by Dawn, M. K.
“Everybody in?” Britney asked.
They all nodded.
For the first time in a long time, Britney felt a twinge of excitement. “Perfect! What do we want to play?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Axel plopped down on the ground next to Gunner, out of breath from chopping firewood. After spending months in the house, he was out of shape.
“Water?” Gunner offered his canteen. “It’s not cold, but I’m not complaining.”
Axel accepted the bottle and took a long swig. “I’m with you.”
“I never thought I’d be so happy to see spring.” Gunner sneezed. “Allergies and all.”
“I have to admit, when we ran out of fuel for the generator, I wasn’t sure we would make it.”
“You and me both, brother.” Gunner stretched out his legs and rested his head on the barn behind them. “Never thought a flimsy tent could hold in the heat as well as they did. Probably didn’t hurt to have a snuggle partner either.”
“I wouldn’t know about that.” Axel took another drink before handing the water back to Gunner.
“What are you talking about? You shared a tent with Britney.”
“And the kids,” Axel reminded him. “Kind of puts a damper on things.”
Gunner cocked an eyebrow. “Is there something going on between the two of you I don’t know about?”
“You sound like a teenage girl right now. You know that, right?”
A wide smile tugged at his lips. “Entertainment is lacking these days. How else am I supposed to pass the time?”
“Read a book?” Axel leaned back and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the April sun against his skin.
“Speaking of books—”
Axel already knew where this conversation was heading. “Yes, the ones she spent the winter reading are the ones I got for her.”
“Axel!” Molly screeched.
He opened his eyes just in time to catch the five-year-old who dive-bombed his lap.
“Jesus, little girl.” Gunner clutched his chest. “You nearly gave me a heart attack. How did you not jump out of your skin, Axel?”
“Because,”—Axel tickled Molly’s side—“that was her excited scream, not her scared scream.”
“And you can tell the difference?”
“Molly,” Carson scolded as he and Blake jogged up. “What did Mom tell you about screaming?”
Over the past six months, Carson had taken being the man-of-the-house seriously. Sometimes a little too seriously. “Carson, remember what we talked about?”
“I’m just reminding her.” Carson gestured to Molly. “The infected are attracted to the noise.”
“Infected?” Molly hid her face in Axel’s chest.
Axel patted her back. “There are no infected. With the wall built and the high fence your dad had installed, we’re safe. We haven’t seen an infected since before winter, remember?”
“Which is why she needs to stop yelling,” Carson said in his best annoyed voice.
“You’re not the boss of me,” Molly spat.
“That’s enough.” Axel knew if he didn’t put an end to this now, it would only escalate. “Now, did you three come out here for a reason or just to hang out.”
Blake threw back his shoulders. “For a reason. It’s almost Mom’s birthday.”
“Is it?” All this time at the farm and they hadn’t celebrated a single birthday. “When?”
“Umm.” Blake’s eyes rolled upward as he thought about it.
“Saturday,” Carson hissed. “I already told you.”
“Hey.” Axel tapped Carson on the nose. “Part of being the man of the house is having patience.”
“Daddy was always losing his patience,” Molly said. “He told us that all the time.”
Axel could imagine. These three, plus Britney, were a handful. “So your mom’s birthday is Saturday?”
“Yes!” Molly grabbed Axel’s cheeks and squeezed. “What are we going to do? Can we throw her a party?”
“Um.” Axel had never thrown a birthday party on his own before. “I guess we can. But don’t you think Rainey or Angie might be better at planning a party than me?”
“It has to be you,” Molly insisted. “You’re Mommy’s best friend. And the best friend is in charge of planning surprise parties.”
Axel’s stomach knotted. “How do you know I’m your mom’s best friend?”
“One”—Molly held up a finger—“you always hang out together. And two, she’s always laughing at your jokes even when they aren’t funny.”
Gunner snickered.
“Shut up, man.” Axel turned his attention back to Molly. “I think I get it now.”
“Good. So, what’s the plan?”
Axel drew a blank. “You’re her kids. What do you want to do for her?”
“There has to be music,” Blake chimed in. “Mom loves to dance.”
“Yeah!” Molly clapped excitedly. “A dance party!”
There was an old CD player in Axel’s room that might still work with new batteries. And if he could track down some CDs. “Okay. We can probably get some music. What else does your mom like?”
“Wine,” Molly said with a big smile on her face. “That’s her favorite. And chocolate.”
Axel still had a case of wine under the bed in his room. The chocolate might be a problem. “Can you think of anything else we might have missed?”
“Presents. Duh.” Molly rolled her eyes.
“Molly,” Carson huffed, “we can’t just go to the store and buy her something.”
Molly frowned. “I know that. We can make her something.”
“I think she would love for each of you made her a present. Maybe Rainey can help you.”
“What about you?” Molly batted her eyelashes. “What are you going to get her? As her best friend.”
Axel massaged his temples. “I don’t know… yet.”
“Kids!” Britney called out from the front porch. “Come inside and wash up for dinner.”
Carson took Molly’s hand. “Let’s go.”
Before Molly let Carson drag her away, she leaned in closer to Axel. “Don’t tell Mommy. It has to be a surprise. Do you promise?”
