Chapter Sixty-Three
I made it through the birthday dinner, doing my best not to ruin it for my brother and Lana. It was difficult not to be bitter watching Adam smiling, laughing, and stealing kisses from his mate. I needed to find a way to get my mate back into my life. Somehow.
I swirled the brandy around my glass and took another swig. Once we had cake I could excuse myself and go home.
Home. Ever since I’d lost Sasha, my home was just a house. In the time we spent together I’d imagined our future. We could renovate one of the guest rooms into a yoga room for her. Now I felt like an idiot, and my house was an empty structure haunted by unfulfilled dreams.
Where was the fucking cake?
I downed the last of the brandy, savoring the burn in my gut as Logan and his band came on stage. They rocked “They say it’s your birthday,” while all I could think about was how much I wished Sasha was here to celebrate with me. I wished she could be part of our Pack family like Lana.
But all the wishes in the world weren’t going to change the fact that I was alone at my own birthday party.
Chapter Sixty-Four
The clinking of silverware interrupted the sea of conversation as I waited in the shadows. Logan’s band wrapped up a wild version of a Beatles song and had the party in good spirits. All except me. My throat felt dry. My head spun. I couldn’t do this.
I started to slip back through the door when I heard Logan at the mic. “Now, before we have cake, we have a special gift for Aren.”
He put the microphone into the stand and walked off the stage. Toward me. My heart pounded. I was going to pass out.
He took my hand, leading me out into the bright spotlight. “He’s gonna love this,” he whispered.
My knees felt like Jell-O.
The moment I stepped into the spotlight the room went absolutely silent. I could almost feel the weight of everyone’s stares. As my eyes adjusted, my gaze found Aren’s. He was seated beside Adam at a round table in the center of the room.
He didn’t smile or even move.
My heart sank, and my pulse raced. I could make a kill shot on an armed perp from thirty feet but having the microphone in my face left me incapacitated.
I vaguely realized the band had started playing. With shaky hands, I fumbled with the microphone and freed it from the stand. Keeping my gaze on Aren’s I imagined the rest of the room was empty. It was just the two of us.
Dancing in our hotel bathrobes.
“Wise men say…” Was I doing it? This was the cheesiest most fearless thing I’d ever done in my life. “Only fools rush in.” My voice wavered a little, but the band kept playing. “But I can’t help falling in love with you.”
Aren still wasn’t moving. In my mind he should have already come up on stage and saved me this embarrassment by now. Logan’s band kept playing but I stopped singing. My eyes welled with tears. I never should have come. I dropped the microphone and did my best to walk offstage with my head held high like I had a tiny shred of my dignity still intact.
Chapter Sixty-Five
My heart stopped the moment Sasha stepped into the spotlight. For a split second I thought I must be imagining her up there. Birthday wishes only came true in dreams.
But there she was. The ass-kicking detective who beat the shit out of me the first time we met was standing up on stage looking terrified.
The moment the music started I understood what she was doing. It was the song that we danced to the night I told her I loved her.
Elvis. This was her birthday gift.
Another chance.
She stared right into my eyes, into my soul, and sang to me in front of my entire family. Emotion swamped me as I watched her. I couldn’t move. Suddenly she stopped looking at me and walked off the stage, breaking the spell I’d been under.
Logan and the band played on, watching her, then looked at me and I finally stood up, forgetting about the others around me, and picked up the second verse for her. “Take my hand. Take my whole life too…”
Sasha stopped and slowly turned toward me. Time slowed for a moment when our eyes met. I mouthed the words, “I love you.”
She started to smile and rushed into my arms. I held her so tight her feet left the ground as we kissed.
“I love you, too,” she gasped between kisses.
Everyone started applauding around us, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t get enough of her.
As Logan finished the song, I finally placed her feet back on the ground.
Sasha smiled up at me. “Happy birthday.”
I kissed her again with a crooked grin. “Best damned birthday present ever.” I pulled back and rested my forehead against hers. “I’m so sorry about…”
She pressed her finger to my lips, shaking her head slowly. “It’s behind us.” She added with a sparkle in her eyes, “But lie to me again and…”
I whispered, “Never again.” And sealed it with a kiss.
…
I inhaled a piece of birthday cake, eager to get out of the party. It turned out Nadya had made arrangements to stay at Whispering Pines with Adam and Lana for the night. Between the effects of her bite and Sasha’s leeriness about Nero knowing she’d been bitten, no one felt comfortable leaving Nadya unguarded. But with her staying at my brother’s it left Sasha free to continue the birthday celebration back at my place.
The moment the door closed, our lips came together. I walked her backward to the living room until she tapped up against the leather couch. She shoved my jacket off my shoulders, and her fingers made quick work of my shirt and tie.
I ran my hands up her back and frowned a little. I kissed down her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of her shoulder holster. “Where’s your—”
“Too bulky. The Ruger is in my waistband.” She opened my shirt, pressing hot kisses along my collarbone.
I slid my hands underneath her shirt, unfastening the holster. Her skin felt so soft. With the gun on the back of the couch, I scooped her up into my arms.
“Your ankle…”
“My ankle’s fine.” I kissed her again, our tongues tangling the way our bodies would soon.
