Chapter 49
Forty-Nine
Violet
A few days had passed since I had told the guys why I didn’t like to celebrate my birthday.
I was relieved that they didn’t dwell on it and let me have the time and space I needed to sort through my feelings.
It had been such a long time since anyone had wanted to celebrate my birthday that the thought of doing anything felt foreign.
I was finishing my shift at Surf ’N Shack when I looked up and found Enzo and Asher talking to Capshaw.
My brows furrowed as I tried to figure out what they were up to.
Capshaw nodded but kept his focus on the floor as he listened, his attention clearly on whatever they were telling him.
I wiped down the counter and took the cleaning stuff to the back so I could clock out and call it a day.
When I walked out, the guys were sitting at a table by the front door, waiting for me.
I smiled at them, but it was a little tighter than usual since I was still wondering what they were up to.
Enzo met my gaze and gave me a smirk that said he wasn’t going to say anything, while Asher gave me the smile he knew could get me to agree to just about anything.
“Whatever you two are up to, just stop,” I said as I stood in front of them.
“What makes you think we’re up to something?” Asher replied, tilting his head to the side as the light caught his dimple and made him look that much more adorable than he already was.
“Because I saw you talking to my boss.”
“So? He’s a nice guy, and we’ve gotten to know him better,” Enzo answered, an unspoken challenge in his eyes as he watched me.
I tipped my head back and groaned when it finally hit me.
“Please tell me that you didn’t tell him that my birthday is coming up.”
“We have no control over the information he has on file for you or what he chooses to do with that information.”
I narrowed my eyes at Enzo, knowing that was exactly what they had done.
Before I could say anything, Capshaw walked over, grinning like the two fools sitting in front of me.
“Whatever they said, just ignore—”
“They didn’t say anything that I didn’t already know. However, I wanted to tell you that I’m giving you the rest of the week off.”
“What?”
“The rest of the week—take it off and spend it however you want. Your next shift won’t be until Monday.”
“Capshaw, you don’t have to—”
“I don’t have to do anything unless it’s an order from Kensy. We are fully staffed again now that my dad is back, so take the time off.”
“Thank you, I appreciate the sentiment. However, I would really like to work and get those hours—”
“You can keep arguing, but I don’t think you’re going to win,” Asher interrupted, licking his lips as I glared at him. “You’re taking the next few days off, whether you like it or not.”
I put my hands on my hips and stared at him.
“You’re not the boss of me.”
He stood up, lining himself up so close to me that if one of us breathed too hard, we would be touching.
“You’re right. I’m not the boss of you. But I told you that I love you and that I will always take care of you.
This is me taking care of you. Now stop being so stubborn and accept that you’ll be off for a few days.
If you’re worried about your hours, I’ll take care of it.
You don’t need to worry about money right now. ”
“Actually, one of our employee benefits includes a paid day off for your birthday,” Capshaw said. “I can adjust your schedule next week to make up the other day off, but other than that, you’re not missing any hours.”
“Well, I guess I don’t have a choice, now do I?” I narrowed my eyes at the guys again and looked away before I gave in and smiled. I hated how cute they looked when I wanted to be mad.
“Enjoy your time off, Violet. Happy birthday,” Capshaw said before walking off and heading back to the kitchen.
I shifted my purse on my shoulder and shook my head before walking out the front door and leaving the guys to follow.
Asher's hand pressed against my lower back as he caught up to walk beside me, guiding me to the truck.
Once I was inside and buckled up, I let go of the frustration that I had been feeling when I looked at the two men sitting in front of me, grinning like little boys in a candy shop.
“Please don’t be mad at us. I promise, we only have fun things planned for you. You can still decide whether or not any of them count as a birthday celebration.” Asher pressed his hands together and batted his eyes.
“I’m not mad,” I corrected with a sigh. “But I don’t like you going behind my back and convincing my boss to let me have time off. It doesn’t bother me to work on my birthday because it’s just another day.”
“It bothers us,” Enzo said softly. “But you should know that we didn’t say anything to Capshaw about giving you time off. We honestly weren’t talking about that.”
“What were you talking about then?”
“Umm... yeah... We can’t tell you,” Asher replied, pressing his lips together.
“Why not?”
“Because we were told not to.”
I frowned as I stared at them, trying to figure out what was going on.
“Let’s just say that we are not the only ones who were aware that your birthday is coming up. Nor were we the only ones who wanted to do something to celebrate it.”