“Promise. Now go before your mom gets mad.”
The kids hurried off toward the house, leaving Axel alone with a very smug-looking Gunner. “What?”
“I think it’s nice, helping the kids throw their mom—your best friend—a surprise party.”
Axel rose to his feet. “I need to finish cutting the firewood.”
“What are you going to get her?” Gunner trailed close behind. “Something pretty? Something sparkly? Something to go on her ring finger?”
“Don’t you have chores to finish?”
“Nope.” Gunner clicked his tongue. “Let’s see. You’ve already given her wine and books for Christmas. Let’s not forget the bath set she can’t use because of the lack of hot water.”
Axel froze. “But we could have hot water, if we wanted to.”
After the snow melted, Axel and Gunner had made a supply run and stumbled across a gas truck. It took a few hours, but they got the thing running and brought it back to fuel the generator.
“The water heater and all the other nonessentials are not hooked up.”
“It wouldn’t take much to hook the water heater up for a few hours and run a bath for Britney.”
Gunner tilted his head to the side. “You want to give her a bath for her birthday? Isn’t that kind of like telling her she stinks?”
“No.” Axel swung the axe down, splitting a log. “She loves baths. It’s kind of her thing.”
“I get that, but let’s think about this whole party and gift thing. We’ve had several birthdays come and go over the past six months. No one had a party thrown for them. There were no presents or cake. Don’t you think some might be offended if you do this for Britney and no one else?”
“It’s not like I’m the one who decided to thr
ow her a party. That was her kids’ idea. Do you really want to be the one to tell them no?”
“Fine. We’ll have the party and blame the kids. But the hot bath….”
Axel split another log. “What if everyone took a hot shower? Think about how amazing that would feel.”
Gunner thought it over for a minute. “A hot shower, huh? Damn that sounds nice.”
Yes it did. “What do you say? Think we can make it happen?”
“Bribe people with a hot shower to help throw a surprise party? Can’t imagine anyone would say no to that.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Keep your eyes closed, Mom,” Carson ordered as he and the twins led Britney out the front door. “No peeking.”
“How am I supposed to peek through a blindfold?” They had tied it on well; she could barely blink, let alone open her eyes. “Just please tell me when to step down.”
“I got you,” Axel’s voice cut through the darkness. “I’m going to take your hand and help you down the stairs.”
Britney allowed him to guide her but still wished she could see. “What’s goin’ on?”
“It’s your birthday, Mommy.” Molly took hold of Britney’s free hand. “And we have a surprise for you.”
She wasn’t much on surprises, but the kids seemed so excited. She couldn’t possibly tell them no. “Great! Can you at least tell me where we’re goin’?” It felt like they were headin’ in the barn’s direction, but she couldn’t be sure.
“Be patient, Mom,” Carson told her. “We’ll be there in a minute.”
“Fine.” She shuffled on, afraid of tripping on some unseen object.
“Almost there.” Axel stayed close by her side. “A few more steps. There you go. What do you think, kids? This a good spot?”
“Yep,” Blake said.
Thank goodness. “Can you take off this blindfold now?”
“Remember, keep your eyes closed until we tell you to open them,” Carson reminded her.
She thought the eyes closed part was over. “Fine. But hurry.”
“I got the blindfold.” Axel’s strong hands brushed against the back of her head as he undid the knot.
“Ready!” Molly yelled. “Open your eyes.”
“Surprise!” multiple voices shouted.
Britney took a step backward shocked to see everyone gathered around. “What is this?”
“Your surprise birthday party!” Molly jumped up and down. “Look, we decorated the barn just for you.”
“It looks beautiful.” Pink, purple, blue and green streamers hung from the rafters. On a pink plastic-covered table sat an assortment of fruits from their garden, plus a variety of mismatched paper plates and napkins. “Where did you get the decorations?”
“From the box in the basement,” Rainey told her. “The one labeled party supplies. The kids said you wouldn’t mind.”
“Not at all. This is amazin’.” Her heart swelled at the thoughtfulness. “But you didn’t have to go to all this trouble. We haven’t celebrated anyone else’s birthday.”
“The kids planned it all,” Axel explained. “We just helped make their ideas a reality.”
“Thank you all so much.”
Blake tugged her hand. “Come look outside.”
“Okay.” Britney followed the kids outside to the back of the barn. She blinked several times before coming to terms with what she saw. “Is that a hog roastin’ over a fire?”
Molly shrieked. “Like Hawaii!”
Britney smiled down at her daughter. “How do you know they do this in Hawaii?”
“Mac told me,” she said. “He’s been to a luau before.”
“Has he now?” Britney glanced back at him. “I’m guessin’ you told her about this and she wouldn’t let it go?”
“Damn girl is persistent.” Mac shook his head. “Once she puts her mind to something there is no talking her out of it. She had to have the roasted pig; said you would love it.”
“And I do.” Britney leaned in and gave each of the kids a big hug. “Thank you so much for my party. It’s the best ever.”
“You haven’t even opened your presents yet.” Molly grabbed Britney’s hand and dragged her back into the barn.
