Everly
Everly
Thirty-one. Everly had no desire to celebrate but before she’d even left her bed, she could gratefully acknowledge that this birthday was better than the last. For one, she could hear her boyfriend of almost a year puttering around in their kitchen and took great comfort in knowing she would absolutely never find him under, or over, another woman. As far as birthdays went, she was already winning. When her phone buzzed to life on the bedside table, she let herself stretch before grabbing it and swiping her thumb across the screen.
Stacey
Contented acknowledgment of your entry into the world
Everly snort-laughed, shaking her head. What more could a girl ask for than a wonderful boyfriend, a best friend, two not-complete-jerk cats, and a job she loved?
Everly
How long did that take you to come up with?
Stacey
Longer than I care to admit. I used a thesaurus.
Everly
I just woke up.
Stacey
I hope you’re having chocolate cake for breakfast. I’ll see you tonight. ? U
Everly smiled at her phone, thinking about how much had changed over the last year. At one time, her way of thinking had been: Two people was comfortable, three was a crowd, and anything more was practically a kegger. Now, she had a group of people she loved and enjoyed. Chris’s brothers, their respective girlfriends, and of course, Stacey and her boyfriend, Rob. As a low-key, highly anxious introvert, she knew there was something special about the people around her, because most of the time when she was with them, she forgot that she hated crowds. Not everything changed though. Her favorite place was still home, preferably with Chris by her side.
After brushing her teeth and checking to see if any wrinkles had formed around her thirty-one-year-old eyes, she went in search of her favorite person—though if her bestie was anywhere nearby, she’d say it was a tie between them.
The apartment wasn’t big, so it took her all of thirty seconds to find Chris sitting at the corner nook table. It was blessedly bare. Had he really listened and not done anything for her birthday?
“Hey,” he said, setting his coffee cup down before getting up to cross the room. His hair was a little tousled, like he’d woken up and run his hands through it. His smile was the perfect blend of sweet and sexy. And just for her.
She inhaled deeply, the scent of cinnamon and sugar and goodness making her smile. He was baking something delicious. Maybe birthdays weren’t so bad after all.
“Hi,” she said, moving right into his arms because she’d yet to find a place she liked to be better than there.
Chris stroked a hand down her hair, touching his forehead to hers while his other hand settled on her hip. “Can I say it?”
She laughed. “Yes. It’s not like saying ‘Beetlejuice.’ I just don’t want to make a big deal. Best to lay low and avoid angering the birthday demons.”
His laughter made his eyes crinkle. Winding his arms around her, he lifted her off her feet. “Excellent. Okay, then. Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday.” He paused, looked around, then lowered her to her feet. “Nothing bad happened.”
She rapped him on the chest with one hand while threading her fingers through his hair with the other, pulling him in for a kiss that tasted like coffee and Chris—two of her favorite flavors. His arms tightened around her waist, one hand cinching in the fabric of her T-shirt, the other sliding down over her ass, pulling her impossibly close as he deepened the kiss. His lips were soft but insistent as he pulled her under. Chris kissed her like he couldn’t get enough, like he hadn’t woken up beside her every day for months now. Like he could go on kissing her for the rest of their lives. Happy birthday to me.
Everly’s grasp on his hair tightened, eliciting a low growl from the back of Chris’s throat. She’d thrown on a pair of yoga capris and one of her favorite around-the-house T-shirts that said: I’D RATHER BE READING . But now, she wished she hadn’t put on so many clothes. It thrilled her that he wanted her the way she did him, that he looked at her like she was everything. Sometimes she wondered if they’d ever get to a point where they’d take these feelings for granted, but she couldn’t imagine it. Chris Jansen loved her. And that would always be thrilling.
When she moved her hands to run them over his chest, hard and defined under his navy T-shirt, he pulled back just a little, took both her hands in his.
“I got you some… things,” he said, pressing a kiss to her nose.
Everly frowned. “I said no presents.”
His grin was instant and a little smug as he smoothed the spot between her furrowed brows then pulled her over to the couch. “No. You said not to make a big deal. I didn’t. I just got my girlfriend, whom I love very much, a few gifts that might make her smile.” With that, he gave her shoulders a teasing nudge, pushing her to sit on the couch.
It was hard not to laugh when he was being so cute and sweet. “You make me smile.”
“I’m glad.”
He held her gaze a minute, those eyes pinning her to the spot, the care and affection shining in them making her skin feel like it was made of hundreds of little heartbeats. He turned, went into the kitchen, and came back out with a cup of coffee and a gift bag.
One gift bag. That wasn’t so bad. And there was no one other than him watching her open presents, so she didn’t have to feel like she was on display. And there was no pinata, so hallelujah!
He set the bag on the coffee table, handed her the coffee, made just the way she liked.
“You didn’t have to get me anything, you know,” she said after a couple of sips.
“I like buying you things. And I love you. And I know I don’t have to. You might hate birthdays but I’m extremely happy you were born, so let me enjoy this.”
She shook her head, leaned in to him. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, rearing back when she suddenly looked up. “You did get me something last year.”
He reached into the bag, rooted around. “No, I didn’t.”
She nodded. “You did. Pepper Potts.”
Chris’s laughter made her feel like she won a contest. It was deep and genuine and made it easy to laugh with him. He pulled out a prettily wrapped gift. “That squishy cat? It’s a stress toy. That wasn’t a birthday gift.”
Everly squared her shoulders. “I count it as one. It’s still one of my favorite things ever.”
He’d given it to her when they were falling for each other at a time when they absolutely should not have been falling for each other. And it was the first of many, many times that he’d shown he saw her for who she was.
“You’re too easy to please,” he said, leaning in for another kiss before passing her the thin, rectangular present.
