“This old man needs a kiss from the birthday girl, first.” I kissed my dad’s cheek and he pulled me in for a hug. “Happy Birthday, babydoll.”
I snuggled in closer, inhaling his familiar scent. A rush of old memories flooded my brain. Growing up, my dad was always very affectionate, constantly hugging me and saying I love you. I never felt like he was trying to make up for me not having a mother, but maybe he was. It didn’t matter though—my dad gave me enough love for a hundred people. I was his little girl, always would be.
“Thanks, Dad, I really am so happy you’re here.”
“Well hell, I want a kiss from the birthday girl too. I’m not gonna be the only one missin’ out.” Asher’s green eyes sparkled as he cut his way between my dad and me. He really was a good-looking man. I wished Kate was here. Maybe she could finally dump her loser boyfriend and pursue Asher. Chase shot my idea down once, but we were definitely going to revisit that topic.
“Hey, keep your filthy paws off my girl, asshole.” Chase smirked at Asher. I knew he was totally kidding, but also totally dead serious.
“Yeah, nice to see you too, C.” They bumped fists and Asher turned to give me his undivided attention. “Happy Birthday, Lil, what a beauty you are.” Asher kissed my cheek, and I’m sure I blushed.
“Thanks, Ash, always the charmer.” I reached for my dad’s hand so I could introduce them.
“Ash, think you can find your own girl so you can stop hitting on mine?”
“Ok, enough, you two,” I interrupted. My dad was grinning, getting a kick out the boys’ banter. “Dad, this is Chase’s best friend, Asher Craig. Asher, this is my dad, James Porter, and my stepmom, Sharon is over there drinking sake with Sierra.”
“Asher, nice to meet you. Please call me Jim.”
The men shook hands. “Jim, the pleasure is all mine. You have an amazing daughter to put up with this guy.” Asher slapped Chase’s back. I loved how they constantly teased each other. They had been through a lot together and their friendship was as strong as ever. He was Chase’s family by every definition that mattered, and I was so grateful Chase had someone to stand by him through those ugly years.
“So, Jim-” My stepmom sauntered toward us, swaying her petite hips. She encircled an arm around my dad’s waist and he kissed her temple. “You’ve been holding out on me. Please tell me the new Japanese restaurant in our strip mall at home is opening soon.”
I glanced at Chase who smirked and cocked his head. Who was he kidding? A new sushi joint in the center of Wrangel was not a coincidence. He totally planned that.
“This sake is delicious,” Sharon continued. She was drinking, not sipping, from her shot glass.
I looked over my shoulder at Sierra who was pointing at Sharon and mouthing three while holding up three fingers. Sharon was on her third glass already. Oh boy.
“Shar, sake is a bit stronger than normal wine. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience.” My lips curled remembering most of that completely mortifying night. Chase chuckled beside me.
“Is this an inside joke I don’t want to know about?”
“Yeah, Dad. Let’s just say when Chase and I first met, I made a bit of a scene.”
“Baby, it was the night I fell in love with you.” Chase tucked me into his side and kissed my temple.
That was the night I fell in love with him, I just didn’t know it yet. My feminine products rolling around the hardwood floor were quite the distraction, among other things. Lips, chest, abs, hair, eyes ... oh god, his eyes … always my distraction.
“Oh, Lil sweetie, you got yourself an old romantic. Dana totally called it the first night she met him,” Sharon said. Chase flashed me a beautiful smile. Damn, I loved him. “Jim used to-”
“Um, Shar,” my dad cut her off mid-sentence, “Chase and Lili do not need to hear whatever was about to come out of your mouth.” My dad knew his wife all too well.
“Oh Jim, you’re such a prude.” She swatted his shoulder.
Chase and I exchanged let’s-quietly-excuse-ourselves-from-this-conservation looks ... like right fucking now. We didn’t need a replay of the other night. Sharon knew how to take a conversation to a whole new awkward level.
I gave my dad a sheepish smile while Chase excused us and tugged me in the direction of our dinner. I flashed back again to our first night. The table in front of me was much the same, covered in a colorful display of sushi rolls, sashimi, seaweed salads and even some steak and chicken teriyaki skewers I’m sure he planned for my dad, just in case. No detail was left unturned when it came to Chase. Surgeons and their details.
“I figured if we had an assortment everyone could just dig in, family style.” It was perfect. He was perfect. It was exactly what I would have wished for. Simple, casual and family style. Because this was my family. Surrounded by everyone I loved. I was over the moon happy.
“Before everyone starts eating, I would like to make a toast.” Everyone quieted and looked toward Chase and me. He snaked his fingers between mine. “First, I would like to thank everyone for coming to celebrate Lili’s birthday with us. I know everyone in this room has a special place in her heart, and she loves you all to pieces.” Shit, he was totally going to make me cry. “And next, I want to thank Lili for finding me and waking me up in more ways than one. I love you, Blue, so much.” He ran his hand along my cheek.
My heart swelled at the double meaning of his words. This man held my fragile heart in his hands and he knew it. And I reveled in the idea that he would do everything in his power to keep it safe.
“And last, I would like to raise our glasses and toast to Lili’s birthday with years of health, happiness and triple digits...”
Oh my god!
My face turned seventeen shades of red again and no one had any idea what he was talking about except me. Damn him, making my swollen heart flip out with his double meanings. And damn my dad for my sucky poker face. Sierra’s eyebrows rose. Yeah, she would definitely be questioning my color change later. Damn, everyone around me knew exactly how to push my buttons. The eye daggers I shot at Chase got me a tight squeeze.
“Whaaat?” he whispered in my ear. “I want us to live to be one hundred.”
“Mm-hmm,” I sarcastically hissed. “I’m sure that’s exactly what you were thinking.” But hell, if I hadn’t wished for at least that many years with this man myself.
“Oh baby, you love me and you love when I do stuff like that.”
I couldn’t argue because he was damn right. He loved to tease me and I freaking loved every second of it, even if I got embarrassed every time.
“Happy Birthday, Blue.” He lightly kissed my lips before releasing me to sip my sake. “What? No wine glass tonight, baby?” Sexy bastard and his play on words.
“Cheers” and “Happy Birthday, Lili” rang throughout the restaurant as everyone clinked glasses and sipped their drinks. I smiled for my loved ones and then turned to look at Chase.
“You looked starved, Dr. Tease.” I could play too. The promise of triple digits radiated from his pores into mine. I raised my voice several octaves. “Let’s eat, everyone.”
Chase’s sexy grin told me he knew exactly what I meant.
At a little after eleven, the party began to wind down. We said goodbye to my guests and finished loading two of the three tiers of my birthday cake into the back of Chase’s car. I had giggled when the chef at the restaurant wheeled in front of me a completely over the top three layered, for all intents and purposes, wedding cake.
The first words out of Sierra’s mouth were, “Holy hell, Chase, that’s the size of a freaking wedding cake, um ... you’re a brain surgeon right? Think you miscalculated.”