I pulled back, laughing. She let go of my ear. "I love when you get jealous. It's such a fucking turn on."

We got to my truck and I opened the door for her. She turned around to face me before getting in. "Seriously, how sore are you?" She pulled at my shirt until my chest touched hers.

I shook my head. "Not sore at all."

She wet her lips with fire in her eyes.

I drove home, completely distracted by her hand on my dick.

We were there no longer than a minute before our clothes were off and I was inside her. We had to go slow. I’d lied. I was still a little sore.

***

"Does Micky need me to bring anything tomorrow?"

"No." I spoke into my pillow. I was half asleep when I turned my head in her direction. "I don't even know what it is. I hope it's just the gang, you know?"

She moved in closer so we shared the pillow and her nose touched mine. "It's a good reason to celebrate, though. You being home and all."

I couldn't help the smile that formed. "Yeah? You know what else is a good reason to celebrate?"

"What?"

I put my arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "You."

"Me?"

"Yup. Just you. I love you, Amanda."

She kissed me softly. "I love you so much, Logan."

And just like when I dreamt it, her voice, her words replayed in my head, over and over until sleep consumed me.

***

"Wake up," she whispered against my lips. I opened my eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the morning light. She hovered above me on her hands and knees, her hair loose and curtaining her face.

I lifted my hand to move it so I could see her clearly. "Jesus Christ . . ."

"Why are you smiling like that?"

I hadn't realized I was. "I'm just happy."

"Why?"

"Because." I paused, searching for the right words. Moving her to the side of me, I kissed each of her wrists. "Because you're here. You're real. And you're mine."

She grinned from ear to ear. "I have a present for you."

"What?" I reared back.

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, not really a present. But . . ." She sat up and reached over to the nightstand and came back with a plate. Five cupcakes. Two with candles. "I missed out on your last birthday, and you didn't get cake the birthday before. So . . ." Her voice was strained as she lit the candles. "Happy birthday, baby. I love you."

I sat up, so we were face to face. I couldn't tear my eyes off her if I’d tried. I took my time, wanting to remember this moment. Savor it. Because ten, twenty, thirty years from now—when I told our kids the moment I knew my nightmares were over, and that my dreams had come true—I'd have every detail clear.

"Babe." She smiled softly. "The candles are going to burn out. You need to make a wish and blow them out."

I didn't need to wish for anything. I had everything I’d ever needed right in front of me. "I love you," I told her, before taking a deep breath and exhaling.

Licking the icing off one, I asked, "Why five cupcakes?"

"Oh." She shrugged. "Two are for me."

My eyebrows bunched. "And the other one?"

Her smile grew. "That's for this." And faster than I thought possible, she'd picked it up and smeared it all over my face. I froze. My body had not yet caught up with my mind. Her giggles got louder and louder.

"You are in so much trouble," I deadpanned, throwing the covers off me and lunging for her. Her high-pitched squeal filled the room, but it was cut off quickly enough when I pinned her body with mine against the floor.

She licked the icing off my face. "Mm," she hummed.

My nose scrunched. "That's kind of gross." I laughed. "I have another place you could lick it off." And like an asshole, I thrust my dick into her leg.

Her eyes widened. "That, Mr. Matthews, is an amazing idea."

And that's how we spent the next two hours. Licking icing off each other.

Best. Non. Birthday. Ever.

***

We were late showing up to Jake's. Who would have thought it would take so long to clean icing off naked bodies? Not that I was complaining. At all.

"So, you've missed out on Lucy versus Jess, Battle of the Brains." Cam laughed. They'd spent the last hour catching me up on shit that had happened the year I was away. It was just the gang, like I'd hoped. "So tell me about this so-called battle." I stretched my arms out and settled one behind Amanda's chair. Her lips turned up at the corners. She did this—noticed the little things I did that came naturally, and she took the time to appreciate them.

"She's a fucking whore," Lucy snapped.

We all laughed.

Cam began the story, "So, this girl is epic pissed at Luce because she's—without fail—top of the class—every time—which is right, because you know Luce, my girl’s wicked smart." He put on a Boston accent for the last two words, mimicking Good Will Hunting. "But this Jess girl—"

"Whore," Lucy cut in.

We laughed again.

"Anyway," Cam chuckled. "We were at this club a few months back—" "

Lucy intervened. "She's just a fucking whore, Logan. That's all you need to know. Whore. She's been boning the professor since freshman year. The dude's like fifty. It's fucking disgusting."

"Gross," Amanda said from next to me.

Cam laughed. "So Jess—"

"WHORE!" Lucy yelped.

Cam turned to her. "Baby, he gets it. She's a whore." Then he said to me, "So Jess—" He quickly moved to cover Lucy's mouth. "—is at this club, and she purposely spilt her drink all over Lucy. Of course, Lucy got pissed. Wait; she didn't just get pissed, or mad, she like, erupted."

Jake cut in, clicking his fingers in the air, and putting on a girl voice. "Twinkle twinkle little whore, close your legs they're not a door."

We all cracked up, including Lucy.

"She actually sang that one." Cam laughed again. He looked over at me. "She had her pinned against the wall, with her hands on her shoulders. Jess—"

"WHORE!"

Cam shook his head. "Whore's eyes were huge. She didn't think Lucy had it in her. Then Luce made some comment about Whore's breath smelling like wrinkly old-man ball sacs."

Amanda spat out her water, and then started choking on her laughter. I patted her back, but I couldn't hold it together, either.

Classic drunk Lucy was always the best.

"Wait," Micky shouted. "There was one more." She wiped at her eyes as she tried to level her breathing. "Oh, yeah! Did it hurt when you fell from the top of the slut tree and banged every gray-pubed geriatric dick on the way down?"

The roar of our laughter filled the yard.

Lucy just sat quietly with a smile on her face as she drank her beer. She saw me watching her and winked. Fuck, I’d missed her.

***