Page 64 of Jessica's Hero
Once we hand over our coats, Ari glances at Kane with her eyebrows raised. “No more blindfold? You don’t mind if she sees right away?”
Kane hugs me closer. “Jess isn’t a huge fan of surprises.Which I didn’t realize before. So I think it’s better this way.”
My stomach squinches in a knot. “I’m sorry,” I mutter. “I didn’t mean to ruin?—”
“Jess. You’re not.” Ari pats my arm reassuringly. “Now come on. We’re heading to the ballroom.”
The ballroom? I’ve been in Cash and Ari’s house—well, it’s more like a mansion, actually—a handful of times, but we’ve only ever hung out in the expansive entertainment room for our reality TV watching sessions. But the ballroom? That sounds significantly fancier than anything I’m dressed for.
“It’s going to be fine,” Kane assures me as we follow Ari down the hallway, past sleek sculptures and photos with elaborately carved frames and gorgeous paintings. “It’s not dressy. I promise.”
“Okay,” I whisper. “I trust you.”
But I can’t help the niggling worries from slinking back in. The worry that someone might be here who doesn’t like me. That people will stare. That Kane will feel embarrassed, despite his reassurances to the contrary, to have someone less than perfect standing by his side.
Rationally, I know it’s silly. But decades of insecurity are a hard thing to wipe away.
When we get to a set of carved wooden doors, Ari stops. She raps three times on them, then turns back to me and Kane. A mischievous smile plays at her lips. “Are you ready?”
I nod, unable to speak with my heart in my throat.
Kane’s hand slips around mine, squeezing gently. “You’ll like it,” he murmurs. “Don’t worry.”
Then he lifts his chin at Ari, and she pushes open the doors.
I hold my breath.
At first, there’s just darkness. The quiet whisper of movement.
Then the lights come on, and all the air leaves me in a rush.
A crowd of at least twenty people, if not more, are standing in a semicircle in the middle of the room, all of them with warm smiles and welcoming expressions. The second they see me, they start clapping and call out in unison, “Happy Birthday, Jess!”
My heart trips.
“Kane,” I whisper. “What is this?”
“It’s a party,” he says unnecessarily. “For you. You said you haven’t had one since you were little. And I just thought…” Worried eyes meet mine. “I thought you would like it. And when I talked to my friends—our friends—about it, they all wanted to be a part of it.”
Tears spring to my eyes. “Kane.” It’s wobbly. Close to breaking. “You did this?”
Casting my gaze around the room, I take in all the decorations. Twinkle lights are strung across every available surface, a sparkling blend of cool white and bright blue. At least a dozen tables are covered with deep blue tablecloths and set with enormous bouquets of matching flowers. In one corner of the room, there’s an assortment of carnival-type games like Skee-Ball and air hockey and a giant claw game filled with stuffed animals. In the opposite, a dance floor is surrounded with even more lights, and a DJ is standing nearby with his soundboard ready to go.
Against one wall might be the largest buffet I’ve ever seen, with at least thirty covered dishes and a towering chocolate fondue fountain. And to the right, a large table is mounded with gifts, all wrapped in a variety of blue and white patterns.
As I’m looking around, the music kicks off, and all the guests start to advance in our direction. My hand tightens around Kane’s instinctively.
“They all care about you,” Kane says, his breath a whisper against my ear. “And they’re all so excited to celebrate with you. To make this day special.”
“Everyone?” I glance at the crowd of guests again. There’s Thea and Ben, both of them smiling widely. Then Grant and his wife, Scarlett, followed by Ian and his wife, Rose. Oliver and Shea are here, along with several more of Kane’s coworkers. Nora and Jackson are in attendance, along with Leo, and his wife, Georgia, who I’ve gotten to know pretty well thanks to our shared interest in knitting.
Just behind the first wave are more people I know—Marie from work, Penny and Eloise, who sometimes join us for reality-TV-Monday, Dave from the fire station and his very sweet girlfriend, Hollis, and Kane’s fellow officer, Mike, with his high school sweetheart turned fiancée, Darcy.
“Yes, everyone,” Kane replies. His lips brush my cheek. “There are a lot of people in Sleepy Hollow who really like you, Jess.” He pauses, his voice dipping as he adds, “And then there’s one person who really, really likes you. Me.”
My heart melts again.
“Kane.” Even though there’s now a small group of people waiting to greet me, I throw my arms around himand hug him tight. “This is just… I wasn’t expecting it. All these people?—”
