Bentley holds out his fist, so I give it a bump with my left hand. And just like that, the tension is gone.
“You gonna tell me how the other hand got all banged up? What’d I miss in the last twenty-four hours?”
“Dude, you missed a lot. I’ll fill you in after we eat.”
“Aw, hell, I have a feeling this is gonna be some story.”
I laugh. “Yeah, something like that.”
“You guys coming?” Jazz calls over her shoulder. “I’ve got Die Hard all cued up and ready to go.”
Bentley’s jaw drops. “Wait a second... we’re watching Die Hard?”
Jazz’s brows scrunch in concern. “That’s okay, isn’t it? Kingston told me to pick out a Christmas movie.”
Bent’s lips twitch. “And you think Die Hard is
a Christmas movie?”
“Uh... yeah,” she says. “It’s like, the Christmas movie.”
He turns to me. “Dude, if I were you, I’d be at motherfucking Tiffany’s the second they open for business.”
***
“Okay, kiddo, we’re here.”
“I’m going to take the blindfold off now,” Jazz adds.
Jazz insisted on covering her sister’s eyes right after we pulled off I-5 into Anaheim, to hold on to the surprise as long as possible. Jazz helps Belle remove the blindfold, just as we’re pulling in front of the Disneyland sign.
“Look, honey!”
Belle blinks a few times after the obstruction has been removed and looks to where Jazz is pointing. Her dark chocolate eyes widen, and her face splits into a grin when she figures out where we’re at.
“Disneyland?!” she screams. “That’s my birthday present?”
Jazz laughs when Belle squeals. “Yep. We have two whole days and nights to see everything! Do you like it?”
“I love it!”
I glance in my rearview and see Belle practically vibrating in her booster seat as I drive around looking for a spot. Thankfully, we’re here early enough that it doesn’t take me too long to find one.
“What do you want to do first?” I ask.
“Princesses!” Belle shouts. “I wanna see all the princesses!”
I turn around in my seat. “Okay, princesses, it is. But before we do that, we have to get your special birthday badge, so everyone knows that you’re an eight-year-old now. We can’t have them thinking you’re still a little seven-year-old.”
Belle’s head shakes. “No way. I’m way bigger now.”
Jazz’s tear-filled eyes meet mine. Thank you, she mouths.
I nod, taking a deep breath in when she smiles. Fuck, she’s beautiful.
The three of us make our way to the entrance, waiting for our turn at the gates. Once we’re inside the park, Jazz insists on getting tons of pictures in front of the train station, gushing over how cool it is that the floral Mickey Mouse has a Santa hat. After that, we stop at City Hall to get Belle’s birthday pin, and then watch her face light up as the first cast member we see calls her by name and wishes her a happy birthday.
After checking the schedule, we have an hour to kill before any princess meet and greets begin, so I drag the girls into Fantasyland to get their requisite Mickey ears.