mouth.”
“I did!” Andrew responds, but he’s no longer visible through the kitchen window. “The studio made me renegotiate my fucking contract!”
“Yeah, right.” Tim waves an unconvinced hand in the air. “Y’all are making shit up.”
“Basically, Birdie,” Lance says and meets my eyes. “What we’re trying to say here is, don’t tell this old bastard anything.”
I grin at that, but before Tim can chime in with more nonsense, Andrew walks back out onto the deck with a strawberry pie in his hands. Mary Lou quickly shuffles out behind him and begins to light the candles sticking out from the whipped cream with a lighter.
Once Andrew stops in front of me and all the candles are lit, the Watsons proceed to sing “Happy Birthday” to me. Tim is by far the loudest, but Andrew, with his pretty blue eyes and handsome smile, is the sweetest.
“Happy birthday, firecracker. Make a wish,” he whispers.
I stare down at the pie, watching the flames flicker with the soft breeze and search my mind for the perfect wish.
Grass Roots doing well at the box office? My next album being a huge hit?
When nothing seems even remotely good enough, I look up at the people around me—Andrew, his mom and dad, his uncle Tim, his brother Lance and his sister-in-law Kelly. And then, it hits me—family.
I know I’ll always have Billie, but she doesn’t need me like she used to. She has Luca, and the two of them are starting a family of their own. And this evening, being here with the Watsons and seeing Andrew’s parents so happy and in love and observing the way both of their boys adore them, it makes me realize more than ever that I want that someday.
My perfect wish locked in my mind, I think, I wish for a family of my own, and proceed to blow out all the candles.
Everyone hoots and hollers for a playful moment, especially Uncle Tim, and it only takes Mary Lou—otherwise known as the hostess with the mostest—all of five minutes before she’s serving up a fresh piece of pie to everyone.
The instant I take a bite and the delicious flavors of strawberries and buttery piecrust and whipped cream hit my taste buds, I moan. “Oh my goodness. Did you make this, Mary Lou?”
“I did.” Her face brightens with a smile. “Andrew told me you weren’t a big fan of birthday cake, but that strawberry pie was your favorite.”
Good God, he remembers everything.
“Well, it’s absolute perfection. Thank you so much.”
“Aw, sweetie, it was my pleasure,” she says and sits down in the deck chair beside her husband with a plate of pie in her hands. “I’m honored that you’re spending your birthday with us today. I’m just sorry you had to be subjected to Ted’s brother.”
“Hey now, Mary Lou!” Tim interjects around a mouthful of pie. “Them’s fighting words!’
“Just shut up and eat your pie, Timothy,” she says, a teasing smile sliding over her lips.
Ted laughs. And surprisingly, Tim listens, but I’m pretty sure that has more to do with the fact that he’s shoveling big bites of pie into his mouth.
Once the pie is finished, the men head inside the house to clean up.
Apparently, it’s a tradition.
Mary Lou cooks. And all of her boys clean up. Even Uncle Tim.
Which just leaves us girls—me, Mary Lou, and Kelly—sitting out on the deck, drinking wine, and watching the sun set over the horizon.
“Thank you so much for today,” I say, and both the girls smile over at me.
“You’re going to need to stop thanking us, Birdie,” Mary Lou responds with a soft smile. “Both Kelly and I were over the moon when Andrew brought the surprise party idea up to us.”
“I think we were more than over the moon, Mom. For one, it was for solely selfish reasons since we’re huge fans of your music.” Kelly smiles over at me. “And two, Andrew never brings any women around. It’s safe to say we’re both getting a little tired of always being outnumbered.”
Her admission makes me too curious not to ask.
“You’ve never met any of the women Andrew has…dated in the past?”
“Nope.” Kelly shakes her head.
“You know,” Mary Lou begins, her voice almost a whisper. “Besides high school dances, I’m pretty sure this is the first time my Andrew has ever brought a girlfriend home to meet us.”
Holy shit… Girlfriend? They think I’m Andrew’s girlfriend?
The word takes me by utter surprise, and my heart starts beating wildly in my chest.
Honestly, I’m not real sure what Andrew and