28. Jesse

JESSE

"Will you perk up,for fuck's sake?"

I didn't look at Caden as I wiped the glitter off my kitchen counter. Maddie had made me an early birthday card and was so excited to give it to me, I had to accept that our kitchen would sparkle from every angle for a very long time since she'd managed to get glitter everywhere.

"I'm fine. I'm not sure why you all wanted to celebrate my birthday a week early, but I'm going along with it."

"Going along with it?" He lifted Maddie's masterpiece from where I'd hung it on the fridge. "Look at the effort your niece put into this."

I grabbed it from his hands and clipped it back on the fridge.

"I see the effort and the trail of glitter it leaves whenever it's touched. It's great and I love her for it, I'm just not into celebrating anything."

"I know. That's why we're all here trying to cheer your grumpy ass up."

I ignored him as I grabbed the hand vacuum and attempted to suck up the green and white sparkles along the floor. I hadn't heard from Emily other than short texts for the past couple of days. Despite my attempts to have a good attitude about my girlfriend on the opposite coast, it was wearing on me. Maybe she hadn't called because she had to be there longer and didn't know how to tell me. She had said it could be up to six months, so I had to find a way not to lose it after two.

I'd gone twenty years without Emily. I should've been able to handle a few months.

But I wasn't. At least, not well.

"Can't have a party without streamers," Sabrina said as she came into the living room. "Maddie, can you help me put these on the wall behind the couch?"

"Sure!" My niece paused the video game on the TV and popped off the floor.

"See how excited she is?" Caden whispered behind me. "Stop being an old grump and loosen up."

"Yeah, you have enough lines already." Sabrina pointed at my face.

"Have you heard from Emily?"

"Yeah, I think this morning. She's busy."

She shot a weird look to Caden as she twisted a streamer across the frames on the wall.

"What was that look for?"

"I didn't look at anything. I'm focused on decorations." Sabrina didn't look back at me as she spent entirely too much time attaching crepe paper to my wall.

Caden and Sabrina were up to something, but while I had my suspicions, I didn't have the energy to ask.

I turned to head back into the kitchen when my doorbell rang.

"Ah, that must be the cake," Caden said. "Could you get that? I have to help Sabrina."

"There are four people at this party. I don't think you need to put so much effort into streamers on a wall."

"Whatever is worth doing is worth doing right, Jesse," Sabrina said, glowering at me from my couch. "Wow, your uncle Jesse is really in his grumpy old man era this birthday."

I rolled my eyes and headed for the door, not in the mood for whatever silly cake Caden and Sabrina had ordered to pull me out of this funk. Underneath my nasty mood, I appreciated what they were trying to do and I knew they meant well, but I couldn't find it in me to fake having even a little fun.

If Emily and I had stayed together after high school, I probably would have spent four years clutching my phone, awaiting the next call or text, wondering what she was doing. I'd broken up with her to avoid becoming that pathetic and needy, but here I was all the same.

I peeked through my side window and couldn't tell who was there behind the bundle of balloons. My party planners were exhausting me with all this forced joy.

"Again, you do know that this party is just the four of us." I glanced back as I opened the door.

"Actually, there're five."

My jaw dropped when Emily pulled the balloons to the side and peeked her head through.

"Thank God," Caden said behind me. "I almost told you when it looked like you were about to cry into the glitter."

"Hold on a minute." I stepped outside and closed the door behind me, stalking toward Emily. My God, she was gorgeous. Wrapped up in a bubble coat and furry boots, a smile lifting her rosy cheeks, she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen.

"I thought I'd get a happier reaction than this after two months." She propped her hands on her hips, backing up as I stepped closer until her back was to the railing.

I snaked an arm around her waist and yanked her closer, reaching under her coat to graze my hand over her glorious legging-covered ass and pinched her.

"Ouch, what was that for?"

"To make sure I wasn't dreaming." I let a smirk curl my lips as I sifted my hand into her hair.

"You're supposed to pinch yourself." She glared at me, her eyes dancing as they bored into mine.

"I'll remember that for next time." I leaned over to grab the balloons and set them in front of the window to block our view. "Now, give me that fucking mouth."

I crashed my lips against hers and kissed her, deep and wet and far too obscene for my front porch. Hopefully Caden and Sabrina would get the hint and distract Maddie from looking out the window, but despite the free show I was giving the neighbors, I wasn't ready to let Emily out of my arms yet.

Or ever again.

"Now that's better." She smiled, panting out white puffs of air as she chased her breath. "Happy early birthday."

"So, the three of you were in on this?"

"Four. I'm impressed Maddie didn't blab."

"That may be the one way she's not like her mother. My sister could've never kept a secret like this." I ran my thumb along her swollen lips. "How long do I have you for?"

She sank her teeth into her bottom lip as her eyes glossed over.

"Forever. If that's what you want."

"What…so, it's over?"

"Yes and no. I may have to go back for a couple of days at some point, but I'm working on the book remotely from now on. So, I'm back for good. And Sabrina really liked staying in my apartment, so I thought maybe I'd let her have it."

"Don't play with me, Em. Are you saying you want to?—"

"Work out of the spare room, move my bookcases into your hallway, climb into bed with you every night for the rest of my life. Absolutely, yes," she breathed out. "If you'll still have me."

"If I'll— Are you kidding me?" I hauled her to me again, gripping the back of her head as I devoured her mouth, going in harder each time she'd try to pull back.

"I'm guessing that's a yes."

"I'll think about it and get back to you," I said, dipping my head to kiss her again when our heads whipped to knocking from the inside of my door.

"You know this is a family-friendly neighborhood," Caden called out from inside. "Don't get arrested on the first night Emily's back."

"I guess we have a birthday party to go to." I laced my fingers with hers and brought our joined hands to my mouth. "And I am suddenly in a very festive mood. You didn't cut anything short, right?"

"Why, are you sending me back?" She grinned, roping her arms around my neck.

"No way. I just… I never wanted you to miss out on anything because of me. I would have waited as long as I had to."

"I didn't want you to have to. I think both of us have waited long enough. But I need you to do something for me."

"I'd do anything for you."

A smile ghosted her mouth.

"Stop thinking I'm missing out on anything because of you. With you is the only place I've ever wanted to be."

"Then I want you to stop being afraid I'm going to take it all back again someday." I leaned my forehead against hers. "Since the moment we met, there hasn't been a second when you weren't all I've ever wanted."

A grin broke out on her face before she cuddled into my chest.

"So, we're good?"

"Better than good." I breathed out the biggest sigh of sweet relief. "We're finally home."