Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Merritt
T wo months later
I pulled the fruit tray out of the fridge and placed it on the island, pulling off the top and removing the lid from the container of dip in the middle.
Taking a step back, I surveyed everything. I had to make sure I didn’t miss a thing, I’d gotten everything right, down to the very last detail. This day had to be perfect.
Tristan moved into the kitchen just as I began reorganizing all the platters and trays taking up the island and counter top.
“Dandelion, it all looks great. Stop stressing.” He came up behind me and grabbed my hips, leaning in to press a kiss to the side of my neck.
I looked back at him over my shoulder. “Great’s not perfect, Tristan. I need this to be perfect .”
“It’s a birthday party for an eight-year-old,” he reminded me. “You’re putting too much pressure on yourself.”
Okay, yes. It was Levi’s birthday party, but given what Levi had gone through during his eighth year of life, I wanted to make sure this day went off without a hitch. He deserved nothing less.
After Warren had taken me, there was a spell where things became pretty rocky. There was no way to hide my battered body from him, and the first time Levi walked into my hospital room after the ordeal was finally over, he’d burst into tears. He’d been so scared of hurting me more that he’d refused to touch me for three whole days. And those days would go down in history as some of the worst of my life for that very reason.
Seeing his aunt like that had caused him to backslide a bit, and he started having nightmares where he lost me forever.
I hadn’t hesitated to find the best therapist in the area for kids his age, and within a week of that first nightmare, he’d had his first appointment. The road to healing wasn’t fast or straight, but he was getting back to where he’d been before Warren had abducted and tortured me.
Speaking of healing, the events of that day had left a mark on me as well, and I didn’t mean only physically. The fear I felt at never seeing Levi and Tristan again had refused to let me go for a long time. It helped I knew I would never have to fear Warren again. What I hadn’t been able to see as everything was happening was that Tristan hadn’t been standing outside that door by himself. They’d already been on their way to rescue me when I stabbed Warren and made a run for it. They’d heard the gunshots and Warren’s scream, so they knew which building around the abandoned mill I’d been trapped in. Turned out, it was an old dormitory for the people who worked nights, and that’s where he’d been keeping me.
As soon as Tristan got me clear and Warren had taken that first shot, Rhodes and Tristan’s partner, Harrison, had fired back, killing him instantly.
I found out later he would have died no matter what. I’d managed to nick his artery, and he’d been slowly bleeding out already. I didn’t know how to feel about the fact that I’d technically killed him before he was shot, and that, on top of seeing him lying on the ground dead, messed with my head in major ways.
Because of the post-traumatic stress both Tristan and I had suffered, we decided the smart thing would be for us to seek professional help as well. It was working wonders to get us back to our light, beautiful life we’d had before.
“Dandelion, stop that and look at me,” Tristan insisted gently, pulling my hands away when I started messing with the flower arrangement—because that was what every eight-year-old boy wanted for his birthday. A freaking flower arrangement. But I blamed it on not being in my right mind when I was putting all of this together.
I lifted my gaze to those blue eyes that saved me over and over again every time I looked into them, and a sense of calm washed over me. “You don’t need to wear yourself out like this. He’s going to love it.” He looked around the house, raising his brows and said, “It looks like the WWE threw up all over the place.”
He had a point. I might have gone a little overboard with the decorations. But that was nothing compared to what I’d done outside. There was a wrestling themed bounce house, cotton candy, snow cone and popcorn machines, and under a large tent at the back of the yard were different stations where the kids could either get their faces painted, have a balloon animal made, or sit for a caricature portrait.
“I know. And I promise I’ll tone it down next year, but Ozzy never did anything for any of Levi’s birthdays.”
Tristan’s face fell and he let out a low growl. “You know, the more you tell me about him, the gladder I am that the stupid prick got his sentence extended.”