“You sit here, Mom.” Carson pointed to an old wooden chair.
Molly brought over one of her princess tiaras. “And wear this. As the birthday queen.”
Britney dipped her head. “I would be honored.”
“Now for the presents.” Molly went first. “This is from me.”
Britney carefully undid the wrapping to find a hand-strung plastic bead bracelet. She slipped it over her hand. “It’s beautiful. I’ll never take it off.”
“Now us!” Carson shoved a present into her lap. “This is from me and Blake. Open it. And you don’t have to be careful with the wrapping.”
“What could it be?” She ripped the paper away and stared down at the spiral notebook decorated with what appeared to be a dragon. Or maybe a lizard? “What is this?”
Blake puffed out his chest. “Me and Carson wrote you a book.”
“A book?” Britney’s heart swelled. “You wrote me a book? That’s amazin’.”
“It’s about dragons and wizards and two brothers going on an adventure to save the queen,” Carson said with such enthusiasm she nearly cried.
“I love it!” Britney held it tight. “I can’t wait to read it.”
“You can read it later, Mommy.” Molly tugged at the hem of Britney’s shirt. “When you take your b—”
“Shh.” Axel covered Molly’s mouth with his hand. “Why don’t we show your mom what else we have?”
“What’s goin’ on?” Britney crossed her arms. “What was she goin’ to say?”
“Only time will tell, but first….” Axel hurried to his room and came back with John’s old CD player. “It’s time to party!”
He hit Play and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” blasted through the still-decent speakers.
“Oh my God. Where did you find that CD?” She thought John got rid of those ages ago.
“That’s not the only one I found.” Axel tossed her a small twenty-disk CD case. “There’s some good stuff in there. I’m surprised. I thought all you farm folk listened to was country music.” He tried his best to add in a country twang to that last sentence but failed. Miserably.
“Please never talk like that again.”
“Why not? Do I sound funny?”
Britney scrunched her nose. “Very much so. And it’s weird. Like someone else is talkin’ through you or something.”
“Like a ventriloquist?”
“Yes!” Britney shuddered. “Those dolls give me the creeps.”
“Pig’s ready!” Shifter shouted from the doorway. “I’m cutting it right off the spit, so bring a plate.”
“Go, kids.” Britney handed them each a plate. “Get some dinner. I’ll be right out.”
Axel came up behind her and whispered in her ear. “You know the birthday girl is supposed to go first.”
Britney rotated around. “Thanks for all this. I know the kids couldn’t have done it alone.”
“We all pitched in.”
“That was nice of everybody.” Britney scanned the area. “Where are Gunner and Rainey? I could have sworn they were just here.”
“I’m sure they’ll be back.” Axel guided her outside. “Why don’t you go get some food and I’ll get the wine.”
“Wine? Really?” Britney did a little happy dance inside her head. “Where did that come from?”
“My personal stash.” He shot her a wink. “I’ll be right back.”
***
The party was a blast. Music, dancing, wine and food—Britney couldn’t have asked for a better birthday.
She dropped on the bench next to Axel. “Why aren’t you dancin’?”
“I think you’re doing enough dancing for the both of us.” Axel pointed his wineglass at Molly. “The two of you are.”
“We’re
not the only ones dancin’. Gus is surprisingly good at two-steppin’. Who would have thought?” Britney snatched his glass from him and took a drink.
Axel reached over and took it back. “Don’t you have your own?”
“I do. But then I drank it all. So now I don’t.” She was pretty sure that made sense.
“And how many glasses have you had?”
She’d lost count. “Plenty and not enough.”
“That’s deep.” Axel handed her his glass back. “Take mine. It is your birthday, after all.”
Britney bit down on her bottom lip. There was something bothering her that she couldn’t hold in any longer. “I have to tell you somethin’. Today’s not my birthday.”
Axel’s mouth fell open. “What? Are you serious?”
“It’s tomorrow. I didn’t want to say anythin’ because the kids were so excited. I think they were lookin’ at last year's calendar.”
Axel laughed. “Maybe we should keep this little secret between the two of us.”
“We probably should.” Britney sipped her wine. “Why do people keep disappearin’?”
“Who’s not here?” Axel made a big show of checking the barn.
Britney could tell he was hiding something. “Right now? Shifter’s gone.”
“Probably went to take a leak.” Axel stood up. “I’m going to get another glass of wine since mine has been hijacked.”
“Why won’t you tell me what’s goin’ on?” she asked as she followed him to the drink table.
Axel poured himself a glass. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“Rainey left and came back with wet hair. Why would she do that?”
He turned around and leaned casually on the table. “You’d have to ask her.”
“Everyone has left and come back. Everyone but you, me and the kids. Somethin’ is goin’ on.”
“Britney,” Rainey interrupted. “Sorry. I just wanted to let you know I’m going to put the kids to bed.”
“That’s okay.” Britney set down her drink on the table. She hadn’t even noticed how late it had gotten. “I’ll do it.”
Rainey’s eyes darted to Axel. “Um.”
“Britney.” Axel poured more wine into her glass. “Let Rainey do it. The kids want her to, right?”