Are You Ready? (Everlasting Ink #3)

Chapter 6

CHAPTER

SIX

Briar

I’ve been fighting back tears since the moment they walked through the door. When I extended the invitation last weekend, and Maddox asked about their invitation, I thought he was kidding. Of course, they’re welcome, but honestly, I never dreamed that all five of the guys would show up. I thought the girls would show up with Lilly. We’d have some cake and ice cream, open some presents, and call it a day.

This is so much more than I ever expected, and the smiles on my daughters’ faces… it’s incredible to see them so happy. They’re fascinated with every gift they open. I made sure they got everything on their list. Is it too much? Probably, but Brogan and I are all that they have, and I needed them to feel loved and so damn special on their birthday.

Although, looking around our packed living room, it’s not just us anymore.

I don’t know what role these people are going to play in our lives, but for today, they’ve made the twins' fourth birthday one that I know will stand out, one that they will always remember.

“Open mine,” Lachlan says. He hands a box wrapped in pink paper to each of the girls. They smile and tear into the packages .

“No way!” Forrest laughs. “I almost bought those. Had them in the cart and everything.” He’s shaking his head as he watches the girls talk about the new Barbie Jeeps that Lachlan bought them.

“Phew. Dodged a bullet there.”

“It’s fine,” I tell him. “We could have just exchanged them.”

“Yeah, but who wants to get two of the same thing?” He looks over at his friends. “We should have coordinated like we did with Lilly. Anyone else buy Barbie Jeeps?” he asks.

“If we did, we wouldn’t tell you until the girls opened them,” Monroe tells him.

Lachlan winces. “Fair point.”

“We are definitely going to coordinate next year,” Maddox agrees.

Those tears I’ve been fighting, they well behind my eyes. I can feel the heat of them threatening to fall. I need a minute to compose myself, but I can’t leave while the girls are opening their presents.

“Let’s open these babies up,” Lachlan says. He moves to the floor to sit in front of the girls to help them break their new Barbie Jeeps out of their packaging.

“Give me one of those,” Maddox says, moving to the floor as well, taking the second Jeep and starting to open the box.

“I’ll be right back,” I murmur. I’m not even sure anyone is paying attention as I stand and move to the kitchen for a breather. As soon as my back is turned on the room, I lose the battle I was fighting. A single hot tear rolls down my cheek. I’m quick to wipe it away as I focus on pulling in a deep breath. Resting my hands on the counter, I bow my head and try to compose myself.

I jolt when I feel a warm hand press to my back. I turn to see Forrest standing next to me, concern written all over his handsome face. “You okay?”

I nod because I’m not sure I can form words right now. I don’t know what’s happening. Suddenly, there are people in our lives who are good to my daughters. Good to me. I’m thrilled, but at the same time, I don’t want to let my heart get used to this. I can’t. If life has taught me anything, it’s that you can’t be too trusting. There has to be an ulterior motive, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out what that might be.

“Are you crying?” His voice is deep, gravelly, and sexy, just like the man. “Come here.”

Before I know what’s happening, this big man with kind eyes covered in ink pulls me into his arms for the second time today. I can’t help but wonder if anyone has ever told him he gives great hugs.

“Tell me what’s upset you, Briar.”

I stand here in the comfort of his arms as I wrangle my emotions. Finally, I step back and peer up at him. “I’m sorry.” I wipe my cheeks. “Just an emotional mom.” I laugh it off.

“Don’t do that. Don’t hide from what you’re feeling. Whatever it is, it’s yours and it’s your right to feel it. You can talk to me.”

Exhaling a heavy breath, I try to find the words. “They’ve never had a party like this. It’s always just the four of us, and to see the smiles on their faces and to know that complete strangers put them there… it’s just a lot to process. I don’t know why you all chose to be here, but you did that. You and your friends and family made this a special day for them, and I don’t know how to thank you.” The words tumble out in a rush, and I’m not even sure they make sense.

“You don’t have to thank us, Briar. We’re here because we want to be. I know we’re a lot—” he chuckles “—but I promise you that we mean well. We have pure intentions.”

“Grown men who don’t know my girls coming to their party is… not at all what I expected.”

“You invited us. Besides, we can’t pass up a big piece of birthday cake.” He winks, and I smile. “We’re here because we wanted to be here, Briar. Nothing more. Nothing less.” His eyes are kind, and his words seem genuine.

“Thank you for making this day special for them. All of you,” I add.

Forrest shrugs. “It’s what we do. We show up for family. ”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to argue with him and tell him we’re not family, but I let the comment slide.

“Are you ready?” he asks.

“For what?”

“To go back in there and celebrate those two little girls.”

He’s right. This is their day, and it’s more special than I ever could have imagined. “Yes.”

Forrest gives me a smile. Walking around the counter, he pulls open the fridge and grabs two bottles of water, handing me one. “What’s this for?”

“Our excuse for why we were gone.” With that, he twists off the top, takes a long pull, and walks back into the living room, leaving me to stare after him.

With my water bottle in hand, I plaster a smile on my face and walk back into the room.

“Mommy!” the girls cheer excitedly when they see me. “We got Jeeps.”