“Because I have everything I want,” Everly said quietly. She ran her finger over the pink wrapping paper. “Thank you.”
Chris angled his body on the couch, turning to pull his knee up, nestling it into her side, grounding her. “You’re supposed to wait until after you open the present to thank me; make sure you like it and all.”
She pulled at the tape on the bottom. “I’ll like it no matter what.”
Flutters, softer than flower petals, tickled the inside of her stomach as she unwrapped what felt like a jewelry box. He knew her better than anyone. Even Stacey. So, he wouldn’t buy something over-the-top.
Chris’s brothers, Noah and Wes, often bought overpriced gifts for their girlfriends, even though both women had told them it wasn’t necessary. It had been a spot of contention in each of those relationships and Everly always felt lucky that Chris showed her how he felt in little ways—knowing how she took her coffee, checking in with her, telling her he loved her, giving her his sweater when she got cold and didn’t have one—rather than with lavish trinkets she didn’t need or want. He definitely had the money to be overly generous, but she’d take cuddling on the couch with him over something he could buy any day of the week. She set the wrapping aside, stared at the thin, blue, otherwise nondescript box she’d uncovered.
“It won’t bite you, Evs.” He poked her thigh.
She glanced at him through lowered lashes. They could stay frozen in this moment right here and she’d be happy. “I just don’t want you to think I need—”
He stopped her by setting his index finger to her lips. “I’m not my idiot brothers. I didn’t buy you a Tiffany tennis bracelet.”
She exhaled against his finger, kissing it quickly before he dropped it. Her shoulders relaxed. “Good. Because I don’t even play tennis. And give them a break. Your brothers are learning.”
Wes had bought his girlfriend a tennis bracelet, which had not gone over well since they hadn’t been together all that long when he did, and Hailey was fiercely independent.
Chris laughed. “Yes. They’re poster boys for learning by mistake. Well. Noah is.”
Noah had grown as well. He no longer bought an entire nursery full of shrubs and flowers when he messed up with his girlfriend, Grace. Chris was definitely the most understated Jansen brother when it came to actions and declarations. And that made him perfect.
In truth, she loved both of his brothers and so did he. But it was fun to tease them.
Everly lifted the lid off the box, stared at the present, not entirely sure what she was looking at. A smile tilted her lips up even with the confusion. She picked up one… two… three… four laminated cutouts of… men. She looked up at Chris, who was watching her like a kid who’d been given the green light with a box of sugar cereal.
“They’re book boyfriends,” he said, his excitement contagious.
Laughing, she looked at them again. They were the length of a book, or just about. Each “bookmark” had a faceless man dressed in a different outfit. At the bottom of each one was the name Chris . The first one wore a Captain America costume, complete with the shield. The second wore a black suit and white dress shirt with the top buttons undone. He had dark, wavy hair, and if a bookmark could be sexy, this one was. Realization dawned as she looked at the next. This Chris wore a pair of jeans, boots, and a dark-green Henley that emphasized his laminated paper muscles. The final one, who was shirtless, had even more well-defined muscles on display, his shoulder-length blond hair telling her exactly who he was even without the magic hammer he wielded. And that was not a euphemism. The artist had actually created him with the Thor hammer. Everly looked up, her heart bouncing against her breastbone.
“You got me the Chrises?” Her voice went a little squeaky.
He plucked Chris Pine from her hand, danced him back and forth in front of her. “You once said that if a guy didn’t look like Chris Pine, act like Chris Hemsworth, smile like Chris Pratt, or have a body like Chris Evans, you weren’t interested.”
Everly’s eyes widened. “Wow. You remembered that word for word.” She’d never forget that day or those words since she’d announced them to all of San Verde, California, when she said them on air at the radio station where she was a producer.
Her Chris passed her the bookmark Chris. “Of course I remember. You set down some pretty high expectations. I didn’t know how I’d compare. Had to go with the squishy cat, my charm, and my humor since I couldn’t compete with those guys.”
Everly set the bookmarks down so she could throw her arms around the only Chris she wanted. “I have no idea how you did this, but this is the sweetest and cutest gift I’ve ever received.” She pulled back, framed his face with her hands.
Chris put his hands on top of hers. “Hailey knows this Bookstagrammer—who knew that was a thing? Anyway, she makes them. The bookmarks. She makes them for a bunch of books that she reads and you can commission her. So, I did. Her name is Stephanie. She didn’t even think I was a weirdo for asking for a bunch of Chris bookmarks.”
Everly’s heart did a somersault. “Because you’re not a weirdo. You’re amazing and thoughtful and better than any of those guys.”
Chris leaned in, kissed her, lingering long enough to leave her wanting. “You say that because I’m here but trust me, if one of them came knocking—”
“Stop,” she said through her laughter. “I need to follow this woman online.” She picked up her phone, ignored the texts from Stacey, Noah, Wes, their girlfriends, and her parents, and opened her Instagram app.
Chris leaned over her shoulder. “Steph’s book therapy. It’s pretty cool.”
Everly found and followed her, intending to look closely at her creations later. After, she thanked her boyfriend. She set her phone down, turned to him.
“You’re pretty cool, Chris Jansen.”
“So are you, Everly Dean. So are you.”
He met her halfway for a kiss that made her forget presents or what day it was. Again, he pulled back too soon, his eyes darting around, his breath sawing in and out. “There’s more.”
Everly grinned playfully, tugging at the bottom of his shirt. “I’m well aware there’s more.”
Chris laughed, pushed her hand away. “Not that. Stop. Keep it clean, Dean. I’ve got a plan.”
She laughed. “Right. Sorry.”
He’d already made this her favorite birthday. She could be patient and get through the rest of the presents she didn’t need in order to have the only thing she wanted. Him.