My head hurt from how hard my brow furrowed, but none of that made sense.
“Seriously, just tell me what he told you guys. I promise I won’t say anything or tell him that you told me.”
“We have strict orders not to tell you anything.” Asher smiled, but it did nothing to disarm me.
Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out to see a new text message from Kensy in the group chat.
Kensy: Stop trying to get it out of them. They have firm orders not to tell you anything.
I looked from my phone to the guys, watching as they both grinned harder.
“Let’s get you home so we can get the fun started,” Enzo said as he turned around and started the truck.
“I don’t get it,” I murmured, more to myself than to them.
I hadn’t told anyone that my birthday was coming up, so I had no idea how they knew. Sure, I followed all of the girls on social media, but I didn’t have anything on my profile that said when my birthday was.
“Stop overthinking it, you’re going to get wrinkles from frowning that much,” Asher teased as he turned and faced forward while Enzo drove us home.
I stared at my phone, then sent a text back to the group chat.
Me: What is going on? I am so confused.
I waited a few minutes and then felt the vibration as a new text message came through.
Bella: It’s going to be amazing! Please just trust us!
Kensy: She’s right, it will be amazing. Stop beating up the poor guys; they don’t know much, and Lia threatened to kick their asses if they said anything to you.
Me: How did Lia threaten to kick their asses if they only talked to Capshaw?
Lia: I have my ways. My brother might be afraid of Kensy, but he knows better than to dismiss a threat from me.
Me: I don’t like surprises...
Kensy: You’ll like this one. I promise.
Bella: Have we ever let you down?
Me: No...
Bella: Then trust that whatever we do, it’s because we love you.
Kensy: Have fun!
Lia: I want all of the juicy details later!
“What juicy details?” I muttered, sitting in the back seat in utter confusion as Enzo pulled into the garage and turned off the truck.
I tucked my phone back into my pocket and grabbed my purse as Asher opened the door for me. I couldn’t help but feel on pins and needles as I walked inside, unsure of what to expect.
I held my breath, wondering if my friends were here, waiting to surprise me.
While I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings if that’s what they had planned, I really hoped they didn’t because I hated surprises like that.
I never understood the concept of surprise parties and always took comfort knowing that I never had to worry about someone doing that to me if no one bothered to celebrate my birthday to begin with.
The house was empty as I walked through the living room, stopping to look around as if someone might still jump out and scare me.
“Relax, baby,” Asher said, rubbing his hand on my lower back. “There’s no one here except us. It’s safe.”
I released the breath I had been holding and nodded, finally allowing myself to relax a little bit.
I hung my purse on the hook by the door and took off my shoes as I looked around, still feeling slightly on edge.
Everything looked normal, which was a relief, but I still had my guard up because I didn't know what my friends were up to.
I hadn’t noticed that Asher had gone to the bathroom until he came back a few minutes later and took my hand in his.
“I’m running you a hot bath,” he said, as I followed him to the bathroom.
I stopped in my tracks and stared as I took in the sight before me.
Rose petals were sprinkled around the edge of the tub with a vase of red roses sitting in the corner.
Lavender and vanilla floated through the air as the tub filled with bubbles.
A small tray was set up beside the tub with a glass of wine, a candle, and a box filled with my favorite treats from Rockin’ Rooster.
I covered my mouth and fought the tears as I realized the amount of thought and love that went into preparing this for me.
“We got you a new robe and some fluffy towels,” Asher said, standing on the other side of me.
I looked to where he was pointing, noticing the beautiful, elegant robe that was hanging on a hook that hadn’t been there before.
“This is amazing,” I whispered, looking at Enzo and then at Asher. “Thank you so much. You guys didn’t have to go through all of this work for me.”
Enzo placed a finger over my lips and shook his head.
“It was our pleasure, just like everything we do for you will always be our pleasure.”
A chill ran through me at his words, but it was the love in his eyes that had my knees threatening to give out.
“Thank you. I might be in here for hours,” I teased with a smile.
“Take your time. Once you’re done, we’ll have dinner, and then we have a few more things planned for tonight,” Enzo said.
“Just us,” Asher added, apparently noticing the panic that I thought had flickered across my face before he could see it. “Tonight is just the three of us—no one else. So please relax and enjoy your bath. There’s no rush.”
I nodded and stared at the tub as Enzo turned off the water. They both kissed my cheeks before they left, leaving me to the peaceful serenity they had created.