“Whoa!” Legend laughs. “Do they always do that?”

“Yes,” Brogan and I answer at the same time, making every adult in the room erupt with laughter. Of course, the kids join in. They have no clue as to why we’re laughing, but they don’t want to be left out.

“That’s some crazy twin vibing.” Roman nods.

“I guess we’re used to it,” I say, taking my spot on the floor next to the girls. However, as soon as Forrest is seated, they both rush to him.

“Look what we gots.” They hold up their Jeeps.

“Wow. Nice wheels.” The girls place their Jeeps on the floor, and Forrest opens and closes the doors as if checking out the features on a Barbie Jeep is what he’s been looking forward to all day.

“Girls, you have a lot more presents to open.”

They look at me, and back at Forrest.

“How about I keep your Jeeps safe with me?” he offers. They seem to think about it, then nod, and rush back to me to tear open more presents .

Roman, Emerson, and Lilly got them both lap desks that hold drawing supplies. Not only does it hold the supplies, both desks are filled to the brim with said supplies. The girls love to draw, so that will definitely be used.

“Girls, let’s keep moving. You have more to open,” I persuade them as they try to dig into the art supplies.

“Mine next,” Maddox says, pointing to his two packages. I place one in front of each of them, and they go to town, tearing at the wrappers.

“Shopping!” they say when they see the play cash registers.

“It’s supposed to help teach them counting money,” Maddox says. “It says four and up.”

“It’s perfect,” I assure him.

“I have to admit, y’all did a great job, not knowing the girls,” Brogan tells them.

“We’re just that good,” Lachlan teases.

“Girls, why don’t you open mine next?” Maggie points to two small, wrapped boxes.

I push the boxes in front of the girls, and they get to work.

“Look at that,” I say with as much enthusiasm as I can. I know the girls are confused as to what they’re holding. “You get to paint rocks, and they glow in the dark! We can put them outside and they’ll light up at night.”

“Cool!” Rayne says.

“Can we put them in our room?” River asks.

“Of course. We can do both.”

“Now?” they ask at the same time.

“Not right now. Later. You still have presents to open and cake to eat.”

“More presents?” they ask in awe. That gets a chuckle from the adults.

“Okay, now ours,” Monroe says, pointing toward her gifts.

The gifts are barely in front of them and they’re tearing into them. “Jewelry!” they exclaim.

“They’re bigger pieces,” Monroe assures me. “Says four and up, as well. ”

“It’s perfect. They’ll love playing with them. Thank you.” I turn toward my daughters and watch as they both stand and move toward Forrest.

“Open pwease.” They hand the gifts to him.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell them to wait, but Forrest beats me to it. “I will open them, but you have one more gift from me.” He nods to where the two final gift bags are sitting.

“Okay,” River says, moving back toward me with Rayne on her heels.

The girls dive into the gift bags, pulling out their gifts. “Whoa,” Rayne whispers.

“We can take pictures?” River asks.

Again, I don’t get to answer before Forrest does. “You can. It also prints them right away. Before we open them, there is more in the bag. Keep digging,” he tells my daughters.

Not needing to be told twice, their little hands dig back into the bags and pull out another small box. “What’s this?” Rayne asks.

“That’s extra paper for your cameras, so you can take all the pictures you want. There’s one more. Keep looking.” Forrest nods toward the gift bags. The girls dive back in and pull out what looks like a photo album.

“Those are for you to keep your pictures,” he explains. “Bring them here.” Dutiful as ever, they rush toward him and hand him their albums. “See this?” He points to the front of each one. “Those are your names. I drew them for you.”

“For me?” they say at the same time.

“This twin stuff is a little freaky.” Lachlan laughs, while my heart is bursting wide open.

“Yes, for you. Now, what do you want me to open for you first?” he asks them.

They choose the cameras, and he gets right to work opening River’s.

“Rayne, bring yours over, and I’ll help,” Maddox offers.

I don’t know how they can already tell them apart. I mean, I know they are not identical, but they’ve spent very little time around my girls. It warms my heart to know that they’ve been paying attention.

“I want Forrest to do it.” She plops down beside Forrest, the opposite side of her sister, and waits patiently for her turn. Forrest gives her a smile, while my heart trembles inside my chest.

“Maddox is really good at opening boxes,” Forrest tells her.

“I want you.” Rayne crosses her arms over her chest.

“Rayne, let Mommy help you.” I stand, but she’s already shaking her head.

“No.”

“Forrest will help us, Mommy,” River says, defending her sister's decision.

“Okay. Well, I guess I’ll go get the cake ready so we can sing ‘Happy Birthday.’” With one more quick glance at Forrest with my girls, I move into the kitchen before gathering the candles and the lighter. I bought the number four candles for their little individual cakes.

“You good?” Brogan asks.

“Fine.” I don’t bother looking up at her as I busy myself with removing the cakes from their boxes.

“Briar.”

“What? Grab that other one, will ya?” I nod toward the second small cake on the kitchen island, head toward the table, and set it in front of where the girls sit. They are the exact same cake. I didn’t want a fight over one wanting the other. I try to keep them as individual as I can, not making them dress alike, although sometimes they want to. However, in this instance, I didn’t want an argument. I’m glad I had the forethought to do that. I would hate for them to argue in front of our guests.

