“Sam’s going out tonight,” Cassie interrupts. “It’s her birthday!”
His eyes flicker for a moment, and he walks towards me. “Happy birthday,” he says genuinely and reaches out to softly touch my arm. His touch feels nice and I sigh.
Cassie looks between us and the startled look on her face is hard to miss.
“Want to come?” she asks.
Garrett smiles. “No, thank you though.” He reaches into the refrigerator and takes out a large jug of Gatorade. He opens the top and starts to chug it right from the bottle. He must be hung-over or something.
“You totally should come,” Cassie insists, and it makes me uncomfortable.
“Sorry, I have other plans,” he says and places the Gatorade back into the refrigerator.
“Of course you do,” she stammers, embarrassed that she pressed him.
“So you’re going out tonight?” he asks me, and I flush a little.
“I keep telling her no, but she’s insisting.”
He smiles. “It is your birthday, after all. You should go out and enjoy yourself. When was the last time you even left here when it wasn’t a trip to the doctor or pharmacy?”
“It’s been a while.” I shrug.
“It’s settled, then. Enjoy yourselves.”
The doorbell chimes again and I answer it. This house hasn’t seen this much commotion since I first arrived.
I open it and see Heath’s large frame standing in front of me. This guy is so tall; it would be intimidating if you didn’t know him. He’s honestly one of the most down-to-earth members of Epic Fail. I’ve met him a couple of times, and I know he annoys Garrett when he comes by. My aunt says Heath was with Garrett the day he found out about Kai and feels connected to the little boy. It’s hard not to feel a connection to Kai. I’m already in love with him.
“Hey, Heath. Garrett’s in the kitchen.”
“Hey, Sam.”
He strides past me and addresses Garrett. “They’re expecting us by four. Are you ready?”
“What time is it?” I ask Cassie without looking at the large clock on the wall.
“Three,” she says while staring at Heath. Her jaw is about to hit the table.
“Wow.” I completely lost track of time. I honestly thought it wasn’t even lunchtime yet. Last night was a long night with Kai, and I must have really messed up my internal clock.
“I’m ready now,” Garrett says and swipes his keys from the counter.
He turns back to me and says one more time, “Happy birthday, Sam.”
The door shuts behind them, and Cassie says, “Oh my God. I think I’m in love. Heath is just…”
I laugh. “You say that every single time you meet a hot dude. How can you be in love with so many people?” I ask, joking.
“Easy.” She shrugs and slaps me on the butt. “Get ready, we’re meeting the girls for dinner, and I want to run a few errands before we go.” I haven’t seen Becky and Marcie since I was put on administrative leave. I admit it will be nice to see them again, but I’m mentally and physically exhausted. Full-time nursing doesn’t come close to the levels of exhaustion that I feel every single day. It’s like being a mom.
“I’ll be down in a half hour. Make yourself comfortable.” I slowly climb the staircase and tip-toe into Kai’s room.
“Did you know about this?” I whisper to Peggy.
She smiles and continues rocking Kai. “You need to enjoy yourself for a change. Go out. Have a good time. Kai will be here waiting for you tomorrow morning. Happy birthday,” she says and dismisses me from the room.
I take a deep breath in the hallway and duck into one of the guest rooms to shower and get ready for my date with Cassie.