Page 19 of Bliss: Part 2
Thirty-Six
Bliss
I turned nineteen today.
The first thing I woke up to was noise downstairs. But it wasn’t the usual kind. The voices were low at first, then sharper, like they were arguing. I lay there for a second, trying to make out what they were saying, but the words blurred together. I decided to just go check if whatever was going on down there was something serious or not. I slipped out of bed, headed down the stairs, and stepped into the kitchen.
All six of them were there, moving around the kitchen like it was a restaurant rush. Plates clattered against the counter. Silverware clinked. The smell of something frying filled the air. They were carrying platters and bowls like they were on a mission.
It took them a moment to finally notice me.
Every head turned toward me at once, their grins wide and full of excitement.
“Happy birthday!” they all called out.
I froze in the doorway, thrown off by the sudden change of energy, my eyes darting between them. I couldn’t tell what I’d walked into.
“We’re making breakfast!” Ashby announced, like it was top-secret information I wasn’t supposed to know. He had a whisk in his hand, something white dripping from it onto the counter. “You weren’t supposed to come downstairs yet.”
“Yeah, go back upstairs. Come down when we tell you,” Rhys added. He was wearing an actual apron, tied tight around his waist, looking like he’d been at it for hours.
The sight of them like this made me want to laugh. But all I could do was gape at them.
“We’re almost done,” Dad said, walking over. He kissed my forehead and gave me one of his rare smiles that made my chest tighten. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”
“Thank you.” I smiled up at him, still caught between amusement and confusion. “Do I really have to go back upstairs?”
“Yes!” the guys shouted together. But Dad shook his head.
“Go sit at the table,” he told me, nodding toward the dining room. “We’ll be right there.”
I bit my lip, hesitating before I gave in. “Okay.”
The dining table was already set. Plates, glasses, silverware…everything was in its place. Balloons floated against the ceiling and streamers hung over the doorway. My throat tightened. They’d gone to so much trouble for me.
My stomach growled at all the nice smells coming from the kitchen.
A few minutes later, they came in carrying trays and bowls. Bacon. Pancakes. Fresh fruit. Someone had even made a stack of toast cut into perfect triangles. One by one, they leaned down to hug me, kiss my cheek, and wish me happy birthday again before sitting around the table.
Then they sang to me loud, off-key, and unapologetic, and I tried not to laugh, but that would’ve only made me want to cry. My heart was so full, and I could barely hold in my emotions. I was so grateful, so full of love for them.
Halfway through breakfast, Dad reached into his pocket and handed me an envelope.
I looked at him and sighed. “You know I don’t want presents.” It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate the thought. It was that we couldn’t afford things like this. I never cared for presents on my birthday or on Christmas. All I ever wanted was to be with them and have food on the table.
“It’s just a little something,” he said gently.
I took it, careful not to smudge it with my fingers sticky from honey. Inside was a folded card with his handwriting spilling across it. A note about how proud they were of me. How strong I’d been. How lucky they all were to have me. My eyes blurred before I even noticed the gift card taped to the bottom.
I peeled it off, deep down annoyed by the fact that he had spent money on this. And when I saw the200on the gift card, my mouth fell open.
My head snapped up. “Dad…this is too much.”
“It’s what we want to give you,” he said. “You deserve something nice. Go to the mall. Buy new clothes, new shoes. Whatever you want. You can use it anywhere. Even the food court.”
“You could just buy books,” Ashby added, smirking like he knew exactly how tempting that was for me. “Do you know how many books you could get with two hundred bucks?”
I did. And the thought made my chest ache in a good way. But I still hesitated. “I don’t want to spend this on myself alone,” I said, frowning. “Maybe we could go to that Italian place on the first floor. All of us.”
