Seven years later…

Another day at the juice bar, another dollar. “I don’t know, Josie. If we want, we probably could open up another shop. It’s getting crazy over at the other two,” I tell her. “Yeah, people pay like ten bucks for a serving of juice. It’s kind of crazy.” Things have been booming at the new shops. I can’t even begin to describe the feeling of elation that brings us.

“You’re killing it,” she says. “Well, I have to run. Drew is almost home. I miss you and little Garrett so much. Oh, and I miss James. Duh.”

“I’m about to walk in too. They all miss you. You should come back and visit sometime soon. We’ve got another room. You could crash for the week if you wanted to,” I tell her. Josie moved away years ago, practically right after school ended. She went up to Portland and is loving it.

“You know I’ll be back soon. I love coming back and visiting everything. I miss it,” she says.

“Love you, babe,” I say.

“Love you.”

I struggle to find the keys in my purse for a second, but I manage to grab onto the right one and unlock the door. I hum a tune to myself, expecting the whole house to be open. Today is my birthday, but James is working and our son doesn’t come home for another hour.

I click up the light switch. It doesn’t go on. “Dammit,” I mutter to myself. I walk over to the blinds and just as I undo them, I hear a sharp rustling noise. “What the…”

I turn around and—“SURPRISE!” A whole kitchen full of people jumps out at me.

“James!” I scream. He’s laughing hysterically, while clapping his hands. Our son runs out and grabs me, hugging me. “Happy birthday, Mommy!” he says, proud.

“You scared me!” I playfully assert. “Thank you so much, baby.”

“I’m know you said no surprise party, but… I just had to. You know me,” James says. He’s holding a big chocolate cake in his hands and in the center is “30” lit up in flames.

“You’re right. I do know you.” I wink and blow out the single candle. “Thank you everyone. I wasn’t expecting this at all. I’m thoroughly surprised.”

“What did you wish for?” James asks.

“I can’t reveal that! It won’t come true,” I say.

Jenna comes out from the crowd, bearing a big gift. “Open this later,” she whispers. “It may or may not be a bunch of alcohol and marijuana.”

“Jenna, I love you,” I say. She giggles away.

Finally, James comes toward me. The old cabin is covered with silly string and balloons. Outside, the woods are bare, but starting to sprout leaves again. “Thank you,” I whisper.

“I missed you all day, every hour,” he says, kissing me.

“You always say that,” I tell him.

“That’s because it’s true,” he says.

“I feel all old now,” I tell him. “Surprise parties are for old people.

“You just turned thirty. You’re in your prime, baby. And I’m just so proud of you. Your business, how you handle Garrett, and then you come home and have to handle me. You’re amazing. You’re a dream,” he says.

I start to tear up because James is the absolute dream man. After we got married, I thought, “This is it. This is when he changes.” But he never did. Not once. After I got pregnant, I thought, “Okay. It’s been amazing so far, but something has to give eventually. We’re going to be stressed beyond belief now.” Yet, he became an even better man once Garrett was born. None of it makes sense. I managed to pick the right choice.

My parents come out from the back and raise a glass to me. “My baby girl,” my mom says, tearing up. “You’re such a woman.” My dad puts his arm around James and they shoot the shit for a couple of minutes.

“I never thought I’d be here,” I say aloud.

“What do you mean?” James asks. He takes a big drink of beer and sighs from the carbonation.

“I just mean… back when we first met. I never thought my parents would be cool with this. I never thought we’d actually get married. Garrett. All of this. It’s just so crazy to think back on,” I say.

“That’s life,” my dad says. Thanks for the lesson, Dad.

James’s eyebrows crease downward. “Wait a minute. Back up here. You never thought you’d actually get married to me? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t start. I did marry you and have your child, so there’s that.” I roll my eyes and grab the beer from his hand. He playfully tries to grab it back and purposefully comes back empty handed. “You butthead,” I say, snickering at him.

“Alright, I’m getting some of that cake if you’re not,” my dad says.

“Bring it over!” I call out to him.

He grabs the cake and slowly brings it over on its platter. Setting it down on the table, he hands me the knife. “Want to do the honors?” he asks me.

“You know it,” I say.

The knife goes into the soft, fluffy goodness, sliding back out effortlessly. James gives me a plate. I dig into the cake and take a huge bite. “God, that’s some good cake,” I say.

“Hey, I have an idea,” James says. “Let’s take a mental picture of this moment. I want to remember this forever. These are the times that are most meaningful, right?”

“Yes, they are,” I whisper back.

We both close our eyes for a second, opening them when the memory is burned in enough. James grabs his beer and lifts it into the air. “I want to make a toast!” he yells. Everyone quiets down.

“To my beautiful angel of a wife, Olivia,” he says. Here, here! “And to family!”

Oh no. Not that family thing again…