Chapter Twenty-One
The next morning, I woke blissful and well-rested. The rest of the previous evening had gone like a dream. Conversation flowed between us, with the men telling me stories of their ghost collecting. Those stories couldn't be made up. They were too detailed and when one of them was telling a story, another would add to it in a way that couldn't be faked. I would continue to reserve judgment, but I was ninety-nine percent sure that the Hounds of Hades were the good guys they swore to be.
And I liked them. A lot. All three of them. Their personalities had shone last night, giving me a clear image of each man. Gage was the most alpha of the three, sometimes to the point of coarseness, but he had a sweetness inside him that, once found, made the bravado endearing. Gideon didn't hide his sweetness. He was a simple, kind man, despite having the soul of a warrior. I think that made him shine all the brighter—that the battles he'd been through hadn't left a stain on his psyche. Gideon was the strongest of the three. And then there was Garret. He was sort of in the middle. A normal guy in a paranormal body. I could have seen myself meeting him at a grocery store or on the street, just as we had met, and dating him. Having a normal, albeit thrilling, relationship.
Oddly enough, talking to them together eased some of the awkwardness I might have felt on a one-on-one date. It was like going on a first date with your friends tagging along. Less pressure. And the croissant s'mores were to die for. My mouth watered just thinking about them.
And speaking of desserts, I had a plan. I wanted to do something nice for them. They had looked after me and spent a lot of money on me the day before. I wanted to show my appreciation. And maybe I just wanted to pamper them a little.
I rushed through my morning routine and got downstairs to find the kitchen empty. But this time, there was no plate of pancakes waiting for me. I would have assumed it was because the men had said they'd wait for me to get up this morning so we could go out to breakfast, but there was no trace of them. No coffee brewing and no sounds coming from another room.
“Perfect!” I glanced at the clock on the wall and grinned. It was a little past seven. My internal clock must have awakened me, my mind already set on getting up early.
I hurried into the pantry and pulled out what I needed. Normally, I wouldn't bake a cake this early in the morning, but it was the only time I'd be alone long enough to bake it in secret. Smiling to myself, I mixed the ingredients, filled the pans, and got the cake in the oven.
Then it was on to the frosting. I loved pudding as a frosting, but it didn't make the prettiest cake. I went with a cream cheese frosting lightened with pudding instead. The cake was plain vanilla, but once it was out of the oven and cooled—I put it in the freezer to speed things up—I poured a soaking syrup flavored with pineapple in it. I added crushed pineapple to the frosting, then assembled the cake on a pretty stand I found high on a shelf.
In between the layers, atop the frosting, I sprinkled crushed pistachios for some crunch. Then it was back in the fridge for the crumb layer to set up. It was while I was waiting on the crumb layer, sipping a cup of coffee, that the hounds appeared.
“No!” I exclaimed as they came into the kitchen.
They backed up, those green eyes widened in shock.
“Sorry,” I said with a grimace. “But I'm working on a surprise for you.” I swept the room with a glance to make sure there was no evidence lying about. Luckily, the bowl of frosting was in the fridge with the cake. “Could you take your coffee into another room?”
“What about going out for breakfast?” Gideon asked. “We're dressed and ready to leave.”
“After the surprise.” I looked at the clock. “I just need ten minutes.”
“All right, but no snacking.” Gage wagged a finger at me. “I don't want you ruining your appetite, young lady.”
“Yes, Da—” I stopped myself before I said daddy again.
But they caught it and all of them smirked at me as they went to the coffee pot. They hovered there for a while, which wasn't a problem. I was still waiting for the cake to set. But when the time came, I shooed them out to the living room.
“What are you up to?” Garret asked as he left.
“What part of 'it's a surprise' do you not understand?” I shot back.
“Come on,” Gideon urged. “No one has surprised us with anything good before. I'm excited. Let's get out of her way.”
I stood in the kitchen doorway, watching until they were in the living room, then swept over to the fridge and brought out the cake. It was at the perfect firmness for frosting. I swept on the final coat, then realized I was missing something.
“Shit,” I muttered. “The surprise is going to have to wait.” I put the cake back in the fridge and went to fetch the men.
“Can we go into the kitchen now?” Gideon asked as he jumped up.
“Sorry. There's something I need to finish the surprise. Could we go to breakfast and then do a little shopping?” I winced, thinking it kinda ruined things if they had to pay for it. But there was no help for it. I wanted everything to be perfect. “I'll need to shop alone.”
“We can't let you do that, Indie,” Gage said. “You might get attacked.”
“Oh.” My face fell.
“How about we go with you, but wait at the end of the aisles and promise not to look at what you buy?” Gideon offered. “You'll need us to pay for things anyway.”
“Oh, okay.” I brightened. “Promise not to look.” I set my stare on each of them, one at a time, and they nodded.
With promises given, we went to breakfast. Excitement over my plan kept me grinning through the meal, but their companionship would have done that anyway. Every interaction brought us closer. I felt as if I had known them forever. But that's a cliché thing to say, isn't it? Or maybe it was a normal feeling when you were connecting with someone.
