Pumped (Mars Fitness #3)

Chapter 33

CHAPTER

THIRTY-THREE

EVEREST

Ivy’s birthday party sneaks up on us. Or actually, I should say it sneaks up on me. Because Owen is all over that shit.

We’d talked about keeping it low-key, just us and the grandparents, because like, Ivy ran out of the house when she should’ve known better. And like, as her parents, we’re supposed to discipline her, right? Taking away the big, fancy party felt like an appropriate punishment to me.

But nope. This is Ivy’s first birthday without her mom and dad, so Owen is determined to make it the most epic birthday party of the year. It’s actually kind of out of control.

He ordered a bouncy castle for the backyard, a magician, a balloon person-dude, and a live band. There are two sets of everything—caterers, gift bags, open bars—one for the kids and the other for the parents. I’m not usually one to balk at how much we’re spending, but honestly… I’m too scared to ask.

Owen took Ivy shopping for a birthday outfit and they came home with like, five different options. The little fashion show they put on for me that night was cute, but five outfits?! Seriously?

You know what, though? Whatever makes Owen happy. That’s been my motto since that day he broke down. It shook me to see him like that, so beaten and defeated, but on some level, I wasn’t that surprised. Owen is more fragile than he seems. That’s why he hides behind such thick walls all the time. The fact that he’s let me inside, that he lets me see him at his weakest and most vulnerable, it’s a privilege I will never take for granted.

Owen is up before the sun on the day of the party, phone in one hand and a clipboard with a printed checklist in the other. The living room is already filled with perfectly neat rows of gift bags he prepped last night. I couldn’t believe the amount of time he spent arranging the colorful tissue papers so they stuck out of the bags just right.

The bouncy castle people arrive early, and Owen supervises as they set up the unicorn-themed monstrosity in the backyard. The thing is huge, and it even has a blow-up slide attached to the side that kids can access from inside.

Caterers take over our kitchen, kicking me out before I even finish my morning coffee. The band hauls their sound and stage equipment through the middle of the house. I’ve never seen so many people—so many strangers—in the house like this before, and I kind of don’t know what to do with myself.

When the grandparents get here, Mom and Alyssa take Ivy upstairs to get ready. Owen puts Dad and Mark to work making sure all the vendors are staying on task. Meanwhile, I wander from room to room, trying to stay out of everyone’s way.

“Where’s Ivy?” Owen demands, appearing in front of me out of nowhere. He’s all up in my face like I abducted her or something.

“Uh, upstairs still?”

Owen glances toward the stairs as if that will confirm her location, then checks his watch for the millionth time. His brows are bunched together and his eyes are narrowed in intense concentration. He looks like he’s about to go to war, or like he’s hyping himself up for a big deadlift.

I grab his wrist before he can dart off to do god knows what else. “Hey, babe, chill.” I pull him into my arms and lock my hands together behind his back to trap him.

He glowers at me and tries to wiggle his way out. “I’ve got stuff to do.”

I squeeze him tighter to me until we’re chest-to-chest. “No, you really don’t. You’ve already done all the stuff.” I look pointedly at his checklist with a column full of bright green checkmarks. “There’s only one thing left to do.”

His glower deepens. “Let me guess. Chill?”

“Yup!” I lean in to rub my nose against his and despite himself, the tension slowly drains from his body. “This is a party. It’s supposed to be fun. It shouldn’t give you gray hairs.”

“I don’t have gray hairs,” he mumbles.

“And let’s keep it that way.” I kiss him on the nose and rock him back and forth as if I can physically shake the anxiety out of him.

“I just want everything to be perfect,” Owen confesses quietly.

My love for him expands in my chest. It grows so big it feels like it’s going to burst out of me. “Everything is perfect. And even if it isn’t, Ivy won’t care. Her friends will be here. Her family is here. That’s all she really needs.”

Owen makes a little choked sound. “Not her whole family,” he objects.

I breathe through a bittersweet pang. “You’re wrong. They are here. Eden and Jeremy are in these walls. They’re all around us. They’re with us every day. Especially today.”

Owen squeezes his eyes shut and I take the opportunity to steal a kiss. The sneak attack slices through the heaviness shrouding him and he cracks a smile.

“There it is,” I say in a lilting, teasing voice.

“There what is?” he asks, skeptically.

“The smile I love.”

Owen groans in disgust, rolling his eyes and pushing me away. “Go make yourself useful,” he says as he walks away, but the grin on his face is impossible to miss.

Things get about a thousand times more chaotic when the guests start to arrive. Kids scream above the live music, running around the backyard like they’re possessed, while parents rush the open bar. Ivy is the center of attention in her fluffy pink dress and sparkly tiara. Her megawatt smile shines brighter than the sun and her bubbly laughter like is magic pixie dust sprinkled over the whole party.

Owen makes me do the rounds with him, welcoming each and every adult, most of whom I’ve never laid eyes on before. But Owen knows every single person’s name and also which kid they belong to.

“Everest!”

I turn to find the most unusual group of people I’d ever expect at a little girl’s birthday party—my friends from Mars. Beau and Gavin lead the posse, followed by Sawyer and Logan, then Donnie and Christian.

