Page 105 of Starting Back
“Breakfast for dinner is awesome!” Emma said. “Especially pancakes.”
“I think I have the stuff to make pancake batter, and there’s a bottle of syrup in the fridge. I can make us pancakes if that’s what you want.”
“It’s your birthday, you can’t cook.” Emma reared back, her nose turned up in disgust.
“We brought enough sweets and carbs for dessert. So instead of what youthinkyou have, we’ll order dinner before dessert.” Kristina’s smile was wide and full of so much love my chest ached.
“How much dessert is there?”
“Cookies and that cake you told me about that your aunt tried to make for you but it wasn’t the same? She told us about the bakery in Queens that your uncle’s therapist went to. She hoped they made it differently since she knew you didn’t like hers.” She pinched the collar of my T-shirt between her fingers.
“You went all the way to New York City? When?”
“Today. We left early this morning and just got back now. I didn’t mean to take so long, but traffic was brutal, and you were sleeping anyway.” She chuckled, scratching at the longer stubble on my chin.
“That’s a three-hour drive each way. For a cake.”
“Well, seven hours total when you consider traffic. But yes, for a cake, for you.”
“We went on a road trip,” Emma said as she burrowed herself between us.
“You’ve never made a home for yourself, or tried to, until now. This cake probably isn’t the same either, but maybe it’s something close enough. I hope.” She cinched her arms around my waist. “You may not want to celebrate the day you were born, but I do. So, we’ll order dinner, have dessert, and you’ll find a way to tolerate it when we light candles and sing.”
My vision blurred as her eyes held mine, a lump poking at the back of my throat blocking anything I could say in reply. The cake was a beautiful gesture, but she was what made this place home for me. From the second she’d come into my life, I never wanted to be anywhere else but right next to her.
“Did I just make you speechless?” She kissed my cheek.
“Something like that,” I managed to say before bringing her closer and resting my chin on the top of her head. “You’re fucking incredible,” I whispered into her hair.
She sighed and cuddled into my chest. “So are you.” She lifted her head and grinned. “You can change out of your PJs if you want. I know we caught you off guard.”
“I thought me in gray sweatpants would be a present for you too,” I teased and kissed her forehead.
“What’s so great about gray sweatpants?” Emma asked, scrunching her nose.
Kristina’s brows jumped before she stepped back to crouch in front of her. I needed to do a better job of remembering the little ears around us and how they heard every single thing.
“Why don’t you get out the plates and the banner we bought today?”
“Plates and a banner?”
“Birthday plates! We even found ones with a fire truck!”
“You did?”
Kristina turned back to me, the corners of her mouth twitching.
“Emma insisted when we bought your balloons. You’re having aPAW Patrolbirthday, and you are going to love every minute.”
I burst out laughing but caught the hurt in Emma’s gaze when I looked down.
“PAW Patrolis perfect, chiquita.” I scooped her up again. “You are a very thoughtful little girl.”
I relaxed when a slow smile stretched her lips. She flung her arms around my neck, almost making me cough from the impact.
I rubbed her back when she rested her head on my shoulder. I was never that close with Gabe’s kids since I only saw them a couple of times a year. Emma was a ball of energy and love and was just as easy to fall for as her mother.
“Let me take a quick shower, and you all can decide on dinner.”
