Page 20 of Love, Second Chances and Other Nonsense
Adam nods, still scrolling. “I’ll be heading out in about twenty minutes.”
I swallow my disappointment and walk toward the living room, shivering slightly in the cool morning air. It’s fine, I tellmyself. I’m an adult; it’s just a day like any other. I’m being silly for wanting—
I stop short in the doorway, my coffee sloshing dangerously close to the rim of my mug.
There, in front of the couch where there used to be a wobbly old coffee table we’d picked up at the thrift store, sits the most beautiful piece of furniture I’ve ever seen. It’s a cherry wood coffee table with gently curved legs and a polished surface that gleams in the early sunlight.
“Oh my God,” I whisper.
Warm arms wrap around me from behind, and Adam’s chin rests on my shoulder. “Happy birthday, Caitlin,” he murmurs in my ear, and I can hear the smile in his voice.
I’m speechless, staring at the table with my mouth ajar. “Where did you…how did you…?” I’m too overwhelmed to even finish the sentence.
“You like it?” Adam asks, giving me a little squeeze. “Dave from work has been letting me use his workshop. I haven’t really been working late these past few months.”
I turn in his arms, careful not to spill my coffee. “You made this for me,” is all I can say, feeling my eyes grow warm with tears.
“Mmhmm,” Adam rubs his cheek against mine. “Just for you.”
“I thought you’d forgotten.”
“How could I forget my favorite person’s birthday?” He kisses me softly, then takes the coffee from my hands and sets it aside.
“Come sit down. I want to tell you about the rest of your day.”
“The rest?” I ask, letting him lead me to the couch. “There’s more?”
Adam grins, those dimples I love appearing in his cheeks. “Did you really think I was going to give you a coffee table and call it a day?” He pulls out his phone, and I realize he must have been finalizing arrangements when I walked in this morning. “So, I know you’ve been missing your family lately, and I also wanted you to have some time with your friends.”
I nod, still too overwhelmed to speak.
“So,” he continues, “I’ve arranged for you to have a spa day with Marissa and Trinity—”
“Really? You’ve been planning this with them?”
“Yes, and they’re really excited about it,” Adam says. “I’ve got you booked for nails, facials, the works. They’ll pick you up in about an hour.”
I blink rapidly, not wanting to cry this early in the morning.
“And then,” Adam says, scrolling through his phone, “at four, you have a video call with your family. Rachel’s setting it up from her end, so Uncle Peter and Aunt Charlene will be there too.”
Now the tears do come, spilling over despite my efforts. “You called them?”
“I emailed Rachel a few weeks ago,” Adam admits. “We’ve been coordinating.”
“And finally,” Adam says, taking my hand, “dinner reservations at Emilio’s at seven. Just us.”
“Emilio’s?” I repeat, stunned. It’s my favorite restaurant in town, an intimate Italian place where everything is made in-house and the tiramisu makes me want to lick the plate clean. We’ve only been there once before, for a special occasion, because it’s definitely not within our regular budget.
“Mmhmm, nothing but the best for you,” Adam says, squeezing my hand.
I laugh, wiping away my tears with my free hand. “This is… Adam, this is all too much. The table alone is—”
“Nothing is too much for you,” he says, his voice suddenly serious. He reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, his eyes soft as they meet mine. “You deserve all of it and more.”
“I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you too,” he says, kissing me again, longer this time. When he pulls back, his dimples have returned. “So, you like your birthday so far?”
