He holds it out to me and says, “But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Happy Birthday, Goldie.”
I take the present. But… “Today isn’t my birthday.”
Mitch just shrugs. “Since you won’t tell us anything about you, we decided to make today your birthday.”
My heart jolted. “What? That doesn’t make any sense…”
Mitch lets out an exasperated sigh. “Will you just open it already? Don’t make me get Jeb out here.”
As much as I love following Jeb’s growly commands, I tear away the paper, curious and confused. However, finding out what it is, doesn’t help with the confused part. “An oversized swim cap?”
Mitch answers with a wolfish grin. “Like I said, I’ve got you covered.”
So I guess this is just going to be the spring of crossing things off my Never Have I Ever list.
Never have I ever lived in a cabin.
Never have I ever taken two guys at once.
Never have I ever planted a farm garden.
Never have I ever taken three guys at once.
And the latest cross-off:
Never have I ever gone skinny dipping.
The lake water is freezing, but the sun is hot. It’s a surprisingly refreshing combination. And by the time we head back to the shore, I can see why it’s such a popular activity with people who can easily get their hair wet.
Even better, we find Jeb and Nico waiting for us at the edge of the shore. They’re setting up some sort of camp from the looks of it.
Jeb’s digging a shallow hole. And Nico’s setting up rocks around its perimeter. I can only assume they’re making a fire pit.
He brushes off his hand and rushes over to what looks like a stack of t-shirts, sitting on top of a nearby cooler. All the tees are black and there’s a wide red ribbon with a bow wrapped around them.
“Happy Birthday!” Nico says, handing me the stack. “This present is for you and me.”
I laugh when I see that the stack is actually 5 of the same Death Buddha tees in men’s 3X. They’re not concert tees, though. They’re the Target version of the heavy metal band’s iconic first album cover, a flaming Buddha skull. Nico must have gotten tired of washing Jeb’s tee every day.
“Thank you?” I say with a question mark in my voice. I don’t know how else to respond.
I use one tee to dry off and then slip another on. As my head makes it through the neck of the tee, Jeb steps forward with a gift-wrapped box in his hands. As commanding as he is in bed, he seems shy and embarrassed now.
He keeps his head down as he shoves the box at me with a quick, gruff, “Happy Birthday.”
I probably should remind everyone it’s not my birthday one more time, but I’m too curious about what a guy like Jeb might give me as a gift. What I find underneath the gold foil wrapping paper makes me smile from ear to ear.
It’s a set of light grey Caterpillar women’s work boots and a pair of thick socks.
“Jeb!” I exclaim, touched beyond words.
“Couldn’t stand watching you out in the farm garden a minute more in those flimsy-ass shoes,” he answers, shooting a disgusted look at the shoes I left sitting by a tree along with my dirt covered shirt. “Your birthday was just the excuse I needed.”
“But it’s not my—”
“Stop fighting it, Goldie,” Mitch says, coming to stand beside me. He’s pulled his shorts back on, but nothing else. “Nico made cupcakes. And Jeb shot a turkey to roast just for this occasion. Don’t make them feel like they did it all in vain.”
“But why did you do this for me?” I ask. “I’m just trying to understand.”
Nico steps to me and does that thing where he tilts my head and makes me look at him for a second or two before he gives me a kiss.
But instead of pressing his lips to mine, he says, “We want to celebrate you. Just go with it, okay?”
My heart melts. Well, that’s an answer. But it doesn’t make me any less confused.
I stop fighting them, though, and we spend the rest of the afternoon hanging out by the lake.
After he sets the pre-carved turkey to roast over the open grate and gives Jeb extensive flipping and basting instructions, Nico invites me for a quiet walk through the forest to work in my new boots. The forest is gorgeous. Green and alive with bird chirps and spring wildflowers. When I admit I’ve never walked through a forest before, Nico tells me about the first time Coach Granger took him and Mitch camping up here because Mitch missed the forest.
“I was all for Mitch getting back to his roots, but I didn’t understand why I had to come along. There were a few times with my mom when we didn’t have any place safe to stay and had to sleep on the street. I thought sleeping outside was something only white people did for fun.”