by Burton, Jaci
“I know,” Hannah said.
“And that color,” Laurel said. “Could it be more perfect for Becks?”
Hannah sighed. And hoped.
About ten minutes later, Becks walked out, and Hannah swore she was floating as she made her way toward them.
As she stepped up to the three-way mirror and turned, the dress flowed.
And they all gasped.
It was stunning. Becks was stunning. Even without alterations, the dress fit her as if it had been made for her body. And the color—that pale pink porcelain with the ivory overlay—was so unusual, so incredibly beautiful. Hannah didn’t know about the rest of them, but she was utterly speechless.
“What?” Becks finally asked.
“Wow,” Carmen said. “You glow in that dress, Becks.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Hannah said, voicing her thoughts. “It’s like it was made for you.”
Becks chewed her bottom lip, then looked over at Jackson’s mom. “Laurel?”
Hannah saw Laurel batting back tears. “It’s so lovely. You are lovely. How do you feel in it?”
Becks sighed. “Like a freakin’ princess. I love it.”
They all cheered.
Hannah got up and went to Becks. “May I?” She reached for Becks’s hair.
“Of course.”
She dug out the jeweled hair clip she’d tossed in her bag this morning, just in case, and wound Becks’s hair up in it, pulling a few tendrils out to frame her face.
“Okay, now look in the mirror,” Hannah said.
Becks turned around, her eyes filled with tears. “I look like a bride.”
Hannah wrapped her hands around Becks’s arms. “A beautiful bride.”
Laurel and Carmen came over.
“Is this the one?” Laurel asked.
Becks nodded. “Yes.”
Sally smiled. “Lovely. We’ll do some measurements, but we won’t have to do much in the way of alterations once your dress comes in. You look incredible.”
“Thank you. I’m so happy. And so relieved.” She looked at all of them. “I found my dress.”
“One more thing to check off your list,” Hannah said.
“You’re gonna knock Jackson over when he sees you in that dress,” Carmen said.
Becks smiled. “I hope so.”
They took photos, then Becks changed out of the dress and filled out paperwork. They left the store, hugged and everyone said goodbye. Becks had some errands to do for her tattoo shop, and Carmen was going grocery shopping.
“Where are you headed?” Laurel asked Hannah.
“No plans today,” she said.
“Do you have some time to stop for something cold to drink? I’d love an iced tea.”
“Sure.”
They chose a spot, and Hannah followed her to the sandwich shop.
They went inside, ordered two large raspberry iced teas and grabbed a seat.
“That was so fun today,” Laurel said.
“It was. I’m relieved on Becks’s behalf that she found a dress. And such a gorgeous one, too.”
“It was so pretty. I can’t wait for their wedding.”
“I can imagine. Two of your sons getting married so close together. That must be a lot for you.”
“It’s a blessing, really. To see these boys grow up, become such amazing men. Josh and I are so happy.”
“I’m sure you are.”
“And Kal and you reconnecting. That was unexpected.”
She knew this was going to come up. “Yes, it was. I was happy he came to the reunion.”
“I know you two didn’t have a good parting when he left for college. He was so upset about that.”
She took a sip of her tea. “Was he?”
“Yes. He carried a lot of guilt over the breakup.”
She shrugged. “We both knew it was the right thing. It just wasn’t easy. But we were both so young. Trying to stay together would have been harder.”
Laurel’s lips curved. “That’s the adult in you, looking back on it now. Ten years ago it wasn’t so clear.”
“No, it wasn’t. I cried a lot over him. And then I made a series of really dumb decisions. Like impulsively deciding to get married and moving out of state.”
Laurel cast a surprised look. “So you’re saying your marriage was a rebound thing?”
She played with the straw. “I don’t know. I’d like to think it was more a case of me wanting to get out of Ft. Lauderdale, away from everyone and everything I knew. Carve out a life on my own, you know? My mom was making all these plans for my future, pushing me to go to college when all I ever wanted to do was become a hair stylist. I was desperate to be free to make my own choices and thought if I could just get away, I could breathe, see clearly, do whatever I wanted. The naivete of youth, you know?”
Laurel nodded. “I can understand that. But you did become a hair stylist.”
“I did. And I love it. And I had Oliver, and I have zero regrets about him.”
“Children are an amazing gift.”
“They sure are.”
Laurel took another sip of her tea. “So now you’re back home. And seeing Kal again.”
“Yes.” She couldn’t help the smile, as if every time she heard his name or thought about him, it made her happy.
And then Laurel sprouted a grin. “My boy put that smile on your face?”
“I can’t help it. He makes me giddy. I think about him all the time.”
“You used to always smile like that around him.”
She sighed. “I know. Some things never change, I guess.”
This was so embarrassing. She really had to learn to control her emotions.
“Hey, when you feel it, you feel it. I have to tell you, it makes me happy knowing the two of you are together again. He seems more settled.”
“Really?” Hearing that from his mother made her feel even happier.
“Yes. He’s been . . . I don’t know the right word to describe it . . . searching? Tense?” She waved her hand back and forth. “Whatever it was that’s made him feel so unsettled the past couple of years has disappeared. I’m guessing that has a lot to do with you.”
