CHAPTER 27
“Why do you have to do this so early?” Izzy complained as she yawned and laid her head on the countertop.
“You two were the ones that wanted to be here. You can go back to bed if you want.”
Izzy mumbled something incoherent as Ryder yawned and rubbed his eyes.
The two were seated at the butcher block island in the kitchen that he’d just finished building. The four of them, well five if they counted Lucy, had moved into the house four weeks after the opening night of the play and had lived there for two months. It had been the best three months of his life. Brynn, in true Brynn fashion, had surprised him by agreeing to move in together right away. After living in the same house her entire life, she said the idea of living in different houses and renovating them was exciting. And both Ryder and Izzy were down with the plan as well.
She said she was ready for a fresh start, new beginnings, although she did seem bummed to leave her deck. Axel promised to build one with her in whatever home she deemed their forever home.
“How much longer is this going to take?”
“It’s French toast. You can’t rush French toast.”
Axel was preparing Brynn’s favorite, French toast, eggs, hash browns, and freshly squeezed orange juice. He hadn’t slept a wink the night before because he hadn’t wanted to set an alarm because he knew that it would wake her up. And he’d had to quietly smuggle Lucy out of the room when he left at four a.m. because he knew if she smelled food she’d scratch to get out and wake Brynn up. Then he’d had to wake up two teenagers, which should’ve been easy since it was something that they’d both made him promise that he’d do. As he was beginning to learn though, with two teenagers in the house, nothing went as expected. And he loved it.
He loved every slammed door, every rolled eye, and every glare that he received from Izzy on a daily basis. Ryder was much more chill than Iz, but he did have his moods. He hated cleaning the bathroom, which was his chore every other week. Brynn had asked Axel to be in charge of making sure the kids did their chores and did them right. It didn’t make him the most popular person in the house, but he loved doing it. Because he loved his family. They may not be the most traditional bunch, but they were a family.
As he plated the hash browns, he heard snoring and turned around expecting to see one of the kids drooling on the island. They were both awake. He looked down and saw that Lucy had fallen asleep sitting up, her little body leaning against the cabinet and her tongue hanging out, sawing logs.
“See?” Izzy threw her arms up. “It’s too early even for Lucy.”
They all chuckled, but Axel shushed them, scared that Brynn would wake up and come out to see what the noise was. This had to be perfect, he didn’t want anything to ruin it.
They both rolled their eyes at him this time…and he smiled to himself.
Several minutes later, after triple-checking the tray to make sure everything was in place, he lit the candles and carefully picked it up. He took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s go.”
Ryder picked Lucy up and carried her, since it really was too early for the princess.
As the four of them walked toward the bedroom, Izzy excitedly whispered, “Are you nervous?”
“No.” At least not about what she was asking about. He just wanted everything to be perfect. Something he’d never thought was possible until he met Brynn.
He turned the knob and as the door opened, they all started singing, “Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday,” he went with beautiful, Ryder sang mom, and Izzy sang Brynn, and they all finished strong with, “Happy birthday to youuuuuuu!”
“Oh my gosh! Thank you guys!” She was blinking as she sat up, smiling from ear to ear. “What time is it?”
“Four forty-seven,” Izzy quickly responded.
Brynn’s jaw dropped, as she rubbed her eyes. “I can’t believe you guys are all up and you made me breakfast in bed.”
“Axel made the breakfast.” Ryder gave credit where credit was due.
“But we are all up.” Izzy did as well.
Axel smiled as he placed the tray so the legs set on each side of Brynn’s legs. “Make a wish.”
She started tearing up, and shook her head back and forth as she looked at all of them, overwhelmed with emotion. “All of my wishes have already come true.”
This time, Brynn did exactly what he’d expected her to, and he was prepared. “Okay, well then do you mind if I borrow it?”
She wiped one of the tears that had fallen down her cheek and laughed, “You want to borrow my birthday wish? I’m not sure it works like that.”
“Let him have the wish, Mom,” Ryder prompted from beside him, still holding Lucy in his arms so she didn’t try and eat the food on the tray.
Not exactly subtle, but Axel was so happy he didn’t care.
Brynn’s eyes bounced between all three of them before she hesitantly agreed, “Oookay.”
He bent down and blew out the candle, and she gave him a questioning look.
“Want to know what I wished for?” he asked.
She stared at him like she was trying to solve a puzzle. “You can’t tell me, it won’t come true.”
Other than Ryder going slightly off book, this was going exactly as Axel had rehearsed it in his mind. “Yes, it will. Because this was a borrowed wish, and borrowed wishes can only come true if you say out loud what you wished for.”
He got down on one knee and her bottom lip started quivering as her hand flew over her mouth.
“My wish is that you, Brynn Daniels will marry me.” He took the ring his father had given his mother out of his pocket. “I know we haven’t known each other that long. It’s only been a few months. So you probably think I’m crazy. You don’t have to say that you’ll marry me, but you do have to accept this ring. It’s my birthday gift to you. This ring is a promise that I will always be here for you. It’s a symbol to remind you every day that whether it’s breakfast in bed, or dancing to ‘Runaround Sue’, or building a deck with you in our forever home, I want to make all your dreams come true. Forever.
“You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever known. Besides being ridiculously hot, you are kind, and generous. You’re funny and brilliant. Everyone who meets you falls in love with you. I know I did, from the moment you opened the door and Lucy—”
Brynn reached out and covered his mouth with her hand as her eyes grew wide. She obviously didn’t want the kids to know about their first meeting.
“And Lucy what?” Ryder and Izzy both asked.
“Nothing.” She gave him a look that said she meant business and she wouldn’t think it was funny if he spilled the beans about her wardrobe malfunction, which he had no plans on doing. It was just cute to see the fire in her eyes.
He smiled against her palm and she lowered her hand.
“From the first day we met with kit and caboodles and dropped keys.” He wagged his brows and her head fell back as she laughed. “I knew then that you were special. You had an energy, an authenticity, a genuine quality that drew me to you like a magnet. I tried my best to fight it, but I couldn’t help myself. I fell madly, completely, and totally in love with you. And I’m the luckiest man in the world that you love me back. So, I’m going to ask a question, but the ring is yours no matter what.”
“Okay.” She chuckled as tears fell down her cheeks.
“Brynn Daniels, you’ve already made me the luckiest, happiest man in the world, so I know it’s greedy to ask for more, but I’m gonna do it anyway. Will you marry me?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” she cried as she reached for him but the tray was in the way.
Izzy and Ryder reached down to move it and in doing so, Lucy was able to wiggle out of Ryder’s arms and she knocked the tray out of their hands. The breakfast went flying in the air before landing on the floor. Which worked out great for Lucy who jumped off the bed and started gobbling it up.
Axel started to clean it up since the kids were doubled over laughing however Brynn pulled him into her arms. “I’m sorry. I wanted this to be perfect,” he said against her neck as he held her tight.
She leaned back and cupped his face, smiling from ear to ear. “It is perfect.”
And like always, she was right. It was perfect.
The End