Playing With Fire (Sweet Secrets #3) (11 page)

Chapter 20

“Everyone hide,” Grandma screamed, a wild-eyed look on her face. Her white hair was styled in tight curls that bounced around her face as she ran to join us all in the living room. All of John and my mom’s work friends, family, and even Shane and Carter were here trying to tuck themselves away and be hidden from view so we could jump out and surprise Mom for her birthday.

The room was dark, and Grandma shushed everyone for a final time as keys jingled outside and the sound of John and my mom’s voices became prominent. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the sound of the doorknob turning made my heart beat faster. I loved surprise parties. Grandpa was in the corner ready to snap a picture of her face after we surprised her. Then he was instructed to take a second picture when the second surprise, Lena descending the stairs, took place.

“Wow, it’s dark in here,” Mom commented as she walked into the house. “Where is Ella? She should be home by now,” she said, as her dark form walked toward the living room. I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing and ruining the surprise.

“Turn the light on, I can’t see anything,” John instructed, following her in.

“I can’t find it,” Mom said with a groan. “Oh wait, here it is,” she added, flicking the light switch.

As soon as the lights came on, everyone jumped out, screaming, “Surprise!”

Mom nearly jumped out of her skin. Her blue eyes bulged, and her hand flew to cover her mouth. “Oh my gosh!” She looked around at everyone.

“Happy Birthday, Mom!” I yelled, coming forward and hugging her tightly.

She laughed, shaking her head. “Did John put you all up to this?”

Everyone nodded. I glanced at John, who was grinning from ear to ear, and holding a twin in each arm. He was thinking ahead by having Mom unlock the door, and him hold both of the twins. That way there was no way she was so surprised that she dropped anyone.

Grandma rushed toward Mom and gave her a hug, kissing her cheek. “Yes, he did. Happy Birthday, sweetheart.” She put a brightly colored lei around Mom’s neck and backed away.

“Let’s get this party started!” Lena called as she walked down the stairs.

Mom’s head snapped up, and when she saw Lena she let out a squeak of excitement and started to cry. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Mom looked back at John, her expression questioning, and when John nodded, she started to cry harder.

“Hey Mom,” Lena said as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

Mom didn’t even say anything; she just tossed her arms around Lena’s body and pulled her in for a bone-crushing hug. When she pulled away, she laughed and wiped under her eyes. “I should’ve known you were within a five-mile radius.”

Lena furrowed her eyebrows. “How?”

Mom flicked her eyes over to Carter, and everyone except for her and John’s work friends laughed.

John continued to grin as he said, “So, let’s get this party started!”

“Yeah!” I yelled.

The party was in full swing in less than five minutes. The twins were set in a playpen in the playroom and were being entertained and spoiled with attention by both their grandparents on their mom’s side, and their grandma on their dad’s side. Mom and John were socializing and laughing along with their friends, while Lena, Carter, Shane, and I were entertaining ourselves in the kitchen. By entertaining, I mean the guys were stuffing their faces with food, and Lena and I were talking about how great the surprises were.

“John is so in love with Mom. They’re so cute,” she said, a look of awe on her freckled face.

Carter looked over at Lena and smirked. “I am so in love with you.”

“Aw, we’re so cute,” Lena chirped, making us all laugh.

I grabbed a chip and dipped it into the red salsa nearest to me. I munched on it while Lena and Carter made googly eyes at each other.

I wasn’t the only one to notice, because after a second, Shane groaned and said, “Get a room.”

Lena frowned at Shane, then balled up her napkin and chucked it at his head. “Oh, shut up, Shane.”

Shane dodged the napkin and smirked.

Lena growled.

“You guys are worse than actual siblings,” I pointed out.

Carter rolled his eyes dramatically. “They’ve been like this since they first met. I think it’s because deep down they’re jealous of each other because they have to find a way to share me.”

Lena shook her head. “That’s definitely not it. Maybe in Shane’s case, but not mine.”

“No, it’s just because I don’t trust gingers unless their name is Gabriella Marie Snotty,” Shane joked. He came around the island and kissed my cheek.