“What you guys doing here?” I’m stunned as they each give me dude-bro hugs and slaps on the back.

“We wouldn’t miss Ivy’s birthday!” Logan holds up what must be a giant teddy bear that’s probably bigger than Ivy herself. It looks like a mummy that got shat on by a unicorn, all wrapped up in rainbow wrapping paper.

“Owen called the gym and invited us,” Gavin explains.

He did? When did he do that? And why didn’t he tell me?

“Where’s the birthday girl?” Sawyer’s bouncing on his feet, already dancing to the live kids’ music.

“I’m here!”

I turn just in time to see her running up in a flurry of pink, with Owen right behind her.

“You invited them?” I ask him.

“Is that okay? I wanted it to be a surprise.” He looks a little apprehensive.

“Of course it’s okay!” I lower my voice. “I thought you didn’t like them.” He barely acknowledged them when they attended the memorial service for Eden and Jeremy.

Owen shrugs. “I don’t really know them.”

Gratitude fills my heart at the shy smile Owen gives me and at how far we’ve come. There’s no way he would’ve invited the Mars guys six months ago. And certainly not as a surprise for me.

“Hi! I’m Ivy! You’re Uncle Ev’s friends!” Ivy draws our attention back to her and I tug Owen a little closer to me.

Gavin kneels down so he’s at her level. “Hey Ivy, I’m Gavin, and this is Beau.” He goes around introducing the guys and they each give her a high five.

Then Ivy spots the poorly disguised teddy bear. She gasps and her eyes turn as big as saucers. “Is that for me?”

“Sure is!” Logan sets it down in front of her.

Ivy tries to hug it, except she’s too small to get her arms all around. It tilts over, and Ivy goes tumbling down with it. Logan is horrified, scrambling to help her up. Ivy, on the other hand, is giggling her head off, like this is the most fun she’s ever had in her life.

“What do you say, Ivy?” Owen prompts.

“Thank you!” Ivy throws herself at Logan and he hugs her back with a look of awe on his face. I smile—that’s how I feel whenever I get an Ivy hug, that I can’t quite believe such a beautiful creature exists and that she likes me enough to grace me with a hug.

After Logan is Sawyer, then Gavin, then Beau. She works her way through the group, hugging all the guys and winning them over with nothing more than her charming smile. I can already tell that she’s just earned herself six more uncles to spoil her rotten.

“Hey Ivy! Come play in the bouncy castle with us!”

Ivy lights up at the mention of the bouncy castle, and she darts around all the adults to get to her friends, disappearing as abruptly as she arrived.

Owen winces. “Sorry about that. She’s a little over-excited today.”

“That’s okay, it’s her birthday,” Gavin replies.

“Yeah, she’s allowed to be excited on her birthday,” Beau adds.

“Thank you all for coming,” Owen says. “I’m Owen, Ivy’s other uncle.”

It dawns on me then. I’ve never formally introduced Owen to my friends. Not that he was ever interested before this.

“Oh, uh, sorry. I guess you guys haven’t actually met before.”

“Nope! Way to be a good host, Everest,” Sawyer teases good-naturedly and I flash him a discreet middle finger.

“I caught the introductions with Ivy.” Owen’s hand settles on the small of my back, all casual, like it’s no big deal.

The warmth of it, the gentle pressure, amplifies the gratitude already filling my heart. I shift my weight so my arm presses lightly against his shoulder. It’s subtle, could almost be accidental, like I didn’t notice he was so close. The hand on my back slides around to my waist and squeezes. Holy shit.

My heart goes wild as I suppress a shudder of pure glee. His hold is so possessive, so sure, like I am his and he’s staking his claim. In front of family, friends, and half of Ivy’s school. There’s no way anyone could look at us and not know immediately that we’re together, that we belong to each other.

The guys notice it too. Donnie and Christian exchange an amused look. Beau and Sawyer exchange a mischievous one. Gavin smiles at us endearingly. Only Logan’s a little clueless, his attention fixed on whatever’s happening on the other end of the backyard.

A shriek rings out through the air, a little louder than the rest. At first, it doesn’t really register—the kids have been screaming since the moment they arrived. But then I see the look on Logan’s face. He gasps audibly, his eyes go wide, and his jaw hangs open in shock.

It doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Logan gets surprised by a lot of things. He’s a bit of a delicate flower that way. But there’s something about the horror in his eyes that makes my stomach drop to my knees. This isn’t any old accident. This is bad.

We all turn toward the far end of the backyard, where the bouncy castle is set up. Already, adults have rushed in that direction, and the screaming kids all start crying. Someone must be hurt.

Please don’t let it be Ivy. Please don’t let it be Ivy.

Owen and I move at the same time. I lead the way, using my bigger frame to shove people out of the way. I don’t care if they go flying. I don’t care if I trample over some child. I need to get to the front and make sure it isn’t Ivy who’s hurt.

It’s hard to tell what’s going on when we get up there. Adults stand in a ring, their children clinging to their legs. Then a smaller ring of adults are crouched down and hovering over someone lying on the ground.

I see pink frilly fabric and my heart stops. NO.