Page 63 of Reckoning

He grinned. “They’re putting your home back together, and anyone who’s taking care of my baby is okay with me. Now for your presents,” he said, and handed her a royal-blue gift bag with a gold bow dangling from the handles.

Briar was so excited she was shaking as she pulled a box from beneath a plethora of sparkling tissue paper. The Build-A-Bear box was a giveaway, but she would never have imagined the midnight-blue bear with tiny gold stars embedded in the fur. The bear’s arm was reaching up, and in its paw was one gold satin star, as if it had just plucked it from the heavens for her to make a wish on.

“It’s called a Star Wishes Bear…for you to make a wish on. Now open this present,” he said.

Briar tore into the wrapping and pulled out a framed certificate. “What is this?” she asked.

“It’s a map of the heavens, pinpointing the star I named for you. See there…that’s now the Briar star, with a certificate of authenticity to prove it.”

Briar’s eyes widened. “You named a real star after me?”

He nodded, then pointed to the little gold satin paw print on the little bear’s other paw.

“Press there,” he said.

Briar pressed the paw print and heard Tate’s deep voice from within the bear: “Love you forever.”

Briar was still clutching the bear when she threw her arms around Tate’s neck and kissed him.

“In all my life…best birthday ever,” she whispered as he held her close.

His words were both a vow and a promise. “Love you, Briar. So much it hurts.” Then he kissed the top of her head and tilted her chin up, until they were locked in each other’s gaze.

It was the sound of a truck coming up the driveway that broke the spell.

He pulled a little box of matches out of his pocket and lit the single candle.

“Better make that wish now, before the horde arrives.”

She was wiping away tears as she paused, then leaned over and blew out the candle. “You’ll need a knife to cut cake, and a dessert server too,” she said, and took them out of a nearby drawer.

“You choose the first piece,” he said, and watched her cut into the corner with all the roses and put it on her plate. Then she cut his piece from the next spot over and put it on his plate.

“Thanks for breakfast, and the best birthday ever,” she said, took a bite, and then rolled her eyes. “It’s as good as it is pretty.”

Tate tasted it and nodded. “It’s good cake, but you’re my kind of dessert.”

She heard the garage door going up and laughed. “Here they come. Don’t abandon me just yet.”

Tate pointed. “Want me to save your dad a piece?”

She shrugged. “Sure, I guess. But I told you he would forget.”

“I’ll drop it by his office on my way home,” he said.

“Then take two pieces. One for him. One for Rita.”

“Will do,” he said, and cut two pieces, put them on little plates with a fork beside them, and covered them with foil, then confiscated one of the gift bags he’d brought to carry them in.

At that moment, the roofers walked into the kitchen. “Morning, Briar. The shingles truck is on the way. Thought we’d get an early start before it got so hot.”

“You’re all just in time,” Tate said. “Today is Briar’s eighteenth birthday. I brought cake enough for her to share. And, she has big news. Briar, honey…tell them about your scholarship letter.”

“Tate and I both graduate early. We’ll be high school graduates by Christmas, and I just accepted a four-year, full-ride scholarship to Tulane, beginning this coming January semester.”

The men whooped. “Not a bit surprised… Smartest kid I ever worked with! Way to go, Briar!” The comments continued as Tate began cutting pieces of cake and plating them, while the workers continued to arrive and join in the celebration.

After the first round of cake was eaten, and the congratulations to Briar were over, the men went to work.