Chapter Thirty-Seven
“Surprise!” A chorus of shouts bombarded me as I opened the door and entered my house, Jemma following close behind me.
I was looking at a sea of people standing around my living room. Friends who I hadn’t seen for years, who lived in other states, and who were in the writing industry with me. My team for League of Witches and other friends whom I didn’t get to see enough around the local area.
Everyone had paper party hats on and little noisemakers. They each had a smile plastered and looked so excited to be there. I turned around to look at Jemma, who had the same smile on her face.
After she’d told me about informing Ryker and Beckett about my birthday, and the anger subsided, I allowed Jemma to filter me information on what Ryker was planning.
Even though she was letting Ryker take the reins on this party.
It took almost a week of constantly nagging her to finally let it slip what day the party would be happening, but she refused to tell me any more than that, and in this moment, staring at the filled room in front of me, I was grateful.
I took a few deep breaths, ready for the onslaught of people who would be coming up to me, but it wasn’t all at once. A few people here and there wished me a happy birthday and gave small hugs before branching off for food, drinks, or just to talk.
“Hey!” Sylvia came up to me with open arms. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Oh my gosh.” I folded into her arms. It had been years since we’d seen each other at my last book signing; she’s been one of my friends for years, but she lived states away. I stepped back and looked her up and down. “You look freaking amazing!”
“It’s the baby weight.” I stood there, my mouth agape at her confession. “It’s giving me curves I’ve never had.”
“A baby?” I said softly. “I’ve missed so much.”
“Oh, shush,” she waved me off. “We’ve all had busy lives, and we live on opposite sides of the country. I wouldn’t expect us to know everything. Plus, I haven’t announced it on social media yet.”
That would make sense as to why I really hadn’t known. Even though we only talked sporadically, I always made sure to keep up with everyone across different media accounts, promoting books and building up the community I already had.
“I’m so glad you’re here, though.” I gave her another hug before another longtime friend, Becca, came up to give their birthday sentiments. It was consistent like this for a good while until suddenly no one else was coming up.
Except for a worried Jemma.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. Her brow was furrowed, and Beckett was hot on her tail.
“Ryker isn’t here yet.” She said it quickly, shifting her gaze from Beckett, who’d saddled up next to her, and then back to me.
The moment the words were out of her mouth, I looked around and noticed that he wasn’t there. I’d been so busy that I hadn’t realized it.
“Where is he?” He has a live stream today, but I looked at the clock, and if he left after he was done, he should have been here by now.
“I checked, and apparently his stream ended late, but no one could get in touch with him during his stream, and my calls are going to voicemail,” Beckett interjected.
“When did the stream end?” I asked, pulling out my phone. My hands shook as I tried to open my home screen.
“Thirty minutes ago.”
“He was supposed to be here right when we arrived.” Jemma followed up.
I hit the call button, and just like Beckett had said, it went straight to voicemail.
My heart thudded, and the next breath I took was almost nonexistent.
No.
I would not do this. I took a deep breath in, gathering all the air I could, and looked around. I needed to be rational.
“Maybe his phone died.”
“He always plugs it in while streaming,” Beckett countered.
“You’re not helping, dipshit.” Jemma smacked the back of his head.
“Fuck.” He rubbed it, and Jemma turned her attention back to me.
“You’re right.” She took a step toward me. “Maybe his phone died.”
“Yeah,” I took another breath and straightened myself up, and gave myself a head nod. “His phone died; he’s running late, and he’ll be here soon.”
Ryker was going to be here. He had planned all of this. He wouldn’t not show up. He was just a little late, which was fine. He had a job to do, and he had been doing this because he didn’t want to tip off that the surprise was happening.
“He’s just a little late,” I spoke the words again, but they were shaky this time, my resolve slowly starting to fade. Jemma’s face gave away that she was worried about what I was feeling. Her eyes sank, and her face turned to pity. Pity I did not need.
“Let’s get you a drink, honey.” She grabbed my arm, directing me toward the kitchen. where food and drink were laid out. I took the bottle of water Jemma handed me and grabbed a small sandwich.
Food and water. Grounding. I closed my eyes, taking in my familiar surroundings. This was my safe space.
