Fingertips toying with my panty line woke me.

“Happy birthday,” Eli whispered, his hot breath tickling my ear.

“Mmmm…thank you,” I muttered. My mind was still asleep, but my body was awake.

“Are you ready for your day of fun?” Eli asked as his tongue snaked out to skim along my ear.

“I guess.” I still wanted to lie around in my PJs all day. Or better yet, allow Eli to spend the day worshiping my naked body.

“You’ll enjoy every second. Trust me.” I could hear the smile in his words.

A knock sounded at the front door, causing Eli to jerk his hand away from my most sensitive area.

“Damn. She wasn’t supposed to be here for a while,” he grumbled as he slipped out of bed and pulled on some clothes.

“Who wasn’t supposed to be here for a while?” I asked.

“Your mom.”

“What she’s doing here? She didn’t say anything yesterday about coming by.”

“Which I find as odd as you do. She blabbed about my surprise but didn’t mention hers. Imagine that,” Eli grumbled. He wasn’t angry, per se, but I sensed his annoyance.

“Great. You know how much I hate surprises. Why don’t you just go ahead and tell me what she has planned?” I slipped out of bed.

“I’m not the type to ruin surprises.” He flashed me an adorable grin before leaving the room.

I pulled on my pajama pants and listened as the front door opened. My mom’s excited voice carried down the hall.

“Hey. Is Mina awake yet? Am I too early?”

“I’m awake,” I said as I made my way down the hall and into the living room. “What’s up?”

“Happy birthday, sweet girl!” she shouted as she rushed toward me and pulled me in for a hug.

Sweet girl. I secretly loved it when she called me that. It took me back to my childhood.

“What’s with the backpack?” Goose bumps prickled across my skin because I thought I knew.

“Put on some good shoes. Whiteside Mountain is waiting.” Mom winked.

My thoughts scattered. I was too excited to think. Hiking Whiteside Mountain had been a birthday tradition between my mom and me. One we’d spent years unable to do because of some filthy vampires.

“Are you serious?” I asked.

If I were being honest, a part of me thought she wouldn’t remember, considering how much time had passed since our last birthday together.

“Of course.” She placed a kiss on my forehead. “It used to be our thing. Are you not into hiking anymore?” Her eyebrows furrowed.

“Oh, she’s into it,” Eli insisted. He stepped to Moonshine’s crate and let her out. “Trust me.”

“I didn’t think you’d want to go,” I said.

“Hello, I was trapped inside a room held underground for six years. Of course I want to get outdoors and hike a mountain today. Anything outdoors is my jam right now.” Her face became more animated, bringing a smile to my own.

“Okay, then. Let’s go.”

Mom chuckled. “Grab your sneakers.”

I headed to the bedroom to change into appropriate hiking clothes and grab my sneakers. Afterward, I pulled my hair high on top of my head.

Eli and Mom were talking in low whispers when I entered the living room again.

“Stop that,” I demanded. “No more birthday planning. Whatever’s already been discussed is fine. I promise you,” I said as I made my way to the kitchen to fill up a water bottle for myself.

“Don’t worry about grabbing food,” Mom said. “I packed enough for us both. You okay with having a picnic up there with me?”

“Yeah, sure. Sounds great.” My eyes drifted to Eli. Was he not coming?

Eli stepped to where I was. His hands found their way to my hips as he pulled me close.

“I’ll be here when you get back. Have fun with your mom,” he insisted before placing a soft kiss to my lips.

“I will.”

“Happy birthday,” Eli whispered before he let me go.

I flashed him a smile and then headed to the front door. This was going to be the best birthday ever because I had my mom back, and we were keeping our Whiteside Mountain tradition.

* * *

“I hope you don’t mind I dragged you out here today. I just remember how much you used to enjoy it. Figured we could recreate some old memories,” Mom said as she pulled a sandwich from her backpack.

We were sitting on the same rock we used to at the highest point of the hike. It overlooked the valley. While it wasn’t flat, it had grooves cut out that were the right size for my butt.

“Remember the first time we came up here?” Mom asked. She laid the rest of the food she’d brought out between us on the rock. “Your dad and Gracie came too.”

“Yeah, I remember. They complained the entire time,” I said before taking a bite of my sandwich. Peanut butter and honey. My favorite.

She laughed. “They did. I almost couldn’t wait for the hike to be over with so I wouldn’t have to hear either of them complain anymore.”

“Me too. Gracie was about in tears by the time we made it to this point. Remember?” I asked. “She dragged her feet the entire time, and complained her legs felt like they were going to fall off once we got back to the car.”

