Shattered (Anderson Special Ops #4) - Melody Anne Page 0,72
remember being. He excused himself to use the restroom, and Amira decided it was time to place candles on the thick, delicious cupcake she’d bought. She set it on a plate, then arranged the cookies around it.
She next pulled the candles from the box and found her fingers shaking as she tried getting the numbered candles, three and seven, from the wrapping, which was proving nearly impossible. Did they think kids would eat the dang candles? They were wrapped tighter than a bottle of pills. She kept glancing toward the hallway to the restrooms, knowing she was on a time-crunch. She wanted everything to be perfect when he got back.
She successfully got the seven out and placed it in the cupcake, and then disaster struck as she finally got the three loose. She broke the candle in half. Dang it! She looked up again, grateful he hadn’t returned yet. For once in her life, she prayed there was a long line to the restroom as she struggled to get her surprise set up.
The longer it took, the more her hands began to shake. Dang nerves. She was usually efficient and calm. She realized she was always sort of a mess when she was around Smoke. The man affected her that much.
She pulled out the lighter she’d brought as she tried melting each side of the broken three so she could meld them together. She heard laughter as the two men sitting at the table across from her watched her fumble.
“Let us give you a hand,” one said as he stood and came over. His buddy joined him. One of them kept an eye out for Smoke who was unmistakable, while the other melted the wax on the candle while she held the two parts. Finally, she pressed them together.
“He’s coming,” the lookout said, making Amira’s heart thunder.
She quickly stuck the three into the cupcake, revealing the three now looked like a five. She tried to light the lighter again to get the candles burning — but of course, the lighter refused to produce a flame. She was on her fifth attempt to light the candles when Smoke stepped around lookout man with a worried expression on his face.
He looked at Amira’s panicked expression, and the two men who were hovering over her, probably looking as if they were performing a holdup instead of helping her, and then at the table where his cupcake was slightly squished, and the candles which had definitely seen better days.
Amira finally let out a laugh as she threw her hands in the air and smiled at Smoke. “Well, happy . . . fifty-seventh birthday,” she said with a laugh. The two men laughed as well.
“She was having some difficulty getting the lighter to work so we thought we’d help. I don’t think we did very well at that. Happy birthday,” one of the men said.
“I think it looks absolutely perfect,” Smoke said. “Thanks for helping.” He then turned back to Amira and took two strides to her chair, pulling her from her seat and straight into his arms. “It’s amazing.” He kissed her — not the kiss she’d been yearning for too long to remember, but a sweet, promising kiss that told her she’d get so much more when they were alone. He pulled back, helped her sit down, then took his seat.
The waiter appeared right then with his own lighter and offered his assistance. Amira thanked him and nodded. He lit the candles.
“Make a wish,” Amira said as the glow of candlelight danced on his smooth skin.
“I wish for this right here, right now,” Smoke said. “I wish for it every single night for eternity.”
Amira was too choked up to respond to his words as he leaned close and blew out the two candles. Clapping from all of the diners snapped Amira out of her shock over his wish. She smiled at him as she clapped too. Smoke, ever the show-off, stood and gave an exaggerated bow for the crowd who’d gotten to enjoy all of the fumbling and then the happy conclusion.
“This has been the greatest birthday ever,” Smoke told her once he was seated and holding his cupcake. He took a bite and let out a sigh.
“You’re an easy man to please,” Amira said with a chuckle.
His eyes darkened as he looked into hers and chewed. The tingles she always felt around him returned like a full-out crescendo at a concert. He finished chewing, set the cupcake down, and took her hand.