by J. L. Perry
Brooke
The fact the he had remembered my birthday touched me. I’d only mentioned once when my birthday was, and I didn’t think he would remember. He even got me a present! I looked inside the gift bag and there were three black velvet boxes inside. They were all different sizes so I picked up the biggest box first.
When I opened the box, I gasped. It was a necklace with a ballerina charm. The ballerina was white gold with a diamond encrusted tutu. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. As I looked over at Logan, a tear fell down my cheek.
“It is beautiful,” I sniffled with a smile.
He reached over to wipe the tear off my cheek. “You aren’t allowed to cry on your birthday.”
“They are happy tears.”
The other two boxes contained matching ballerina earrings, and a bracelet that had a charm identical to the necklace. I threw my arms around him. “This is the nicest and most thoughtful present I have ever gotten.”
“I thought you would like them,” he replied with a smile. “I had them specially made for you.”
Logan took them out of my hands and placed them on the bedside table. He gently laid me back on the bed and brushed his lips on mine. I looked deeply into his beautiful green eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, baby,” he whispered, kissing me softly again. “Now, it’s time for the birthday sex,” he added as he gave me one of his heart-stopping smiles.
****
After Logan left for work, I went for my run. He said that he was leaving work early today because he wanted to take me out somewhere special this afternoon. He was so good to me. I was so lucky to have someone who cared so much and made me feel so special.
Logan
I wasn’t going into work today. I was meeting with Claire and my family to do the finishing touches on my surprise for Brooke. I wanted everything to be perfect.
Once everything was ready, I called her. It was 2:00 p.m. and I wanted to let her know that I was on my way home. “We will need to leave by 4:00 p.m., so you will have to be ready,” I said.
“What should I wear?”
“You look beautiful in everything, but dress it up a bit.”
When I arrived home, she was in the bath so I decided to join her. I was thinking maybe she needed some more birthday sex.
After getting out of the bath, we both got dressed. Brooke wanted to wear the jewellery I had given her for her birthday. God, she looked beautiful tonight. She was wearing all white and she reminded me of an angel.
I hadn’t seen her in this particular dress before. It was white, was tight at the top, and hugged her beautiful tits perfectly. From just under her bust, it fell loosely and ended just above her knees. She was wearing these sexy white heels, which made her long legs look even sexier. Her hair was up in a bun tonight, just like the ballerina on her jewellery. She looked exquisite. Keeping my hands off her was going to be hard.
When we left the penthouse, the nerves kicked in. I tried to hide it, but I was still worrying about how she would react to my next gift. She thought the jewellery I had given her was it. Boy, was she in for a surprise.
We got down to the basement and into my car. “Why isn’t Chris driving us tonight?”
“I’ve given him the rest of the day off,” I replied as I drove through the city. When I got closer to our destination, I pulled over to the side of the road.
“Why are we stopping here?” she asked. “Is something wrong with the car?”
“No. I need to blindfold you for the rest of the way.”
She smiled. “Why?” she asked, mischievously.
“You will find out soon enough,” I replied with a nervous smile.
When I reached over to put the blindfold on her, she smiled again. “Why are you smiling?” I asked.
“Because I like the blindfold,” she replied. “I have never been blindfolded before.”
“Maybe I will have to blindfold you again later then, since you are enjoying it so much,” I said with a smirk.
She laughed. “I will hold you to that, Mr. Cavanagh,” she replied.
“You can count on it, Miss Ryan!”
We arrived and I could feel my hands shaking as I turned off the car. I wished she didn’t hate me spending money on her so much because I wouldn’t be so worried then.
“Stay there, baby,” I said, as I got out and walked around to her side of the car. Once she was out, I turned her around so she was facing me, then I carefully removed her blindfold.
“Where are we?” she said as she started to turn her head to look.
I quickly grabbed each side of her face. “Don’t turn around yet. There is something I need to say to you first.”
She smiled. “Well, spit it out,” she said. I had to laugh. I pulled a small box out of my jacket and handed it to her.
“Before you open it,” I said nervously, “I just want you to know how much I love you. This is your first birthday that we have spent together so I wanted to get you something special, something that will hopefully make all your dreams come true.” Brooke was looking at me with a huge smile on her face. I added, “Because being with you has made all my dreams come true.”
She put her arms around me. “I love you, Logan,” she said, tears in her eyes. “Just having you here with me has made my birthday special.” Then she brushed her lips softly against mine.
“I want you to open the box now,” I said. “But please promise me that you won’t be mad. I did this for you because I love you. I want to make you happy.”
“You have already made me happy,” she whispered, but she now had a concerned look on her face.
I wish I knew what she was thinking right now.
She opened the box and pulled out a key. “What is this for? Is it the key to your heart?” We both laughed.
“You already have that,” I replied with a smile. “It is for this.” I put my hands gently on her shoulders and turned her around.
Brooke
When I opened the box and found the key, I started to get nervous. He asked me not to get mad with him, and that worried me. I had no idea what the key was for, and I could tell that Logan was a little nervous about it.
