brought such pretty flowers too. I found them in the shrubs.”
“You said you almost asked me to homecoming, not that you almost picked me up at my door,” Sara said. “Geez, Colton!”
“Yeah,” he said. “Funny, isn’t it? Don’t blame Nonna. At the time I begged her not to tell you.” He turned to Tagg. “You’ve been a good friend to me over the years, Tagg, but I love Sara. I can’t step aside anymore for you.”
Tagg walked up to Colton and extended his hand. “You’ve been a good friend to me too. Be happy, you two.” Tagg pulled Colton into a hug, and then gave Sara a longer one before heading down the driveway.
Colton pulled Sara away from the family threatening to spill out the door and led her toward a big shady maple at the side of the house.
“I overreacted about Hannah. I didn’t want to accept that she’s growing up. But I finally had that talk with her, one I should’ve had years ago. Anyway, I’m sorry for blaming you.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t talk to you about it. I didn’t mean for you to be blindsided.”
He shrugged. “It wasn’t really about Hannah. I’ve been in a kind of mental competition with Tagg for half my life, and in most cases he won. But I learned that life’s not really a competition, is it? I didn’t exactly choose my path, but it all worked out all right. I think I’m where I’m supposed to be.”
“Colton, I just hope that one day I could serve the people of our town half as well as you do.”
“You think you’ll end up staying?”
She grinned. “I love it here.”
“Oh, good. Well then, I guess you can have your birthday gift now.” He nodded toward the box in his hands.
“I’m always up for dessert.”
By the time they walked into the house, the family had somehow managed to pretend they’d been sitting at the table all along, making small talk. Colton said hi to everyone and nudged the box over to Sara.
Colton’s eyes twinkled mischievously. Sara couldn’t help grinning wildly. She couldn’t care less what was in the box, because she already had the best birthday present ever. And he was standing right in front of her.
Kaitlyn gave a little sob. Rafe handed her a birthday napkin, which she used to blow her nose.
“Don’t cry, Kaitlyn,” Nonna said, patting her shoulder. “It’s not like it’s a ring box.”
“Happy birthday,” Colton said.
Someone handed her a knife to slit the tape. She lifted the lid to the fragrance of chocolate and sweet icing. Inside the box sat the most beautiful chocolate cake she’d ever seen, decorated with intricate multicolored flowers, tiny gilded leaves, chocolate shavings, and “I love you, Sara” written in gorgeous pink swirls.
“Colton—it’s beautiful.”
“Thank Kaitlyn for that,” he said, giving her a nod.
Sara looked over at her best friend. “You made this?”
“I got up early to do it this morning. Just for you, babe.” She was blubbering pretty hard now. Rafe had grabbed a roll of paper towels from the kitchen and ripped one off for her.
Colton walked over to Sara and took her hands. “I love you and I want to celebrate a lot more birthdays with you.” He gave her a big, wonderful smile. “And I want to give you a reason to like cake again.”
Her heart was in danger of melting right there, into a huge puddle on the braided rug. That was about the sweetest thing she’d ever heard.
“No surprises popping out of this one?” Nonna asked.
“Well, actually, I can’t promise that there’s no surprise in the cake,” Colton said, winking at Kaitlyn.
Sara imagined one of Kaitlyn’s exquisite fillings—chocolate ganache, fresh strawberries and whipped cream (her favorite), or maybe raspberry custard or amaretto.
Rachel was suddenly lighting candles. Everyone sang “Happy Birthday” and cheered.
“May I cut it?” Kaitlyn appeared at her side, taking the knife. “I know how you hate to cut cake.”
“You’re the professional,” Sara said. “Can I take a picture of it first?”
Rafe did the honors, capturing the beautiful cake for posterity, then Kaitlyn cut it into slices and passed them all around.
“Take the first bite,” Rafe said. It was a tradition they’d had since they were little kids. The birthday person always got the first bite. Except Rafe really pissed her off one year by biting into her cake before she did, and she never let him forget it.
She bit into the cake, everyone watching. “Eat, everyone, eat,” she said, waving them on. “Oh my God, it’s delici—”
Her teeth chomped down on something hard. She covered her mouth with her hand and ran her tongue over the hard object that had nearly broken her teeth.
And suddenly stopped chewing. Heat blazed into her face. Colton was staring at her, a very broad grin spreading across his face.
“Make sure you don’t swallow that, OK?” he said, a little too seriously.
She turned her head away and spit out the bite into a napkin.
Holy shit.
A chocolate-covered…Oh, wow. She tossed it into her water glass and shook it and fished it out.
A gorgeous, shimmering diamond, none the worse for wear, surrounded by a circle of tiny diamonds, and it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
Except for the stunning, wonderful man next to her, who had dropped down on one knee. Sara’s eyes misted over and everything blurred—the cake, the ring, the smiling faces of her family, and Colton, kneeling on the floor with Rocket trying to jump on him.
“Down, boy,” he said. Rafe pulled the dog away as Colton looked up at her. “I love you, Sara. Will you marry me? Be my wife?”
She couldn’t see very well through her tears but she could see Colt
on right there in front of her, and that was all she needed. “Yes, yes. Of course.” Her lips found his and she kissed him with everything she had. He kissed her back, his lips sliding softly against hers, his hands reaching up to caress her cheeks, all just this side of PG-13.
“They’re kissing,” Julia announced. “They love each other.”
“Yucky,” Michael said, putting his hands over his mouth and giggling.
By this time all the women were crying too. The men looked awkwardly at their drinks, and Rachel was running around pouring—was that champagne? And the whole family was getting ready to toast them.
“This is the best birthday ever!” Nonna said. “Can I have more cake?”
“I have to agree with you on that, Nonna,” Colton said. “The first of a lifetime of birthdays together,” he said, sneaking a kiss. Then he set down his plate and kissed her again, good and hard, in front of everybody.
Nonna smiled. “Life is just too short to hate cake.”
Epilogue
The bachelor party took place in mid-December in the back room at Giuseppe’s, which had craft beer on tap and the best sauerkraut balls in town. Rafe was there, and all of Colton’s cop and firefighter buddies, and Joe and Sara’s dad. Colton tried not to get drunk, but there were definitely more than a few rounds bought. But at the end of the night his friends stuffed him into an Uber and he asked to be taken to Nonna’s house.
Sara met him at the front door wearing flannel pj’s, thick red slipper socks with reindeer heads on them, and an old terry robe. Perfect.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, a little alarmed, pushing up her glasses. “It’s two in the morning.”
“Sorry. I just—wanted to be with you.”
Her eyes softened, and she gave him a kiss. He probably smelled like booze and cigarette smoke, but she didn’t say anything.
“You look pretty in flannel,” he said.
She snorted. “Oh, you are a little drunk.” But he’d meant it. And he couldn’t wait to show her something. Then she’d never think badly of a bachelor party again.
