What is it about boys and football?

Luke has laughed more than I’ve ever seen him, and I’ve fallen even more in love with him while watching him with my family. He’s been attentive to me, refilling my drink, holding my hand and keeping tabs on where I am all evening.

I suspect I would have felt smothered by anyone else, but he makes me feel loved.

Because he loves me.

Baby Sophie has been passed around all evening, and is currently lying quietly in Lucy’s arms. Lucy is cooing at her.

“Aren’t grandkids the best?” Gail smiles

softly

at

her

beautiful

granddaughter.

“We don’t have any yet, but I can’t wait.” Lucy grins at Gail and then over at Luke and he squirms in his seat.

I can’t help but laugh out loud at him.

“Do you find me funny, baby?” Luke narrows his eyes at me but I see the humor in them.

“Yes, that was funny.”

“Okay, cake time!” Jules comes out of the house carrying a beautiful chocolate cake with twenty six candles lit on it.

“You’re going to burn the house down with that, Jules.”

She smirks and sets it in front of me.

“Make a wish,” Luke whispers in my ear.

I blow all the candles out in one breath.

Gail cuts the cake and passes it around. It smells heavenly. Gail makes the most delicious cakes.

“Thank you for making my favorite cake, Gail.” I lean over and kiss her cheek.

“You’re welcome, darling. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Okay, now presents!” Jules hops up and I frown.

“No presents. How many times do I have to tell you people, no presents!”

Everyone just laughs at me.

“We don’t listen to you, brat.” Isaac smirks at me and I glare at him.

“I don’t like you.”

“You love me.”

“You guys do too much for me already.” I glance at Luke nervously.

“It embarrasses me when you buy me stuff.”

“It’s not your birthday unless you have presents.” Jules sets a beautiful red gift bag in front of me. “Open mine first.”

She’s hopping in her seat in excitement and my mood lifts.

She’s bought me my favorite perfume and a beautiful silver bracelet. “Oh, thank you! I love it!”

“Can I borrow it?” We all laugh and I’m relaxed again, enjoying my family.

As usual, they’ve gone a bit overboard. The brothers all pitched in on a gift card.

“More shopping!” Jules and I exclaim in unison and we break out into giggles.

Luke laughs next to me and kisses my temple and I smile shyly at him.

Lucy and Neil give me a very generous gift card to use at the Microsoft store in Bellevue. Wow.

“Thank you so much.”

“Our pleasure, dear.” Lucy smiles and kisses Sophie’s sweet head.

“Ours next.” Gail hands me a purple gift bag with purple paper.

“This party is more than enough!”

“You will not sass us,” Steven shakes his finger at me and tries to look stern, but I’ve heard this before and I giggle.

“I will take you over my knee.”

“Yes, sir.” I open the bag to find a pair of earrings that I recognize and I gasp, searching their faces.

They are both smiling tenderly at me.

“These are yours.” I look back down at the beautiful diamond drop earrings and run my finger over them. They’ve been recently cleaned and sparkle in the soft evening light.

“We want you to have them,” Gail has tears in her eyes and I’m about to join her.

“They were your mother’s. They should go to Jules.” My voice is thick with tears.

“I have plenty of jewelry. They should be yours. Nana loved you.”

Jules is running her hand down my hair and I just know that if I move I will cry.

I’m so overwhelmed by the love this family has for me.

I shake my head, but scoot my chair back and round the table to hug Gail and Steven tightly. Gail dabs at her eyes and Steven cups my face in his hands and grins at me.

“We love you, baby girl.”

“I love you too. Thank you.”

I take my seat and look up into Luke’s beautiful face. He smiles and kisses my fingers.

“Last but not least.” Luke sets a manila envelope before me.

“No, honey, you’ve done way too much already.” I shake my head and scoot it back across the table toward him.

“Open it,” he says, exasperated and pushes it back toward me.

“Just open it already!” Will yells from across the table and I glare at him.

“I can’t take the damn suspense!”

We all laugh and I open the envelope.

I pull out two passports and an itinerary. I read the itinerary and feel the blood leave my face and my jaw drop.

“We’re going to Tahiti?!”

The table erupts with whoops and whistles and shouts of joy. The brothers applaud, giving Luke a standing ovation and he laughs.

“Yes, tomorrow, for a week.”

“But, we have work.”

“My current project just wrapped, and I’m hoping you’ll reschedule your appointments.” He’s gazing down at me with love shining from his blue eyes.

“Wow. Tahiti?”

He laughs and kisses me, square on the mouth, in front of my whole family.