“Darlin’, we’re the bosses. Our job was to work our asses off until we open. Then it’s the manager’s problem. We get to sit pretty and count our cash.”

“Until the next one,” she said.

“Until the next one,” I agreed.

“I was thinking… Long Island.”

“Teresa put you up to that, didn’t she?”

“Maybe,” Saff admitted with a smile as I tugged her bodice back into place. “But I still like the idea. Though, it might have to take a backseat for me to the book bar.”

“Book bar?”

“Yep. I’m opening a book bar.”

I had no idea what that was.

But I did know with Saff at the helm, it was sure to be a massive success.

Soren - 1 year

She thought I forgot her birthday.

She had way too much pride to say it, of course, but I kept catching her looking at me with scrunched brows as we made our way into our building.

Little did she know, I’d been planning this thing for weeks.

Fine, to be fair, Teresa had handled a lot of the specifics, but the idea itself was my idea. And the gift I’d been working on behind her back for months was all on me.

I said a silent prayer that when the doors slid open, everyone in the apartment was ready. And that Saff didn’t hear them before they could do the cheesy yell Surprise! thing.

“Soren, did you know that today—” she started.

My heart swelled a bit at that. The Saff she’d been just a year before would have seethed in silence, never would have brought it up, wouldn’t want anyone to know she could be hurt.

But over our time together, she’d learned that she didn’t need her walls, that she could trust me with her feelings, that we did well when we communicated what was going on inside us.

But before she could finish, the doors slid open, and everyone she knew and loved erupted in a cheer.

“Surprise!”

Old habits died hard.

And Saff’s hand went for the knife on her keychain before she realized it was her friends and family gathered around our apartment, there to celebrate the fact that she’d been born.

Saff’s eyes flooded as she turned to me.

“Happy birthday, darlin’,” I said, pulling her face against my chest because I knew she didn’t want everyone else to see the tears.

“I thought you forgot,” she said, voice muffled against my suit jacket.

“I know,” I said, my hand rubbing up and down her back. “Which made the surprise better. But I could never forget. I’m really happy you were born, Saff. That’s definitely worth celebrating.”

“I love you,” she murmured.

“I love you too.”

She gave me one hard hug before pulling away and walking into the apartment to greet her loved ones.