Page 163 of Need You To Choose Me

“Actually…” I brace my hands against the cushion and slowly get to my feet. “There is one more thing.”

Before they can say anything, I make my way to the kitchen to grab my surprise. For a moment, the nerves get the betterof me, but I push them back as I return to the living room to find the Walker boys talking amongst each other with matching confused expressions on their faces. They must hear me approach because their heads turn in my direction, and I watch as different emotions play on their faces.

“I know it’s not much but…” I shrug, placing the tray on the table in front of Daniel. “Happy birthday, Daniel.”

He just blinks and stares at the cake, silent for what feels like forever.

“You made this?” Daniel finally breaks the quiet, his voice coming out gruff.

I shift my weight from one foot to the other, my palms turning sweaty under his watchful gaze.

Shit.I shouldn’t have done it.

The cake has blue frosting with something that should look like a black car on it. Since I finished it barely an hour ago, it didn’t have the time to properly cool off. And while my baking skills weren’t shabby, I sucked at decorating. It was a silly idea to begin with.

“Yeah.” I run my fingers through my hair. “It’s fine. I know it’s not that fancy since I’m not really skilled but?—”

The words are cut short when Daniel gets to his feet and hugs me. I suck in a breath, my gaze meeting Blake’s over his son’s shoulder as he squeezes me tightly.

Daniel is… hugging me?

“Thank you,” Daniel croaks out, his words coming out muffled as he buries his head into the crook of my shoulder.

Blake’s face softens. I let out a shaky breath and wrap my arms around him. “It’s just a cake. I wish I knew earlier so I could have bought you a real present.”

Daniel shakes his head. “No, it’s not.”

He lets his hands drop and takes a step back. I want to ask him what he meant but don’t get a chance to.

“Not fair! I wanna cake for my birthday too!” Levi interjects, clearly feeling left out. “You’ll make it for me, right, Sav?”

I chuckle and ruffle his hair. “I can do that, sure. Do you wanna try it?”

They all nod in agreement, so I cut them each a slice before sitting down. The boys moan loudly as they dig in, and I can feel my smile growing bigger as I take a small piece of cake myself, the first taste bringing back all the memories with my Grams.

The first birthday cake I ever got was when I was nine. Grams taught me how to bake it. I remember her raspy laughter when we made a mess of the kitchen and sitting on the porch and sharing a slice.

“Damn, this is good.”

Daniel nods in agreement. “What cake is that? It’s vanilla, but there is something else.”

“It’s a secret.” Yearning spreads through my chest, that familiar ache back in place. My gaze drops to the cake, my throat feeling tight, so I swallow down, fighting the wave of emotions. “It’s my Grams’ recipe. She made it for my birthday every year.”

Understanding shines in Blake’s eyes. He wraps his arm around my shoulders, his lips brushing against my temple. “It’s an amazing cake.”

“I know. I couldn’t believe my luck when I found the recipe in her cookbook. It was our thing.” The corner of my mouth lifts up as I remember all the happy times with Grams. And there were many of them. She made me feel special. More than that, she made me realize that I matter, and I’m loved. “Every birthday, every celebration. She never missed a thing. Never let me feel less than. I always said one day I would make it for my kids.”

I lean my head against Blake’s arm as tears blur my vision. God, how I missed her. I missed her every day, but in moments like this, it was worse than before. It was like the reality hitme all over again, the realization that she was gone. But not forgotten. Never forgotten.

“That’s a great tradition to keep, Blondie,” Blake’s soft whisper breaks me out of my thoughts. He slicks back a strand of hair behind my ear.

I blink the tears away, my voice coming out raspy, “Yeah, it is.”

“I changed my mind,” Levi pouts, driving my attention. “I want this cake for my birthday.”

“You sure? I can make you a chocolate one.”

Levi shakes his head. “I want this exact one. On May 15th. That’s when it’s my birthday.”

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