main road because of an accident, but I managed to make it home with my food in tow before it got too cold.
I hung my coat on the hook by the door in my garage, kicked my shoes off and stored them under the sign that said, “Mahalo for removing your slippahs. But take mo bettah ones when you leave.”
Arianna had given me the sign as a housewarming gift, and I smiled every time I saw it because it reminded me of my grandma’s house.
I opened the door that led into the kitchen Arianna had just finished decorating for me before Thanksgiving, but when I flicked on the lights, I was greeted with a loud “Surprise!” being yelled at me by fifteen of my closest friends and family who suddenly sprang up from behind the long kitchen island.
I put a hand to my chest and leaned against the counter behind me for support as I looked into the faces of my parents, my little brother, Vincent and his son Jaxon, and a handful of other guys from the team. At the very end of the long line of smiling faces was Arianna who wore the biggest smile of all.
And I only allowed myself to look at her for a second since everyone else in the room was watching me, but just like what had been happening since the first day we met, my heart immediately raced at the sight of her wearing my favorite black off-the-shoulder minidress of hers that did not go with the weather today but did everything for her figure.
I gulped and turned my attention to my mom who had walked around the island to give me a hug and say, “Happy Birthday, Cole.”
“Hi, Mom.” I set my takeout container on the counter so I could give her a hug. “W-what are you all doing here?”
“We’re here for your surprise birthday party, of course,” my mom said, pulling away and looking up at me with her blue eyes. “You didn’t really think we were going to wait until tomorrow night, did you?”
“I didn’t exactly expect any of this,” I said.
“Then it looks like we can tell Arianna we were so good at keeping her secret that you didn’t suspect a thing.”
My gaze went to Arianna again who was putting tall gold-colored birthday candles into a chocolate cake with my favorite coconut pecan frosting. “I should have known Arianna would be behind all of this.”
Even though she’d been having a rough couple of days since breaking things off with her long-time boyfriend, she’d still done what she always did and went out of her way to make me feel special.
My dad came over next and gave me a hug. While I was pretty tall at six feet, my dad could give any offensive lineman a run for his money at six feet four inches and over three hundred pounds. Most people saw us together and figured he was my dad since we both had the darker skin—his slightly darker than mine, dark brown eyes, and curly black hair.
But ever since I was little, no one automatically assumed I shared my mom’s blood since she was as fair-skinned as people came with blonde hair and blue eyes.
My parents had fallen in love when my mom went on vacation and stayed at the hotel my dad was working at in Hawaii at the time. And even though they looked completely different from one another, they were perfectly matched and had the kind of relationship I wanted someday.
My dad patted me on the back after giving me a hug. “You did great on the field tonight. That touchdown during the third quarter was easily the best play of the game.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I said, my chest warming. My dad didn’t hand out compliments like candy, so if he took the time to mention something, I knew he had actually been impressed. I looked at both of my parents. “Since you came here tonight, are we still celebrating tomorrow?”
“Of course, honey,” my mom said, her blue eyes wide with surprise. “We’ll take any time with you that we can.”
After my parents headed to the living room, I greeted the rest of my friends who had come.
Once I’d hugged and thanked everyone for showing up, Arianna walked toward me with a huge smile on her face. “Happy Birthday, Cole,” she said, holding her arms open.
Never one to pass up a hug from Arianna, I pulled her close momentarily and said, “I hear you’re the