He turned me around, and I felt my legs turn to jelly when I saw what was in front of me. I just stood there, speechless.
In front of me stood a large, bright yellow building. My favourite colour! There was a huge sign on the side of the building that read, “Brooke’s School of Dance and Music”, along with a ballerina. She looked just like the one on the jewellery Logan had given me this morning.
I didn’t know what to say or what to think. Logan was standing behind me, and he put his arms around my waist. “Happy birthday, baby,” he whispered. When the shock of what he had done settled in, I felt the tears starting to run down my face. He turned me around so he could look at me. I could see he was concerned when he noticed I was crying.
He pulled me into him. “I’m sorry. Don’t you like it? I thought opening your own studio was your life’s dream.”
I burst into tears. I couldn’t believe he had done something so special for me. I’d dreamed of this day for so long. It had worried me because I was starting to think that I would never get to fulfil the promise I had made to my mother.
“I love it,” I managed to get out between sobs.
He sighed. “You do? Thank god.” I felt his body relax, and I had to smile.
“It has been my dream since my mother died to do this,” I said. “You have no idea how much this means to me. When she was dying, I promised her that I would do this for her. I was starting to think that it would never happen.” I put both my hands on the side of his face and kissed him.
“So you’re not mad at me?” he asked.
I hugged him. “How could you think I would be mad at you? You are so good to me. I don’t deserve someone as special as you.”
“Oh, baby,” he replied, as he held me tight, “don’t ever say that. I am the luckiest man in
the world to have someone like you. You deserve everything I give you, and so much more.”
He pulled back from me so he could look at my face. I smiled. He wiped the tears from my cheeks. “Do you want to go inside and have a look around?”
As we walked towards the door, he laced his fingers through mine. I still couldn’t believe it. It was perfect.
I put the key in the double glass front door, and Logan held it open for me as I walked in. He walked over and turned on the lights, and I gasped. It was beautiful. My eyes darted all over the place because I didn’t know where to look first.
Logan
I was so relieved and touched by her reaction. Ellen had told me it was her life’s dream, but I never knew she had made a promise to her dying mother. When she told me that, I felt a lump rise in my throat.
She deserved this so much, and I was glad that I was in a position to do it for her. Life had been tough for Brooke over the years. I hoped that this was a brand new start for her because I wanted to make the rest of her life happy. If anyone deserved that, she did.
I showed her around the lobby first. When you first walked in, there were two long, black leather lounges, and two large, flat screen monitors on the wall. I wanted to get the two-way mirrors like Ellen had, but the layout of the building didn’t allow for it. I had the monitors and a sound system installed instead so the parents could still see and hear everything that went on in the studio. Over in the far corner was her office. On the other side of that was a kitchen and a little shop so she could sell drinks or dancing gear.
In between her office and the shop was a set of stairs. This led up to her private retreat and music room. The building was actually a converted warehouse so the ceilings were enormous. This allowed me to install a mezzanine level. Under the stairs was a changing room, complete with toilets and showers. I told her I would show her what was upstairs later. “First, I want you to see inside the studio,” I said.
“I love…love…love everything I have seen so far,” she replied with a huge smile on her face. “It is so much more than I ever dreamed.”
The whole time I was showing her around, I had watched the reaction on her face. She didn’t need to tell me she loved it. I could tell. She must have said, “Oh, my god,” at least ten times already. She is so adorable!
“How did you do all this?” she asked.
I laughed. “I had a lot of help.”
“Who helped you?”
“My family, your father, Ellen, and Claire.”
“Ellen knew about this,” she asked, shocked.
I nodded. “She helped me plan the layout,” I replied. I grabbed hold of her hand. “Do you want to see the studio?”
“I can’t wait,” she squealed, as she jumped up and down. So cute!
I walked with her over to the door, opening it. It was dark inside so I walked over to the light switch and turned it on. “SURPRISE!”
I was expecting it, but Brooke wasn’t and the poor thing must have jumped two feet in the air. Everybody came forward to kiss her and wish her a happy birthday. She still had that huge smile plastered on her face, but I could see tears in her eyes. My family was here, as well as her father, Chris, Jill, Mike, Claire, Ellen, and their spouses. Also some of her dancing students were invited. Ellen had asked the girls that she knew Brooke was closest to.
This morning we had set up a long table in the middle of the studio. It sat thirty people, fifteen on each side. It was covered in a white linen tablecloth, and the chairs were covered in white silk with large yellow sashes tied around the middle. There were two huge arrangements of yellow roses on each end of the table, a large candelabra as the centrepiece.
My uncle had told me that yellow roses were her mother’s favourite flowers, so I thought that was a nice touch. Something to make Brooke feel like she was here with us. The ceiling was covered with hundreds of yellow helium balloons, as well. I’d hired a catering company, along with waiters and bar staff. There was also a DJ set up on the stage in case anyone wanted to dance later. Hopefully, not me! I was up for any of the slow dances with Brooke, but that was about my limit.
