managing to shuffle both to one arm so he could close the door behind me. "Seth's in the den."
I headed that way, and Lane followed with my presents. As soon as I rounded the corner, I found the birthday boy sitting in the corner with a book on his lap. That made me pause because I'd never actually seen him either reading or relaxing before. It looked good on him.
"Happy birthday," I said.
He looked up with a smile, a lock of his hair hanging against his cheek where it had come loose from his ponytail. "Hey! Thanks. The rest are out in the back working on dinner."
So I turned around and grabbed the bag from Lane's hands. "You can put the box on the table," I told him. "Thank you!"
"Anything for you," Lane promised, heading that way.
When I turned back, Seth was grinning at Lane's retreating back. "I can't decide what's cuter, you or him."
I stuck my tongue out at him, even as I walked over to hand him the bag. "So, you are not an easy man to buy for. I had to trust Ashley's judgment. Tell me if I failed?"
The bag was made from brightly-colored paper that looked like it was designed for a child. I'd put the girliest, prettiest tissue paper in the top to hide the gift. Seth took it, lifting a brow at me as if I'd lost my mind, but the twist of his lips made it clear he thought it was pretty funny too.
"Do you not realize this is my over the hill party?" he asked.
I blew that off. "You have a decade for that. No, being thirty is still young, and well, you're a baby, so..." I gestured to the bag. "No feeling old today."
Then he reached inside. A few pieces of glitter paper were knocked loose, drifting to the floor. He almost bent to grab them, until his hand found the bottle. Slowly, almost nervously, he pulled it out to see the bourbon. For a moment, Seth said nothing. Then, he slowly nodded.
"Maker's Mark, huh?" The smile finally took over his lips. "Thank you, it's actually my favorite."
"I got another bottle for my place too," I told him. "So that when I have a glass of wine, you can have something to sip."
"Just make sure Gabby doesn't try to get into it," he joked.
Then he set the bottle to the side and pushed to his feet. Seth was lean, fit, and just tall enough that I had to look up when we were face to face, but I didn't strain my neck. Right around six-foot, maybe just under, if I had to guess. But there was something about him. Something that always made my heart beat a little faster when he was around. Seth was the kind of guy who could switch from quiet to a bad boy and back in just the blink of an eye, and I kinda liked it.
"Thank you," he said, reaching up to trail his fingers across my cheek. "I didn't want to make a big deal out of my birthday, but you brought not just one, but two presents?"
"Mm, the other is for all of you," I assured him. "I should also mention that Ashley offered to take Gabby for the night, and I do not have a bedtime. My best friend also promised that if I'm late for work in the morning, she won't mind." I had to bite my lips to keep from laughing, then added. "You know, so when you see what it is, just keep that in mind."
"Yep, my patience is fucking zip." He spun me around to head for the dining room. "Guys!" he barked.
I heard the backdoor open. "We're all out here."
"It's cold out there and Elena says we have to open this one together," Seth told him.
As if that was a command, the group of them came back in. Pax gave me a timid smile before he leaned in to kiss my cheek. Trent just swatted him away before slipping an arm around me. Lane's grunt proved he'd noticed, and while he was trying to act unimpressed, I had a feeling he thought it was as cute as I did.
"Ok," I said when they reached the wrapped box. "This comes with an announcement."
All eyes turned to me, and I felt my guts twist with nerves. Still, this was what I wanted to do. I'd thought about it. I'd over-thought about it. I'd researched, asked questions, and looked at