Three #2
“Get fucked, Ol. AJ will love this. No one has ever thrown her a surprise party. Did you know that?” She’s standing in front of me now.
I set the boxes down and face her in all her feisty glory.
She has her hands on her perfect hips and a scowl on her face that I’m sure she means to be scolding but only makes her lips push out in more of a pout.
Then I take a second to appreciate her outfit before she can yell at me for staring.
She’s standing in front of me in jeans and a super cropped band tee and new sneakers.
That damn baby viper peeking out and what looks like a new tattoo under her boob on the other side.
I hadn’t noticed that a few nights ago when we all watched the fight.
Feed the soul. I read the pretty script lettering.
“She hates surprise parties. So yeah, I did know that.” I watch her nose scrunch up at my words. It’s true, AJ is going to be so overwhelmed if she walks in with the apartment like this. She loves hard but not big. Mia loves big and hard.
“She doesn’t hate them. She’s never had one.
She just doesn’t know that she loves them.
Everyone loves surprise parties. It’s the reason why they still exist.” She works hard to make her words sound confident but I watch the doubt spark in her eyes as it sinks in that AJ might hate this.
And she will, but she will pretend she doesn’t because AJ is the best at recognizing the way that people love.
She never fails to show up for the people she loves, and she loves Mia.
She turns to Maxwell for confirmation. “Is she going to hate this?” My chest pulls at the doubt in her voice.
“Did Melinda make that chocolate pie she loves?” Maxwell is tying off yet another balloon and speaks without even looking up, fully focused on the task at hand.
She shakes her head surely. He lifts a shoulder, “she loves pie. And she loves you. I think she’ll be fine. ” Maxwell fails to reassure her enough.
She swings her body to face Eli and raises her eyebrows at him with the same question. “She will appreciate the love you put into it.” He gives her the truth without the harshness that would crush her spirit.
Then she turns to me and her entire body changes from doubtful and slightly sad to determined.
She straightens out growing about an inch taller and her hazel eyes steel up.
“How do I fix it?” I hold in the smirk that is fighting to make an appearance because I know how much she hates having to come to me for advice regarding anything AJ related.
“Are you going to actually listen to me?” I ask with full skepticism because the odds of her just doing what I ask are very low.
“Don’t be a dick.” Her words are soft and that softens my need to keep the fight between us alive.
“Get rid of the balloons.” I gesture to where they take up the floor.
Maxwell’s mouth drops open entirely and he throws his hands in the air but I ignore him.
“Too much unnecessary movement. It’ll put her on edge.
Put the pie out on the counter when Melinda gets here so she knows there will be sugar.
And have one of her playlist playing.” I can see the thoughts rolling through her head as she reworks her plan.
“I worked my ass off on these balloons. We are not throwing them away.” Maxwell whines.
I glance up at Eli for assistance but he just shifts his shoulders slightly giving me a look telling me that he has no idea what to do with the mass population of balloons in our dad’s apartment.
I grab a few garbage bags from the kitchen and toss one to each of my brothers then gently hand one to Mia.
“We will use them for games with the kids tomorrow. Dad is making Rory take some time off from training and AJ will be holed up in the office getting caught up. So she won’t care.
This way they aren’t wasted.” I’m looking at Maxwell, but I think everyone in this room knows that I am trying to make Mia feel better and couldn’t care less if Maxwell is still whining or not.
We all get our bags open and get to work on gathering all the balloons up.
Eli and Maxwell make a game of trying to throw balloons into each other’s bags.
I casually make my way closer to where Mia is.
She’s always so focused on making sure everything is perfect for everyone around her and she never lets anything get in the way.
She didn’t bat an eye at changing things up here.
Her determination is something I think we all admire about her.
“She’s going to feel very loved.” I speak out when I get close enough to talk without Eli and Maxwell hearing every word.
“Well apparently she is going to hate it all and I suck as a best friend.” She’s so dramatic it makes me smile.
“If you would listen when I talk to you, then you would know that you aren’t her best friend. I am. So you can’t suck at it.” She swings her bag of balloons and smacks me in the face.
“I’m not in the mood for you right now, Oliver.” She huffs, bending down to pick up another balloon. “I just wanted to celebrate them. They’ve worked so hard.” I’ve learned that Mia loves celebrating people.
We almost have all the balloons picked up when Melinda comes in with the pie and immediately gets to work on hanging the banner and decorating the table. I’ve always really liked Melinda. She just has that indisputable motherly love about her. She walks into a room and the atmosphere is calmer.
We are all working hard when the door opens again and I see Mia’s face drain of all color. Then it pinches and I can’t help but think she looks extra adorable when she is mad.