Brogan does as I ask and brings the other cake to the table. “It’s nice, all of them showing up.”

“I agree. Unexpected but nice. The girls have had an amazing birthday.”

“They didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” she says, calling me out on my behavior .

My shoulders fall and I know I can’t avoid this conversation. “It’s not that they hurt my feelings. The girls are excited, and there are new people here for them. It’s just that… they’re going to get attached to him. To all of them,” I amend. “Then what happens? It’s you and me who will be left to pick up the pieces to explain to them why their new friends are no longer coming around.”

Brogan gives me a sympathetic look, but she knows me and my trust issues. She has trust issues of her own, but they don’t run as deeply as mine do.

“At some point, we have to stop letting that night control our lives.”

“How? Tell me how, Brogan. I’d love to erase it all, but then I wouldn’t have those two tiny humans in there, and they are my entire world.”

“One day at a time, little sister. Just as we’ve done every day since. We take it all one day at a time.” She turns to look toward the living room. There’s a lot of chatter and excited squeals coming from my daughters. “I think they’ll surprise you.”

“Nothing surprises me anymore.” I’m aware I’m being negative with all of this, but I can’t stomach the thought of my girls getting attached and then everyone in that room disappears on them. I know it’s just a birthday party, but the worry is there all the same. I was never a worrier until after that night. And when I found out I was pregnant, it only got worse.

“Mommy!” River comes racing into the room. “Say cheese.” She holds her camera up, and I smile for her and say, “Cheese,” as instructed. She snaps my picture, and I watch as she prints it out and hands it to me.

“That’s really cool.”

“Now me,” Rayne says, running into the room. “Say ‘Cheese.’” She points her camera at me, and I repeat the same process. She, too, prints her picture and hands it to me.

“What should we do with these?” I ask them.

“Album!” They turn and race off to the living room to get their albums.

“You should probably make my brother provide monthly refills for those cameras,” Emerson jokes as she enters the kitchen. “They’re taking all kinds of pictures out there. ”

“He’s done enough. You all have. It was a great gift idea.”

Before Emerson can reply, everyone files into the kitchen. Maddox is holding Lilly, while Forrest has both River and Rayne in his arms.

“Girls, what do you tell everyone for your gifts?” I ask them.

“Thank you,” they say in unison.

“Now, give Forrest a break and get into your chairs. It’s time to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and blow out your candles.” They do as I ask, and clamber off to their chairs. Legend is the closest to them and helps them climb up. They smile up at him and say thank you, remembering the manners I’ve worked so hard to instill in them.

Once everyone is gathered around, I light the candles, and we sing to the girls, making sure to say both of their names. Half of us say River first and the other half say Rayne. The girls giggle like it’s the funniest thing they’ve ever heard.

“Make a wish,” I tell them. I watch as they close their eyes and make their wishes before blowing out their candles. I don’t get a chance to offer them a fork. Instead, they stick their index fingers into the icing just like Lilly did at her party, making everyone laugh.

Moving to the island, I start cutting up the larger cake and placing pieces on paper plates. Emerson jumps in and adds ice cream, while Monroe and Maggie pass them out. The guys are all sitting around the table, making faces and keeping the girls entertained.

It all feels… natural. As if we’ve known this group for all our lives. My girls act as though this is a normal occurrence when it’s not even close. They’re soaking up all the attention and that makes me both happy and sad.

“This cake is so good,” Maddox says.

“We got it at the bakery in town,” Brogan tells him.

“I thought you were going to tell me you made it.”

“Nope.”

“Good thing, I was about to propose marriage.”

“I mean, the cake is good, Mad, but I’m not sure it’s that good.” Lachlan chuckles .

“If I didn’t think old man Carlisle would kick my ass for hitting on his wife, I might still consider it,” Maddox says, shoving another bite of cake into his mouth.

“She’s in her seventies,” Legend tells him, barely containing his laughter.

“This is some good cake.” Maddox grins, finishing off his piece.

“Do you want another piece?” I ask him. He hesitates. “We don’t need all of this cake for just us. Actually, I’d rather not have any left over at all. You’d be doing me a favor.”

“Well, when you put it like that, who am I to turn down the request of a lovely lady?” He smirks.

“Mad,” Forrest says. His tone is low, almost a warning.

“I’m just teasing. I’d love another. Thank you, Briar.” Maddox smiles before turning toward Forrest. “See, I can behave, Dad ,” he teases.

“Anyone else?” I offer.

“Yes, but I’ll help.” Lachlan stands with his plate in his hands.

“I can get it. You’re a guest.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to wait on us,” Roman tells me. “Trust me, Em and Mo wouldn’t let us get away with that. You shouldn’t either.”

“What he said.” Lachlan nods, scooping up another piece of cake for himself and Maddox.

The guys are content to sit with the twins, so Brogan, Monroe, Maggie, Emerson, and I all sit at the kitchen island. This day didn’t turn out like I planned, and I can admit—even if just to myself—that it was better. I don’t know how I feel about these new people in our lives. Only time will tell.