“There’re a few more to open up,” he says as he places a gift bag in front of Cadence.
Cadey Cat dives right into her present, throwing the tissue paper aside and pulling out a small blue and white jersey.
Mack helps Cadence lift the jersey up, turning it around to show the ninety-one and “DADDY” across the back of a Colorado Summit jersey. It’s fucking cute as hell, but Cadence obviously looks better wearing my Wolverines jersey.
“Oh, this is so cute! It’s actually perfect for what we got you,” Mack says, becoming bashful and hiding her face behind Cadence.
“And what’s that?” Griff asks.
Mack pulls out her phone. Once she’s swiped a few times, she turns her phone over for him to see.
I already know what she got him—two flights from Minneapolis to Denver for New Year’s Eve day, with the return flight returning a week later.
“Sunshine, are you messing with me right now?” he questions. Sunshine, the nickname he used to call her, and I ate that shit right up.
She shakes her head at him. “I thought since my season is over, and I’m on winter break from school, Cadence and I could come visit you for a week in Denver. I looked at your schedule, and your team has a stretch of home games, so I thought it’d be perfect timing for us to surprise you. Your dad even said he could make it out for a few days to meet Cadence.”
Griff goes silent and Mack’s eyes widen in fear. “Oh my gosh. This was so presumptuous of me. I was so caught up in surprising you, I didn’t stop to think if you’d even want us to come. Griff, I can get a refund on the tickets.”
“No,” he says firmly, shaking his head. “No, that’s not happening. I want you two to come. This means so much to me, Sunshine. I’ve never loved a surprise more than this one.”
She still looks apprehensive. “Are you sure?”
Griff scoops Mack and Cadence into an awkward sitting hug, placing a kiss on each of their cheeks. And that’s my cue to go fill up my spiked hot chocolate.
When I get back into the living room, Griff pulls out two envelopes from his sweatshirt pocket, handing one to Mack and the other to me.
“What’s this? You didn’t have to get us anything,” Mack starts, smiling in resignation.
“Should we open them together?” Mack and I ask in synchrony.
“Yeah,” he replies.
I’ve barely got mine open when I hear Mack squeal, “What? How? Are these for real?”
Looking down at my own gift, I freeze. “G, are you serious? How the hell did you score floor tickets to Taylor Swift’s sold-out Era’s Tour?”
He just smirks. “I know people who know people. So, do you like them?”
“Like them? What’s not to absolutely love? Tell me you got one for yourself too!” Mack squeals as she throws herself into his arms.
He nods his head to let her know he did. “I, uh, actually got four tickets. Figured Katie could be there in spirit.”
Mack pulls back, her eyes pooling with unshed tears. “She’s always with us, but I love that you got her a ticket, Griffin.”
“I’m going to have no voice for a month after this concert,” I say.
“I’m glad you love them, Sunshine. Does that date work for the two of you?” he asks.
I look down at the tickets. Fuck, how do I even tell him? “Uh, G, I don’t know how to tell you this, but your people messed up. These tickets say the concert is in July in Milan. As in Milan, Italy.”
“They didn’t mess up. We’re going to Italy for the concert,” he says so matter-of-factly my jaw nearly falls to the floor.
“Griff, we can’t just go to Italy. We have Cadence—” Mack starts.
Griff cuts her off. “I already asked your mom and Dakota if they could watch her while we’re there for the two weeks.”
“Two weeks? Griffin! That’s crazy. You’re insane. I haven’t been away from her for more than two nights at a time. There’s no way I’ll be comfortable leaving her for that long.”