Lena pointed at us with a pretzel stick that she held in her hand. “Now,
you
guys are the ones who need to get a room.”

“They don’t need a room,” Mom said suddenly, entering the kitchen. She raised her eyebrows at all of us as she came to the island and grabbed the bowl of salsa and the bag of tortilla chips. “Didn’t they tell you that they already made use of the living room?” Mom questioned, narrowing her eyes at me, then at Shane, who looked like he’d just wet his pants. “Don’t worry though, all is forgiven.” She smiled at Shane then left the kitchen.

Carter was the first to burst out into a fit of laughter. “Made use of the living room? What did she mean by that?” he asked, clutching his side.

Lena giggled, shaking her head. “You didn’t!”

Shane scratched his neck awkwardly. “I knew that was bound to come up sometime tonight. That wasn’t the greatest way for me to meet your mom.”

Lena held her stomach as she laughed, then looked between the two of us and said, “Explain!”

Shane and I made eye contact. I raised an eyebrow and he shook his head, silently telling me that he didn’t want to be the one to explain. I sighed, and answered with a simple, “Mom and John caught us making out on the couch one night.”

Lena snorted, and Carter laughed like a hyena. “Poor John,” she said in between laughs.

“Poor us,” Shane mumbled. “I don’t think I made the best first impression.”

I shook my head slowly. “It would have possibly been better if you had a shirt on.”

“I doubt it. Mom’s rating scale for guys goes from zero to Carter. If you two were making out in any way, that’s already a terrible start.” Lena gave Shane a sympathetic look. “Now the scale probably goes from Shane to Carter.”

“Ouch,” Shane said, glaring at Lena, who only poked her tongue out at him in response.

We heard footsteps nearing the kitchen so we all turned to face the entrance from the hallway. Grandma bustled in with a cute smile on her face. “John wants everyone to come into the living room for a toast.”

“Okay,” we all said simultaneously before following her into the living room.

Once everyone was gathered into the room, including Taylor and Cameron, who were sitting on the ground playing with toys, John began speaking. “I just wanted to thank everyone for coming to wish Christine a happy birthday. Having all of you here means a lot to both of us. The reason I asked you all to come in here is because I want to take some time to mention someone who means a lot to me.” John turned to my mom, who was standing next to him, and took her hand. “Christine, you make me the happiest man alive, and I’d be honored to call you my wife.” He dropped down to one knee as all the women in the room gasped. “Will you marry me?”

Lena squeezed my arm and jumped up and down in excitement. My mouth dropped open in shock.

My mom brought her hand up and covered her mouth. Her eyes were glistening as she looked to me, then Lena. Then she looked at the twins, and her parents, then back at John. “Yes,” she answered.

John stood up and she tossed her arms over his shoulders and kissed him. Everyone clapped and my grandma wiped her eyes with a napkin.

Next to me, Lena snaked her arm around my waist and leaned into my side. “Look at her,” she said, referring to Mom. “She’s so happy.”

I nodded, hugging Lena back tightly. She was right. Mom looked happier than she had in a while, and I was ecstatic for her.

Chapter 21

The car ride to the airport seemed a lot shorter than it normally did. It was as if all of the traffic on the roads cleared, and all of the lights were green for us. The world wanted us to have as little time with Lena before she left as possible. When we finally got to the airport, I was thankful to see that Lena’s plane was late. That gave us a little extra time with her as we all crowded around giving hugs and saying our goodbyes.

She looked so sad that she was leaving, but I knew she was happy to have seen all of us. She wouldn’t stop thanking John for letting her come. His response each time was that having her here was the best gift he could think to give Mom, and that she couldn’t miss the proposal.

Since the proposal, Mom hadn’t stopped smiling once. She showed her ring to anyone who was willing to look, and was already looking in wedding catalogues. All of those things would make any sane person think that she’d been engaged for quite some time now, but it was only a day. Not even a full twenty-four hours had passed yet. It was really sweet how excited she was, though. She’d already asked Lena and I to be her maids of honor. We graciously accepted.

