Page 71 of Saving Grace

Lawson shakes his head. “You talking about yourself there, little brother?”

Hudson tosses his head back with a hearty laugh. Ruby tosses a scrunched-up napkin at Lawson’s head.

I make the first cut, and the knife hits the bottom.

“Pretty sure that’s the bottom,” Reed mutters, nodding to Mack with wide eyes.

“Damn straight it was.” Mack bends down, taking my face in his hands, planting his mouth to mine. Cheers explode around the table. Mack’s slow, gentle kiss pulls me in, and I don’t want it to end. I open for him, and he deepens. Eventually, both of us breathless, we part.

The surprised and ecstatic faces that I find around the table send a stone into my throat. I wasn’t sure of the reception I would get if his family found out about Mack and me.Thrilledis the last thing I expected. But that’s what they seem to be.

“Would you like me to serve the cake for you, hon?” Louisa says, beaming.

“Sure, I have no clue how to do it without messing it up.”

She slides the cake plate toward her over the table and plunges the knife into the tower of chocolate layers over and over, until everyone has dessert at their place.

I fork a bite from the plate to my mouth.

Oh . . .

I swear to god.

This is like chocolate velvet. Rich and exquisite.

“Louisa! This is incredible!” I mumble with my mouth full, one hand covering my lips.

Lawson laughs. “No turning back now, Gracie.”

I swallow. “Nope. You’ve ruined all other chocolate cake for me from this bite on.”

“I’m glad you like it. It’s my birthday gift to you, sweetheart.”

“Thank you.” Tears threaten again. Knew it was going to be a long night.

“Oh! Speaking of gifts, it must be present time.” Reed springs from his seat and shuffles past Ruby. We finish our cake and, one by one, each member of the Rawlins family disappears until only Louisa and I are left. I run the fork over the plate. This is the best birthday I can remember in a long time.

“We have all put together something for your special day, hon. Hope that’s okay?”

“You shouldn’t have. This is too much.”

She shuffles closer. “It’s just the right amount.” The smile that lights up her face is pure love.

A voice clears behind me. I turn in my seat to find Reed with an envelope in his hand. He holds it out to me, and I stand to take it. “Reed, thank you.”

“You might take that back when you see what it is,” he says with a chuckle.

“Um, okay?”

Ruby walks up behind him, as do the others. I open the envelope. A receipt sits in my hand. For the craft shop in town.

“$599.00. What? No, Reed!”

“Well, when I ordered your supplies, Doris kind of hit too many zeros. So, you are now the proud owner of apalletof canvases. Like a huge freight, wooden palette, not the type you hold in your hand. About one hundred and fifty of them blankcloth-framed rectangles.” He gives me a cringy, sorry-I-messed-up smile. “Paint your heart out, Gracie.”

“Holy hell!”

“It’s nothin’, happy birthday.”

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