After everyone had wished her a happy birthday, she came over and wrapped her arms around me. “Sorry they scared you, baby,” I said.
She just smiled up at me. “That’s okay. I have never had a birthday party before. This day just keeps getting better and better. Thank you so much for everything you do for me, hot stuff.” Then she brushed my lips with a sweet kiss.
It made me sad to think she had never had a party before. Her life was going to be so different with me. I could afford to give her anything and everything, and that was what I was going to do.
“I love you,” I said. “I hope you enjoy your night.” I kissed the top of her head.
The waiters came around with trays of drinks. It had been a long and emotional day, so I was thankful for the alcohol. I just wanted to relax because all the hard work was over. The last few weeks had been pretty stressful for me, and now I just wanted to enjoy Brooke’s birthday with her.
We both grabbed a drink, and I put my hand in hers. “You want to look around some more?” I asked.
Brooke
“Oh, my god…oh, my god,” was all I could say. This was, without a doubt, the best birthday ever. I thought the waiting room was perfect, but the studio? It was amazing! It was so big. There were mirrors along both walls, and ballet bars were mounted on one side. The floor was polished wood, and there was a huge stage on the far end of the studio—complete with red velvet curtains, I might add. There were speakers everywhere and a state-of-the-art sound system was in one corner. There were even stage lights mounted on the ceiling.
The studio floor was so large that I could even have concerts here if I wanted. Logan led me to a room at the far end, next to the stage. Holy crap! It was full of chairs! Did he just read my mind? There must have been at least two hundred of them. It was perfect. I was definitely having my concerts here. He obviously had the same idea. I would hate to think what all this had cost, but I wasn’t going to think about that right now.
“You have thought of everything,” I squealed as I threw myself into his arms. “I still can’t believe this is really happening. I will never forget what you have done for me today.”
He pulled me into a tight embrace. “You can show me how grateful you are when we get home.”
I playfully slapped his arm. “You can count on that, hot stuff.”
“Come. Let’s enjoy your party, baby,” he said with a laugh as he led me back towards the table.
We all sat down. The table was beautiful. I noticed the yellow roses straight away, and it made me smile because it reminded me of my mother. The only thing missing today was her, but she was in my heart and I could feel that she was with me.
After we had eaten our delicious first two courses, the DJ started playing some music. I asked Logan to dance with me, but he held up his hands. “Come and get me for the slow dances, babe,” he replied with a smirk. I had to smile. One day, I was going to get him up to dance with me.
Ellen, Claire, Michelle, Lara, and some of my dance students got up to dance so I was happy with that. The party was amazing and I was having a great time. I was still in shock that this studio was all mine. The whole time I danced, I was looking around the room. It was perfect.
I told Ellen that, under the circumstances, I wouldn’t be able to teach at her studio anymore. She just smiled. “I figured that. I’m going to miss you.” I promised her that I would stay in touch.
After I had danced for a while, I made my way back to the table to sit with Logan. He pulled me onto his lap and asked me if I was enjoying myself.
“This has been the best day of my life,” I said.
He leaned over and kissed me. “I am happy to hear that.”
John came over to us and asked Logan if he could borrow me for a few minutes. He reached out his hand to me so I thought we were going to dance. Instead, he led me outside and into
the car park.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” he said with a smile, then hugged me. “I got you something for your birthday. I hope you like it.” He grabbed hold of my hand and led me around to the side of the building.
No way! This was too much. Sitting there was a brand new bright yellow Mini Cooper. It had a huge red bow around it, and “Brooke’s School of Dance and Music” was painted on both sides. There was also a phone number, which I presumed was the number of the studio.
My hands went straight over my mouth. I didn’t know what to say, but I could feel the tears welling in my eyes again. “I can’t accept this,” I said in a whisper.
“You can, and you will. I am your father, Brooke, whether you like it or not,” he replied. “I have missed the last twenty-six years of your life, and this is the least I can do for you. Consider it the twenty-six years’ worth of birthday presents that I never got the chance to give you.” I burst into tears.
“This place is your dream, sweetheart,” he added as he pulled me in for a hug. “I want to help make all your dreams come true. We have a long road ahead of us. I know that and I don’t expect you to forgive me overnight, but I want to be part of your life, Brooke. I will wait for as long as it takes until you are ready, but please let me do this for you.”
I put my arms around him and said, “Thank you.”
When we got back inside, everyone was gathered around the table again. Logan pulled me into his arms, and Michelle walked over to turn out some of the lights. One of the waitresses came through the door wheeling a silver serving table.
On top of it was a beautiful cake in the shape of a ballerina. There were candles lit all around the edges. The ballerina even looked at bit like me. Her hair was brown and up in a bun. Even her eyes were brown and big like mine. She was wearing a white tutu and white ballet shoes.
Everyone started singing Happy Birthday, and I felt the tears coming again, but tried to hold them in. I was starting to feel like a cry-baby. Tonight I felt completely overwhelmed and emotional. I would never forget this night as long as I lived.
Logan