I was glad for that too, and I didn’t care if that made me a bad sister. Apparently Ozzy caused as much trouble inside prison as he had outside of it. When he started a fight in the prison yard and ended up stabbing somebody, a sentence that had only been eighteen months had five years added to it.
That was all the judge needed to hear to strip his parental rights away and grant me full and permanent custody.
Hearing that had gone a long way in healing Levi.
Warren was gone and Ozzy was out of our lives forever. And I wanted today to reflect all that good. In my head, this was our first step into the future as a family.
The front door opened, and Nona’s voice called out, “We’re here.”
“In the kitchen,” I returned. Smiling brightly as she and Trick rounded the corner with Doc on their heels.
“I have the cake,” Nona told me, sliding the large bakery box she’d been holding onto the counter. “And I have to say, this might be my best one yet.”
“Not that we’d know for sure since she wouldn’t let anyone taste it,” Trick grumbled as he dropped a huge present wrapped in wrestling-themed wrapping paper on the dining room table with all the other presents. I didn’t know what they got him, but I knew it was going to be good. They’d really taken to spoiling him over the past few months, treating Levi the exact same as they did Blythe’s kids. It was as if Nona and Trick had decided to step into the role of grandparents, while Blythe and Rhodes were a sort of surrogate aunt and uncle.
Tristan’s mom shot him a dull look. “First taste goes to the birthday boy. You know that.” Her eyes darted around the room as I lifted the lid to the cake box and took a peek. She was right. It was perfection.
“Speaking of the birthday boy, where is he?” Nona asked, her excitement to see Levi clear as day.
“Blythe and Rhodes took him and the kids for a birthday breakfast and to ride go-carts so we’d have time to set up everything before guests arrive.”
I’d taken invitations to the school and given them to his teacher, asking that she give one to every classmate. I hadn’t expected they’d all come, of course. But when the RSVPs started rolling in, it became clear that Levi really was as popular as he claimed.
At least fifteen kids and their parents stuffed into our backyard then, along with the rest of our friends and loved ones, all waiting to surprise the boy of the hour.
It was on that thought that the front door opened again, and what sounded like a herd of elephants came racing through.
Levi skidded to a stop, his eyes bulging and mouth hanging open. “ Wow !” he practically shouted. “This is the coolest thing ever !”
“Happy Birthday, buddy,” I said, reaching out to pull him into a hug. He told me a few weeks ago he’d officially outgrown me picking him up, and I was very proud of myself for making it until he left for school before breaking down in ugly, sobbing tears.
“This is all for me?”
Tristan ruffled his hair. “Sure is, kiddo. A boy only turns eight once, and that day has to be celebrated.” A smile curled my lips up. “Why don’t you go out back and see what else we’ve done.”
He raced for the back door, the rest of us following closely behind. The instant he blasted through, everyone shouted, “ Happy Birthday !”
My little guy froze, his eyes scanning over everyone crowded around the yard. As his eyes tracked over every person, his little chin began to tremble and his eyes filled with tears.
Tristan and I crouched down in front of him.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” I asked quietly, reaching out to brush back the flop of hair that was always falling into his eyes. At the contact, he lunged, wrapping his arms around my neck and squeezing.
“I’ve never had a birthday party before,” he rasped against my skin. Before his words had a chance to penetrate, he released me and lunged for Tristan, giving him the same treatment, and I heard his emotion-clogged voice croak, “This is the best day of my life.”
It only took another second for him to regain his composure, but once he did, he practically forgot all about us as he charged toward his friends.
I sniffled, doing my best not to cry as Tristan pulled me into his side. Together, we watched as Levi was showered with more love.
“I can’t believe he’s already eight,” I lamented. I didn’t want to feel sad on such a joyous day, but it was hard not to think about how fast my little guy was growing up. “I’m not ready for him to get older.”
Tristan leaned down and pressed a kiss to my temple. “You know, if you wanted, we could always start from scratch.”
My eyes shot up to his. “Are you saying you want to have kids?”
“With you, Dandelion, I want to have everything.”