A Soldier's Life

Chapter 17 - Surprise!

(I know the ages of Robert and Chris' kids are wrong as this is technically set in whilst filming Civil War, but I thought it would add more to the story if there were other kids around.)

Scarlett's POV:

It was finally Saturday and that meant spending the day with Y/n and Ava to celebrate Ava's birthday. I was so excited to see her again, but I had so many nerves as well. Our coffee "date" had gone better than I could have expected, and we've been texting regularly since.

I spent the morning anxiously getting ready, changing my mind on what I wanted to wear at least 5 times. I was aware this was a birthday party for a 6-year-old, but I wanted to impress Y/n. I finally decide on a teal bikini, covered with a white and blue kaftan.

I sent some last-minute texts to make sure everything and everyone was sorted in time for 12:00. So far it had gone smoothly. Robert was sorting the cabana's out, Lizzie had picked up the cake from Sophie, Tom and Evans were in charge of toys and activities and I was making sure we had all the food, drink and decorations sorted.

Whilst in my own world of making sure I had everything and calming my nerves, I was interrupted by a knock at the door. I opened it to see a smiling Lizzie. "Good Morning Scar, looking hot!" She said eyeing me up and down, whilst making my cheeks flush. "Do you think it's ok? Not too over the top?" I asked, worried it was appropriate. "Scar, you look amazing, Y/n won't be able to keep her eyes off of you." Lizzie reassures.

Lizzie helped me to carry everything out to the car, where we were met by Lizzie's driver. He took our stuff and put it in the trunk of the car before opening the door for the two of us to get in. During the journey, I struggled to keep my nerves under wraps, my bouncing knee giving me away. I felt a hand place on leg, stopping it instantly.

"Why are you so nervous?" Lizzie asked me curiously. "Everything is going really well with Y/n at the moment and I just want today to be perfect for both of them. She deserves it." I explain with a smile creeping on to my face. "They both are going to love it. In the short time I've known Y/n I've learnt that small acts of kindness mean more to her than anything big, fancy and expensive. Ava is going to love it and that will be what makes Y/n happy." Lizzie responded, helping to ease my anxiety.

After our car journey, we arrived at the beach and we met up with Robert at the Cabanas to set everything up. Robert not only had his own cabana but had also managed to rent out the two either side, considering there was a large group of us. Each cabana has a covered section with comfy sofas and a table, and then a small decked area with sun loungers. Luckily, we had the cabanas at the edge of the hotel property, meaning that we had a bit more privacy from the other beach goers.

So, we could all eat lunch together, we had arranged for an additional gazebo and long table to be provided, along with a barbeque, to enable us to cook lunch. I had texted Y/n and learnt that Ava's favourite food was burgers which made the decision on what to do for lunch much easier. All food, except for the meat that we'll cook, was being provided by the hotel that the cabanas are linked with.

Robert wanted this to be fun for both the kids and adults so made sure we had plenty of coolers with beer and drinks. The three of us carried big bags of ice from the bar at the hotel to fill up the coolers and then placed them in the covered area on the cabana.

In a conversation I had had with Y/n at the café, she had mention that her favourite drink was cider, specifically Old Mout, but that she wasn't able to get any of the "good stuff" here in America. I had gone online and ordered a few crates to be shipped over as a surprise for her. Being hopeful that I'll get to see her more, I've kept a crate at my place so she can have one whenever she comes over.