She felt her face warm. “Thank you. We’re having a good time together.” She needed to let Laurel know that it wasn’t serious between them. Change tracks in this conversation, because it was heading down a road she didn’t want to go. Not with his mother, anyway. “And Kal has matured so much since we were last together. He has an incredible career and seems to know exactly what he wants out of his life. I admire that about him.”
“As do you. You already know what you want.”
“I guess. Sometimes I feel as if I’ve taken so many steps backward. I’m not exactly where I want to be. Not yet.”
“Where do you want to be?”
“Independent. To know that I can carve out a future for my son and myself—by myself.”
Laurel nodded. “I understand. It’s important for a woman to know she can do it all on her own. To know she doesn’t need anyone’s help. Especially not a man’s help.”
Laurel understood, and Hannah appreciated that.
“Exactly.”
“You’ll get there. I believe in you, Hannah.”
Hannah smiled. “Thank you. Oh, there is one important thing I’d like to discuss with you, if you don’t mind.”
Laurel tilted her head to the side. “Of course.”
“It’s about Kal.”
“I’m listening.”
“You know how he’s always doing things for other people, for the community, but he rarely does anything for himself?”
Laurel’s lips lifted. “Yes.”
“I’d like to do something special for him. You know his birthday is coming up.”
“Yes.”
“I have an idea.”
Laurel smiled. “I’m listening.”
Hannah laid out her thoughts, and between her and Laurel, they came up with a very so
lid plan. A good plan.
Now all they had to do was set said plan in motion.
This was going to be very good. And so much fun.
CHAPTER 24
IT HAD BEEN A WHILE SINCE KAL HAD DONE ANYTHING special for his birthday. Typically, he and his brothers went out for drinks, but now Rafe was married and Jackson was engaged, so he didn’t expect to do much today. They’d both said they were busy, but they wished him a happy birthday. His mom had a dinner meeting tonight but said they’d do dinner with him this weekend.
But, hey, at least he’d had the day off today, so he relaxed by the pool since the sun was out, then vacuumed and washed his truck and did laundry. He was even able to grab lunch with one of his high school buddies.
He had a text message from Hannah wishing him a happy birthday, telling him she had a full day at work but asking if he wanted to go out for dinner. He smiled and texted her back, telling her he was game for that. It was a weekday, so he was grateful he’d get to see her at all.
After a quick workout at the gym, he got cleaned up and drove over to pick up Hannah.
When she opened the door, she looked amazing in a flowery red-and-black dress that swung around her legs when she walked.
“You look gorgeous,” he said.
“Thank you. And you look so fine. Happy birthday.” She lifted up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips.
He stepped inside, noticing right away how quiet it was in the house. “Where’s Oliver?”
“He and my mom went out for dinner.”
“Oh. I thought maybe he was coming with us.”
She shook her head. “He has a lot of homework to do, so they’re having a quick bite, then back home.”
“Huh. Okay.” He masked his disappointment in not being able to see Oliver. “You ready to go?”
She grabbed her bag. “Yes. Starving. How about you?”
“I’m always hungry.”
She rubbed his back as they walked out the door. “Of course you are.”
They got in the truck, and he started it up.
“I know it’s your birthday and all,” she said, “but do you mind if I pick the place?”
He looked over at her. “Not at all. What do you have in mind?”
“Becks has told me about Tommy’s Fish House. I think it’s owned by one of your former firefighter buddies?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“She said the food there is really good. She mentioned a few of their dishes, and I’ve been dying to try it out. If you don’t want to go there because you eat there a lot, I understand.”
“No, it’s fine. I like their food.” He’d planned on taking Hannah to a fancy restaurant, but you couldn’t beat the food at Tommy Rodriguez’s place.
The parking lot was nearly full when they got there, which was good for a Wednesday night, and great for Tommy and his wife, Estella. Kal was happy to see their restaurant growing.
When they went inside, their hostess, Brenda, smiled.
“Hi, Kal. It’s nice to see you.”
“You, too, Brenda.”
“It’ll be just a few minutes if you don’t mind waiting. But I’ll get a table ready for you.”
“Sure. We’ll just be in the bar.”
Brenda nodded, and Kal led Hannah to the bar.
When the bartender came over, Kal looked at Hannah. “What would you like to drink?”
“I’ll have a rosé,” she said.
“Beer for me.”
The bartender nodded and got their drinks, handed them over, and by that time, Brenda had come back to fetch them. They grabbed their drinks and followed her.
“This way. I’m sorry to have to put you in the back. We’re kind of busy tonight.”
“Not a problem,” Kal said.
“Busy is a good thing,” Hannah said, grasping Kal’s hand and giving him a smile.
Kal frowned when they passed the dining area and went toward the private room in the back. And when Hannah gave him a wide smile and opened the door, he had no idea what was happening.
Until everyone in the room shouted, “Surprise!”
It took him a few seconds to register that his entire family was in that room. And his friends. Even Hannah’s mom and Oliver, too.
He looked over at Hannah, who shrugged and gave him an innocent look, then said, “Happy birthday, Kal. I thought you needed a big birthday surprise.”