After breakfast, I had them take me to Walmart. It would have everything I needed without giving them any hints. On top of the candles, I got some decorations too. But that was down the “party aisle” so I had the men wait a few aisles down. Once I had everything I wanted, I spread a pack of streamers over the top of everything in the basket, just in case one of them peeked. Then we checked out.
With my plastic bag clutched to my chest, I grinned all the way back to the house. The men kept looking at me, chuckling and shaking their heads. I loved it. No one had done this for them before. I was the first. Whether I was their mate or not, they'd always remember me for this. And that was a balm on the burn of the likelihood that they wouldn't be mine.
Once we got home, I hurried into the kitchen, calling over my shoulder, “Give me fifteen minutes!”
“Now, she needs fifteen?” Gage asked. “What is she doing to our kitchen?”
“Do you care?” Garret shot back. “Look how happy she is. She can blow up the stove if she wants. As long as she keeps smiling like that.”
“Blowing up the stove could kill her,” Gideon said.
“All right, that was a terrible choice, but you know what I mean.”
My grin went wider with those words. But then I was in the kitchen, out of hearing range. First, I brought the cake out to soften a little. Then I tore into the packages and raced about the room, giggling to myself. Streamers everywhere. A big sign across the windows. Balloons. It was just as I wanted it. Then I froze. This wasn't just for them. Some of my foster parents had remembered my birthday, but it was never a big to-do. At best, I got a store-bought cake and some ice cream. And believe me, that thrilled me when it happened. But I never got this. I was putting on the party I had always wanted.
Which meant that they might not want it.
“Damn it,” I whispered and looked down at the pack of birthday candles. “I never thought to wonder if this might upset them.” Then I realized it didn't matter. My intentions were good, and I knew they'd appreciate the gesture either way. These weren't men who would pout at someone throwing them a party. They'd walk in and own the scene.
Grin back in place, I decorated the top of the cake with candles, then lit them.
“Okay!” I shouted. “Come in!”
The sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. Seconds later, the hounds burst into the room. And froze.
“Happy Birthday!” I shouted, holding out the cake on its pedestal plate. Then I sang, “Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Garret, Gideon, and Gage. Happy Birthday to you.”
They gaped at me. Then at the candles. Then at the decorations that had turned their spotless kitchen into a kid's dream. Balloons clung to the cabinets, streamers draped everything, cardboard cutouts of cartoon animals decorated the walls, and a sign reading, “Happy Birthday” hung from the ceiling.
I lost confidence when the silence continued. “Um, you're supposed to make a wish and blow out the candles.”
Gideon was the first to crack a smile. “You made us a cake?”
I smiled back in relief. “Yes. I got up early to bake it. From scratch. It's pineapple pistachio.”
“That sounds amazing! Doesn't it, guys?” Gideon smacked the other two in their arms.
Garret jolted out of his daze to say, “Amazing.”
“Holy shit,” Gage said.
“Shit,” I whispered. “You don't like it. I'm sorry. I just wanted to do something nice for you. And when you said you were made, not born, I thought, well, you must have never had a birthday.” I set the cake down on the island and bent over it to blow out the candles.
“Stop!” Gage shouted.
I jerked upright.
“Those are my birthday candles!” He hurried over. “I get to blow them out. Right? I don't get my wish if I don't blow them out.”
“Right,” I said, grinning again. “But share with your packmates.”
Gage nodded, his face split in a broad grin that I had never seen on him before. It wasn't sexy or smirking. It was pure, innocent pleasure.
Garret and Gideon came over and the three of them surrounded the cake. They grinned at each other and then, as if someone counted them down, blew out the candles together. With the flames extinguished, I cheered and clapped.
The men stared at me, goofy grins locked into place.
“I wish I could have gotten you some presents,” I said. “But I hope you like the cake. There's ice cream too.” I waved at the gallon of vanilla I had brought out of the freezer to soften along with the cake.
“I adore you,” Gideon declared.
I giggled.
“Seriously, Indigo,” Garret said. “This is so thoughtful.”
“It's better than thoughtful,” Gage said. “It's . . . shit. I feel . . .”
The men looked at each other and nodded.
“Yeah,” Gideon said. “Exactly. This is special.” He looked at me. “Thank you, Indie.”
“It was my pleasure,” I said. “Now, how about some cake and ice cream, birthday boys?”
“Yes, absolutely,” Garret said. “But first, what day is it?”
“Uh, it's . . .” I had to think about it. Everything had gotten jumbled up in my head. “It's September . . .”
“September 16 th ,” Gage said. “Our birthday.”
“Really?” I whispered. “You're going to let me choose the day you celebrate on?”
“Of course,” Gideon said. “That's what you've given us. Hades may have created our bodies, but you just brought us to life, Indigo. Thank you.”
I stared at them a moment, my throat closing with emotion, then I said, “You're welcome. Happy Birthday.”