“That’s sad.” He paused. “Gunner will be happier at home. Besides, I can focus on spending time with you and acting as your human shield.”
That coaxed a laugh from Bonnie. “You only think you’re joking…”
“We’ve got this. Together.”
The gentle way in which he said that last word had Bonnie’s heart stuttering. She glanced at him to find Jace smiling at her. He took her hand again and squeezed it gently.
Together. She liked the sound of that.
It didn’t take nearly long enough to drive to her parents’ home in Clearwater. When Jace followed the line of cars to the front of the house, they were met by a valet who offered to take the keys.
Jace handed them over. Moments later, he and Bonnie stood in front of the house. “So this is it?”
“Uh-huh. If we start running now, we could probably make it home again before breakfast.”
He laughed loudly at that and placed a hand against her back. “Come on, birthday girl.” In his other hand, he produced a brightly wrapped box. When she gave him a surprised look, he chuckled again. “You didn’t think I’d come to a birthday party unprepared, did you?”
Bonnie didn’t have long to wonder at his thoughtfulness because the moment they arrived at the door, Bonnie was swept into the middle of the crowd. Out of nowhere, Mom was there whispering fiercely into Bonnie’s ear. “You’re late.”
“I’m not late. You said the party was at three. I’m ten minutes early.”
Mom squeezed Bonnie’s upper arm harder than necessary. “You know I like the guest of honor to be here at least a half hour before the event begins. It’s polite for you to greet the guests as they arrive.” The last two words were cut short as she smiled and immediately started to whisk Bonnie around the room as though she were showing off her most recent art procurement.
Bonnie glanced behind her to catch a glimpse of Jace. He gave her a sympathetic look as Wyatt walked up to greet him.
At least she didn’t have to worry as much about Jace since he had an ally in his corner now.
Bonnie quickly lost count of how many people she’d hugged, greeted, and smiled at. Truth be told, she only recognized half of them. It wasn’t until Gran linked arms with her that Bonnie was no longer dragged around the room.
“I want to visit with my granddaughter. Come sit down with me, Bonnie.”
Bonnie was more than happy to oblige. She sank into the sofa next to Gran. “Thanks.” She lowered her voice. “I owe you one.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Gran patted her on the knee with a sparkle in her eye. “By the way, I have every intention of taking you out for a birthday dinner during your next available evening.”
Bonnie grinned at her. “I’d like that.”
“Good.” Gran gave a single nod indicating that the matter was settled. “Now where is that handsome young man of yours? It’s so nice of him to escort you to the party.” She craned her neck until she spotted Jace and Wyatt across the room. “He’s one of the good ones. I can tell, you know.”
“Yeah, I know.” Bonnie smiled and then had to cover a cringe when Mom walked between them and Jace. Bonnie truly doubted Mom would agree with them, though. Then again, he was rich. That was probably the biggest thing on Mom’s list of what it took to be worthy of her daughter.
Bonnie was able to visit with Gran and a couple other family members for several minutes before Mom took control of the party and ushered everyone into the large, fancy dining room that was only used for entertaining guests.
To her relief, Jace appeared to her left and Wyatt to her right followed by Chrissy. They sat down together before Mom could direct their seating arrangements. The men were almost like guards on either side, and Bonnie was grateful for it.
Once everyone had been seated, Bonnie’s parents stood at the head of the table. Dad cleared his throat. “Thank you all for coming to help us celebrate Bonnie’s birthday today.”
Mom nodded, a wide smile on her face that Bonnie had long ago dubbed Mom’s public smile. “We hope you enjoy lunch today. We have a variety of sushi available in Bonnie’s honor. For those of you who require dietary alternatives, please speak with one of the servers who will be happy to help you with that.”
Bonnie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. In her honor? Right. Mom knew she hated sushi. Bonnie would love to speak with one of the servers about an alternative, but that wouldn’t go over well at all. See, this is when they needed a family dog—preferably one that liked to eat sushi that just happened to disappear under the dinner table…
Jace’s arm rested against the back of her chair and his hand on her shoulder. He leaned in close and whispered, “We’ll swing by and grab a burger on the way back to the ranch.”
Bonnie hid her smile behind her hand and gave what she hoped was a discreet nod. “Bless you.”
She managed to choke down some sushi thanks to two glasses of water and a great deal of hope that there would be some form of chocolate for dessert.
The actual food aside, Bonnie enjoyed visiting with Jace, Wyatt, Chrissy, and some of the other people around her. When everyone had finished eating, they were all escorted back to the sitting room where gifts were waiting on a nearby table.
