I let the boys go as I duck into the bathroom to pee and brush my teeth. When I come out a few minutes later, they’re lounging on my bed with both their chests filled with red marks from where they’ve roughed each other up. Though I’d dare say from the amount of redness covering Jesse’s chest, Nate won this round.
I walk over and grab my phone off the charger and get a glimpse at the time. “Shit, Jess,” I groan as I drop down beside him. “It’s only six in the morning.”
“I know,” he grins proudly.
I shake my head and lean against him as my eyes threaten to close again. “You’re lucky it’s your birthday.”
“No,” he says. “You’re lucky it’s my birthday.”
“Huh?” I grunt. “Why am I luc-”
My words are cut off as Jesse grabs me and throws me over his shoulder before rushing out of my room and heading for the stairs. “Shit,” I gasp. “Put me down.”
“No way,” he laughs as he hits the top step.
“Shit,” I shriek again as he bounds down them. I hold on for dear life. I mean, all it would take is a slightly misplaced foot and we’ll both go tumbling down the stairs. Luckily, he makes it to the bottom, but he doesn’t stop there. He rushes through the house with far too much energy and all I can do is hold on for the ride, thankful that I already peed.
A moment later, he pulls me off his shoulder and drops me into the couch in the den as Nate leisurely make his way in. “Why’d I have to get carried?” I groan. “Why couldn’t Nate go over your shoulder instead?”
Jesse looks to his brother and I see the sparkle in his eye as he thinks about what I just said. “Don’t even think about it,” Nate grunts as he drops into the couch beside me.
“So,” I say, looking to Jesse. “What now?”
The sparkle still remains in his eyes. “Breakfast,” he says as though it’s the most exciting thing in the world.
Not a minute later, Trish and Caden Ryder appear in the entryway of the den. Caden leans up against the wall as Trish walks straight in and over to her youngest son. Jesse stands up and Trish pulls him in for a big hug. He melts into her, making it as clear as day that under his bad boy exterior, he’s a big marshmallow. “Happy birthday, my love,” she whispers before giving him a big kiss on the cheek and pulling him back by the shoulders. “Now,” she says with a knowing grin. “What’ll it be?”
Jesse’s face lights up. “Everything,” he says like a little school boy.
Trish lets out a sigh. “I was afraid of that.”
My eyebrows pull down in confusion as she walks out of the room with Caden following behind. “What was that all about?” I ask, looking to Nate.
He lets out a sigh. “You’ll see,” he tells me before pulling me into him.
Ten minutes later, the smell of bacon and eggs with a side of pancakes and hash browns fill the house and I suddenly get it. On his birthday, Jesse gets whatever breakfast he wants, and it just so happens to be a big one. Realizing how much Trish and Caden are going to have to cook for him, I get myself up off the couch and walk into the kitchen with Nate and Jesse following behind.
Jesse sits up on the counter and watches with an excited grin as we all slave around the kitchen, making everything perfect for his birthday breakfast.
Half an hour later, we sit around the table, chowing down one of the yummiest breakfasts I’ve ever had. “So,” Trish says, gaining Jesse and Nate’s attention. “I’m not even going to pretend to be naive this year. I’m fully aware that you intend to have a party tonight, so you have our blessing to go ahead and invite your friends over. Your father and I have planned a night’s stay in the Mountain’s Resort,” she explains.
Jesse instantly loses his mind. “Have I ever told you that you’re the coolest mom out?”
“Wait,” she says, cutting him off before he gets too excited. “I have already notified the neighbors and the police are aware that there will be a party. I don’t want any underage drinking, my house is not to be destroyed, and I want the place spotless by the time we get home.”
“Are they rules or guidelines?” he grins.
“Rules,” Caden demands, taking the reigns and giving Jesse a stern look.
“Alright, alright. Rules it is,” Jesse says, though I have a feeling the underage drinking rule is going to be broken in a very serious way.
We finish breakfast and Nate and I get stuck with cleaning up while Trish and Caden go and pack for their night away. By the time we’re done, it’s time to start getting ready for school and I head for the stairs. “Where are you going?” Nate questions as he grabs my arm and pulls me back to him.