After we all entered the airport, we headed toward security, where Lena would finally have to leave us. Carter was holding her hand and pulling her suitcase behind him. He looked like a lost puppy, with his head hung low and a dejected look on his face.

“Well, this is where we stop,” Grandpa said, frowning when we reached security.

Lena sighed. “Hopefully I’ll get into San Diego University and get to come back during summer, or over spring break to see the school.” She looked hopeful, despite the fact that she was the one who chose to stay in Virginia. I just hoped that if she moved back here, Dad would come too. Things weren’t the same without them around.

Carter set her bags down and stepped toward her. He gingerly tucked her hair behind her ear, rubbing his thumb across her freckly cheek. Lena looked up at him and gave him a sad smile. “You’ll get in. You’re one of the smartest people I know,” Carter reassured her, staring directly into her eyes.

I feigned a gag, sticking my tongue out and pointing at it.

Lena slapped my arm gently, making everyone laugh. She wasn’t even looking in my direction!

My mom opened her arms to Lena. “Give me a hug,” she said, beckoning Lena to her.

Lena gave Mom a tight bear hug. It lasted so long that even after Lena let go, Mom was still clinging onto her. Grandpa had to pull her away so everyone else could get a chance to hug Lena and say goodbye. She went around the circle, hugging our grandparents, then John, Mom, and the twins. She kissed them, and took turns holding both of them and saying bye even though they didn’t really know what was going on.

When she got to me, she hugged me so tight I couldn’t breathe. “Remember, call me whenever you can, keep me in the loop about what’s going on here, and use protection always,” she whispered in my ear. Before I could respond, she pulled back, cupped my face in her hands, and planted wet kisses all over my face. I had to stifle the urge to groan. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

I pulled backwards, trying to get out of her grasp, but she held firm. “I’m going to miss you too, but I’ll see you over spring break. Maybe sooner.”

She let go of me and went to say goodbye to Carter. She stood on her toes and threw her arms around his neck. Carter leaned down and wrapped his arms around her thin waist. He closed his eyes tightly, and I wondered if it was to keep from crying. When Lena pulled away, her eyes were glistening with fresh tears. She wiped them with the back of her fists and groaned. “I hate goodbyes.”

“Me too,” I responded.

Lena forced a laugh. “Why am I crying? This is ridiculous. I’ll see you all soon. I need to get a grip.”

“It’s only natural to cry, sweet pea,” Grandpa said, offering a smile.

“Yeah, but I still hate it,” she responded, wiping her eyes again. Then she went up on her toes and pecked Carter on the lips. He leaned down and kissed her once more before pulling away.

I frowned at them. “Seriously? You’re going to be away from each other for months. Kiss each other like you mean it!”

Carter looked at my grandparents with wide eyes, then at my mom and John.

Grandpa shrugged. “I’m giving you the green light,” he said. Then, wagging his finger, he added, “Just this once.”

Lena laughed, and Carter looked embarrassed. Nonetheless, she pulled him in and kissed him gently for a moment. When she pulled away, she looked into his eyes and said, “I love you.”

Carter leaned down and kissed her softly again. “I love you more.”

Lena grabbed the handle to her suitcase. “See you later, guys,” she said, waving. “I love you all.”

“We love you too,” we said simultaneously.

When she made it through security, she turned back and waved once more before she turned the corner out of view.

I missed her already, but I knew that it wouldn’t be long until I got to see her again. My fist wrapped around the end of the necklace she gave me for Christmas, and I knew she was just a phone call away. She would never truly be far in spirit, and I hoped that next year she wouldn’t be far physically either.

Maybe next year, my family would all be back in San Diego, and I would be able to see my parents, my grandparents, and my siblings whenever I wanted. That was definitely something to look forward to. I even had an amazing boyfriend who made me feel special, and allowed me to be who I was. It was a refreshing change from my past relationships, whether intimate or not, where I always felt the need to be someone else. I finally felt comfortable with who I was, and I was ready for what the rest of the year would bring.

Mom and John would be getting married, Lena and my dad may be moving back, and my relationship with Shane was steadily progressing.

Everything was changing, and I loved it.