“Well, I’m damned surprised.” He leaned over and kissed her, then walked into the throng of people.
He couldn’t believe who was here. Not only Mom and Dad, Jackson and Becks, and Rafe and Carmen, but also Paige and Oliver. And several of his former Station 6 brothers and sisters—Miguel Acosta and Adrienne Smith. Ethan and Penny Pressman. Callie and Aaron Vassar. Tommy, of course, since this was his place. And some of his teammates from the TRT as well. Micah, Meg and Irish had come. Even his lieutenant had shown up. Of course Phil and Dean hadn’t showed. He hadn’t expected them to. They weren’t friends.
He was blown away by the support and the warmth of friendship and family.
“You did this?” he asked Hannah, who had been hovering nearby until he motioned her over.
“With a lot of help from your mom.”
He was overwhelmed. He’d had birthday parties as a kid but never expected one as an adult. This was a hell of a surprise. He’d had to admit he’d felt a little abandoned today by his family. Now he knew he’d been a victim of subterfuge. They’d all been damn good at it, too.
And Hannah was the master of it all. He hadn’t had a clue.
He watched her as she made her way around the room, either talking to people she knew or introducing herself to people she didn’t. She wasn’t shy, didn’t need to cling to him and wait for an introduction.
There was a tug in the vicinity of his heart that seemed to always be there lately where she was concerned. And every day it was growing stronger.
After he’d greeted and chatted with everyone, they took their seats and dinner was served. Oliver asked if he could sit next to him, which made him feel . . . hell, he didn’t know how to feel about that other than really good. Hannah sat next to Oliver.
“This is fun,” Oliver said. “I like birthday parties.”
“Me, too, buddy. Tell me about your best birthday party.”
Oliver looked up at the ceiling to think, then looked over at him. “It was a really long time ago. I think I was three. I had an octopus party, and Momma got me a cake that looked like an octopus because I really liked octopuses.”
Kal quirked a smile. “That sounds pretty awesome.”
He looked over at Hannah, who shrugged and smiled.
Dinner, of course, was great. Kal had an amazing surf and turf dinner that left him stuffed, but feeling like a king.
He figured everyone would leave after dinner. Instead, he got a few gag gifts and some funny cards, and then the toasts began.
Or maybe he should call them roasts, because it was really bad.
“Remember that time during your rookie year you fell asleep during morning report and the captain made you drag all the hoses up and down the stairs five times?” Ethan shot him a grin.
“Oh.” Callie sat up in her chair. “I remember that day. Highly entertaining.”
“For you, maybe,” Kal said.
“Yeah but you never fell asleep again, did you?” his dad asked.
“No, sir, I did not.”
“Or the first time you were on cooking duty,” Miguel said. “An hour after we ate, everyone pretended to get sick.”
Kal frowned. “That was not funny. You all scared the shi—” He looked down at Oliver. “You all scared me. I thought I had poisoned you.”
“We hid his turnout gear on his first day,” Micah said. “He spent two hours looking for it when the lieutenant asked him to do a gear check.”
His lieutenant smirked.
Kal folded his arms. “You’re all very mean.”
They laughed, then they shared
stories of their own hazing, and he realized what an amazing group of people he got to work with.
And when Estella brought in a huge cake, his eyes widened.
“Cake, too? Come on.”
His mom came over and put her hands on his shoulders, then leaned down. “From your favorite bakery.”
Damn.
Everyone sang to him, and then they cut the cake and served it up. It was chocolate with vanilla buttercream, and he’d never tasted anything better.
He was one lucky guy.
HANNAH COULDN’T CONTAIN HER HAPPINESS AS SHE watched Kal soak in the love from his family and friends.
This had all come about spur-of-the-moment, but she was so glad it had turned out well. Kal seemed so filled with joy tonight, and she couldn’t think of anyone who deserved it more.
That he seemed to appreciate it so much showed the type of man he was.
After dinner, some people left, then everyone else moved to the bar. Her mom was going to take Oliver home since it was already past his bedtime.
“I’ll be right back,” Kal said to the crowd. “Order me a beer.”
Kal walked with her and Paige and Oliver out to the car.
“I wish I could stay,” Oliver said, his face crestfallen.
When they got to the car and Oliver climbed in, Kal crouched down. “But you came to my party, and I’m so happy you were there. You know what? When your mom was still keeping the surprise party a secret and told me you weren’t coming to dinner with us, I was so sad.”
His face immediately brightened. “You were?”
“Yeah. I wanted to spend my birthday with you. You’re my best buddy, aren’t you?”
“You bet I am.” Oliver threw his arms around Kal and hugged him, and Hannah’s heart nearly burst with equal feelings of utter joy and abject terror.
It was clear that Oliver loved Kal. But what if things between Kal and her didn’t work out? Oliver would be devastated.
This was what she’d been trying to avoid, why she rarely dated, why she never brought men into Oliver’s life. Instead, it had happened, and she didn’t know what she was going to do about it.
Of course, it was too late now.
Now she just had to hope that she and Kal would continue on the course they were headed, and everything would turn out fine.
