“It’s only nine a.m. and I already have a headache.” Lana rubs her face with the back of her hand, effectively smearing chocolate frosting across her cheek.
I can’t resist leaning forward and licking it off her skin before she has a chance to wipe it away. Blood begins to flow downward, especially when she looks up at me with hooded eyes.
I’m tempted to recreate our first kiss with chocolate icing this time. Lana seems to have a similar thought with the way her eyes drag from my lips to the bowl beside her.
“Tastes great.” I wink.
Her eyes narrow, although the brightness in them doesn’t quite fit.
I walk around her and sift through the medicine cabinet. “Here.” I pass Lana two Tylenols and a glass of water.
“Thanks.” She sighs before knocking back the pills.
I lean against the counter next to her. “Rough morning?”
“I have like, a hundred people coming over in two hours, and I’m not even close to being ready.”
“What do you need help with?”
“Everything.” She slumps against the counter.
I grab my phone and pull up a notetaking app.
She shoots me a look.
“What?” I ask when she doesn’t say anything. “I work best with a list or else I might forget something.”
“You’re really offering to help?”
“Sure. I don’t mind if you put me to work.” I smirk.
She rolls her eyes with a smile. “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Lana rattles off a list of random tasks, most of which require me to drive into town. It’s evident that with each task I take on, her tense shoulders drop a little more.
“Be back soon.” I give her a quick kiss on the temple before leaving the house.
It takes me over ninety minutes to finish all the tasks. My car is filled to the max with balloons, food, and a few last-minute supplies Lana forgot at the store.
By the time I make it back inside the guesthouse, it’s been transformed into a Princess Marianna wonderland, with decorations covering almost every surface, streamers hanging across the ceiling in fun patterns, and a half-complete balloon arch behind the cake table.
“You made it!” Lana rushes out of her room and grabs the balloons from my hand. She ties them to the balloon arch to finish it, although she needs my help reaching the tallest point to secure the Princess Marianna inflatable.
“You really go all out.”
She laughs to herself. “Too bad you didn’t see last year’s theme. Cami wanted a Christmas-themed birthday because she didn’t want to wait until December, so I turned the backyard into a winter wonderland. Most of the town donated their Christmas decorations, so it ended up being epic. Blew out the power grid for the night and everything.” She laughs to herself, making my chest warm.
I grab her by the hand and pull her against me. “I wish I had been there.” I place a soft kiss on the top of her head.
She looks up at me with batted lashes. “I do too,” she says and places a quick kiss on my cheek before wiggling out of my embrace, brushing against my cock in the process.
I groan. “Cruel woman.”
“Sorry! Gotta get ready!” She darts away toward her room with a laugh, leaving me wondering how the hell I spent six years away from the one person who made me feel whole.
And how do I make sure I don’t spend another day without her ever again?
My anxiety about spending time with Delilah, Violet, Wyatt, and the rest of the town who hates me intensifies as the clock gets closer to noon. The more I help Lana carry everything outside, the more real the whole birthday party becomes.