“And you love it,” he shoots back.
The car pulls into the driveway, and I steal a glance at Fox in the passenger seat.He’s scrolling through his phone, completely unaware of what’s waiting for him inside.He’s always hated big celebrations—something about the attention being too much for him—but tonight isn’t just about celebrating his 27th birthday.It’s about showing him how much he means to everyone around him.
As we step out of the car, I can feel the excitement bubbling in my chest.I hope he doesn’t notice how suspiciously quiet I’ve been all evening.
“Why are you smiling like that?”Fox asks, his blue eyes narrowing as he walks toward the door.
“What?Can’t a guy smile at his boyfriend on his birthday?”
He rolls his eyes and chuckles, shaking his head as he unlocks the door.“You’re acting weird, Cam.Did you get me something ridiculous like last year?God, if this is another—”
He doesn’t get to finish.
The second the door swings open, a chorus of voices explodes from the living room.
“Happy birthday!”
Fox freezes in the doorway, his wide eyes darting from the decorations to the crowd of smiling faces packed into our living room.Blaze, Landon, Leanne, Nat, even Cynthia and Mike—they’re all here, holding drinks and grinning like kids at Christmas.
Blaze, holding a beer, steps forward with his signature cocky grin.“Happy fucking birthday, bro.”
“What the hell is this?”Fox mutters, still rooted to the spot as Blaze pulls him into a bro hug.
“It’s called a party.You’ve heard of those, right?”Blaze teases, clapping him on the back.“You’re 27, man.It’s worth celebrating.”
Fox turns to me, his jaw slightly slack.“You planned this?”
I bite my lip and shrug, trying to look innocent.“It was Blaze’s idea.”
Blaze throws his hands up.“Hey, don’t pin this entirely on me.You signed off on it!”
Fox shakes his head, his lips twitching into a reluctant smile.“Unbelievable.You know I hate this kind of stuff.”
“Then pretend to love it,” I say, stepping closer to him.“Because these people showed up foryou.”
His smile softens as he looks at me, and for a moment, it’s just the two of us in the room.
“Alright,” he finally says, loud enough for everyone to hear.“Let’s fuck shit up!”
The room erupts in cheers, and the party officially kicks off.
The energy in the room is electric.Nat and Leanne take over the music, turning our living room into a makeshift dance floor.Blaze is already three beers in, challenging Mike to an arm-wrestling match on the coffee table, while Landon stands off to the side, shaking his head at his boyfriend’s antics.
I’m standing by the kitchen counter, watching it all unfold, when Fox sneaks up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“You’re enjoying this way too much,” he murmurs against my ear.
“I like seeing you happy,” I admit, leaning back into him.
“Well, mission accomplished.But just so you know, you’re not getting away with this.I’m going to plan the most embarrassing surprise foryournext birthday.”
I laugh, turning in his arms to face him.“I’d like to see you try.”
Before he can reply, Blaze’s voice booms across the room.
“Speech!The birthday boy owes us a speech!”
Fox groans, burying his face in my shoulder.