“Oh, I remember. We had to take a break up here for the longest time, but it was during that break I fell in love with this place.” Her gaze drifted to take in the scenery. “I sat right here and tried to calm myself down. I was so angry with both of them for ruining our hike. When you climbed up here with me and curled into my side, I knew the two of us would be back without them. You always loved the outdoors as much as I did.”

The memory washed over me. The two of us had sat on this rock listening to Dad and Gracie bond in their complaining while we bonded in gazing at the beautiful sight before us.

“It was so peaceful here. One of those moments I wanted to bottle and keep forever,” Mom whispered. “And then we started down the mountain again. Your dad and Gracie complained less because they knew the hike was almost over, but it still sucked to be in their presence.”

“It did,” I said with a nod as I took another bite of my sandwich. “Gracie started running ahead of us on the trail she was so excited we were almost to the car.”

“Yup. She fell and I freaked out she’d really hurt herself.”

“Oh yeah! I forgot about that,” I said. “She was jumping on the rocks alongside the trail, posing like she was a statue. I remember her slipping off one. She busted her knees.”

Mom nodded. “I nearly had a heart attack. I thought I saw her face bounce off the ground. I could’ve sworn she hit her head on the rock in front of her and when she came up I’d see blood. Thank goodness that wasn’t the case.”

“She was lucky.”

“She was.” Mom took a sip of her water. “One of her knees swelled and was black and blue for a few days. It could’ve been so much worse, though.”

“Remember how much she milked that hurt knee afterward?” I asked with a grin.

Mom rolled her eyes. “Oh my God, yes! She went to Callie’s and borrowed her dad’s crutches. They were way too big for her. I thought for sure she’d break her leg by being silly with them. God, she used them for nearly two weeks.”

I rolled my eyes. “She’s always been such a drama queen.”

“That she has.” Mom glanced at me. “The two of you have always been like night and day.”

“I know. We still are.”

“I’ve noticed.” She took a bite of her sandwich, but her eyes never wavered from me. “You really turned into a beautiful, strong, independent woman, Mina. I’m so proud of you.”

Warmth flowed through my chest. “Thanks.”

“I mean it. I’m so proud of you and who you’ve become.” She placed a hand on my knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to help guide you. It looks like you did a great job on your own, though. I love you, sweetie. Happy birthday.”

“I love you too.”

“I have something I want to give you. It’s not much, just something I want you to have.” She unzipped the front pocket of her backpack and pulled out something wrapped in white tissue paper.

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” I said as I took it from her. “Coming here with you was enough.”

“I wanted to,” she said. “This isn’t everything either. Me, Gran, Gracie, and your dad all pitched in on something else. You’ll get it later at Eli’s–um, at home.” She winked.

“At Eli’s party, you mean?” I teased.

“Yes, at Eli’s party.” She exhaled a breath. “Sorry for spoiling that for you. I couldn’t contain myself. You have no idea how many times I dreamed of being able to spend birthdays with you girls again.”

“It’s okay. I get it.”

I reached out and pulled her into a hug. When we parted, she nodded to the gift in my hand.

“Open it.”

It didn’t weigh much and fit in the palm of my hand. I had no clue what it might be.

A large grin stretched across my mother’s face while I tore at the tissue paper. Whatever was inside, she was pleased to be giving it to me. I peeled back the tissue paper, revealing a silver ring with a black stone.

“It’s beautiful,” I said. “I think I remember seeing you wear this.”

“I’m sure. I used to wear it all the time. It was a gift from my mom. Something she gave to me about a month before my parents’ car accident.”

“Oh. Wow.” I didn’t know what to say. She barely talked about her parents. I’d always imagined it was too hard for her. All I knew about them was they’d been in a bad car accident that took their lives when she was a teenager. “Thank you. I know how much this ring means to you. I promise to take care of it.”

“I know you will,” she said as she pulled me in for another hug. “It’s been passed down from generation to generation. It was my mother’s great-grandmother’s. Just be sure to pass it on to one of your daughters one day. If you decide to have kids that is. I know that’s probably the last thing on your mind right now.”

“Uh, yeah. Kids are definitely not on my mind yet, but I promise to pass the ring on when the time comes.”

“Happy birthday, honey.”

“Thank you.”

“All right, let’s finish our lunch and head back down. I don’t want to keep you too long. So many festivities are waiting for you today.” Her eyes sparkled when she spoke.

“Ha ha,” I said sarcastically as I slipped the ring on my middle finger and stared at it before taking another bite of my sandwich.

Best birthday present ever.