“Odette.” I opened my eyes to Ember walking toward me. “Wonderful party. I hadn’t even known when your birthday was until your boy reached out and asked if I wanted to come.”
Another breath.
Tears welled in my eyes. The thoughtfulness of Ryker reaching out to everyone himself was beyond what I’d expected.
“Yeah,” I smiled, hoping a tear didn’t slip out. “He’s pretty amazing.”
“Next year, we are going to have to go bigger and better!” Ember gave me an embrace, and they walked away, leaving me alone once again with Jemma. Beckett stood next to her, watching me just as intently as she was.
Ember had said we.
I looked around again at the group that had curated here. My friends. Friends who wanted to celebrate me and be here for me. People who loved me. A family I had built over the years that Ryker had somehow pulled all together to show me just how loved I was.
A tear finally slipped down my cheek, and Jemma was beside me instantly, wiping it away.
“We’ll make next year even better.” She smiled softly at me. This wasn’t her idea, but now that it was a thing, I could see the wheels spinning in her head. She was excited by this. We’d spent so many birthdays just me and her, and now we’d get to share them with others.
Except Ryker still wasn’t here.
He’s going to be here.
“He’s going to be here,” Beckett reassured the same sentiment I was just thinking.
I took another deep breath.
He was. He was going to be here. He wasn’t going to let me down. He wasn’t like the others who had been in my life. Others who had hurt me.
Ryker had shown me at every possible turn that he was nothing like them. On days like today, I needed to remember that things happened, people were late, there was traffic, or his work went over. I would never fault him for that.
He set this party up for me.
He did this all for me.
“Odette!” My head whipped to the sound of my name coming from the front room. I don’t think I’d ever moved so quickly to the entryway of my kitchen before. I could see the entire front of the house from here, even Ryker standing in the front doorway.
He had his phone out, hair partially in a bun on top of his head, but strands splayed out. He looked frantic. His stride toward me had him in front of me in four steps, and his arms wrapped around me. Mine instinctively wrapped around his neck, pulling him down toward me.
I leaned into him, breathing him in.
He was here.
“My phone died while I was streaming.” He started and quickly continued.
“It was plugged in, but then the plug wasn’t all the way secured, and then when I got to my car, I didn’t have my charger since I took it out last week, and I’m pretty sure it’s still plugged in next to your bed, and the stream went on too long, and I’m so sorry. ”
I pulled away, grabbing his face with my hands, staring into his eyes. He looked so worried, disheveled, and panicked.
“It’s okay, my love,” I said softly.
My shoulders eased hearing him explain what happened. Everything we had thought had happened. His stream had ended late, and his phone had died. He was here now, though, and that’s all I was worried about.
Tears welled again in my eyes, one slipping out.
“Oh, baby.” He wiped it away, just as Jemma had done moments ago. “I’m so sorry.”
“You don’t need to be sorry.” I shook my head, trying to convince him that these weren’t sad tears. I leaned in and placed a kiss on his lips. “I love you so much.”
“I love you.”
Ryker tightened his grip on me, and my face was once again buried in his neck as I held on. The lights dimmed around us, and a chorus started behind me.
Happy Birthday.
A song I hadn’t heard sung to me in years.
I pulled away from Ryker as Jemma walked over to us, cookie cake in hand. She handed the cake to Ryker. He took the cake and turned toward me, singing directly to me with everyone else behind him.
I stared up at him.
This was everything. My whole world was around me. Friends, found family, the love of my life. This was the new life I’d built, and I hadn’t built it alone. I stared into Ryker’s eyes as the song finished.
“Make a wish,” Ryker whispered to me.
I closed my eyes, blowing out the singular, long candle in the middle of the cake. I didn’t need to make a wish, though.
My eyes opened, and I looked back up at Ryker. His eyes were glistening as he watched me.
The only thing I’d ever wished for on my birthdays was already in front of me.
True love.
A man who saw me for me, a man who wanted me and was always there for me.
But most importantly, a man whom I couldn’t compare to anyone else, because he was more than anyone else.
And that was all that mattered.
Just him.
Ryker.