to be very good. And so much fun.
CHAPTER 24
IT HAD BEEN A WHILE SINCE KAL HAD DONE ANYTHING special for his birthday. Typically, he and his brothers went out for drinks, but now Rafe was married and Jackson was engaged, so he didn’t expect to do much today. They’d both said they were busy, but they wished him a happy birthday. His mom had a dinner meeting tonight but said they’d do dinner with him this weekend.
But, hey, at least he’d had the day off today, so he relaxed by the pool since the sun was out, then vacuumed and washed his truck and did laundry. He was even able to grab lunch with one of his high school buddies.
He had a text message from Hannah wishing him a happy birthday, telling him she had a full day at work but asking if he wanted to go out for dinner. He smiled and texted her back, telling her he was game for that. It was a weekday, so he was grateful he’d get to see her at all.
After a quick workout at the gym, he got cleaned up and drove over to pick up Hannah.
When she opened the door, she looked amazing in a flowery red-and-black dress that swung around her legs when she walked.
“You look gorgeous,” he said.
“Thank you. And you look so fine. Happy birthday.” She lifted up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips.
He stepped inside, noticing right away how quiet it was in the house. “Where’s Oliver?”
“He and my mom went out for dinner.”
“Oh. I thought maybe he was coming with us.”
She shook her head. “He has a lot of homework to do, so they’re having a quick bite, then back home.”
“Huh. Okay.” He masked his disappointment in not being able to see Oliver. “You ready to go?”
She grabbed her bag. “Yes. Starving. How about you?”
“I’m always hungry.”
She rubbed his back as they walked out the door. “Of course you are.”
They got in the truck, and he started it up.
“I know it’s your birthday and all,” she said, “but do you mind if I pick the place?”
He looked over at her. “Not at all. What do you have in mind?”
“Becks has told me about Tommy’s Fish House. I think it’s owned by one of your former firefighter buddies?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“She said the food there is really good. She mentioned a few of their dishes, and I’ve been dying to try it out. If you don’t want to go there because you eat there a lot, I understand.”
“No, it’s fine. I like their food.” He’d planned on taking Hannah to a fancy restaurant, but you couldn’t beat the food at Tommy Rodriguez’s place.
The parking lot was nearly full when they got there, which was good for a Wednesday night, and great for Tommy and his wife, Estella. Kal was happy to see their restaurant growing.
When they went inside, their hostess, Brenda, smiled.
“Hi, Kal. It’s nice to see you.”
“You, too, Brenda.”
“It’ll be just a few minutes if you don’t mind waiting. But I’ll get a table ready for you.”
“Sure. We’ll just be in the bar.”
Brenda nodded, and Kal led Hannah to the bar.
When the bartender came over, Kal looked at Hannah. “What would you like to drink?”
“I’ll have a rosé,” she said.
“Beer for me.”
The bartender nodded and got their drinks, handed them over, and by that time, Brenda had come back to fetch them. They grabbed their drinks and followed her.
“This way. I’m sorry to have to put you in the back. We’re kind of busy tonight.”
“Not a problem,” Kal said.
“Busy is a good thing,” Hannah said, grasping Kal’s hand and giving him a smile.
Kal frowned when they passed the dining area and went toward the private room in the back. And when Hannah gave him a wide smile and opened the door, he had no idea what was happening.
Until everyone in the room shouted, “Surprise!”
It took him a few seconds to register that his entire family was in that room. And his friends. Even Hannah’s mom and Oliver, too.
He looked over at Hannah, who shrugged and gave him an innocent look, then said, “Happy birthday, Kal. I thought you needed a big birthday surprise.”
“Well, I’m damned surprised.” He leaned over and kissed her, then walked into the throng of people.
He couldn’t believe who was here. Not only Mom and Dad, Jackson and Becks, and Rafe and Carmen, but also Paige and Oliver. And several of his former Station 6 brothers and sisters—Miguel Acosta and