It's been a year since Elle's accidental meeting with James and the 3 short weeks that followed in which she discovered what love really looks like.
And it happens to take the form of handsome cowboy, James Bridgewater. Her soulmate, twin flame, ot...
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June 3, 2023
I wake up bright and early, before James, to make him breakfast in bed. I quickly whip up his favorite, blueberry pancakes and an assortment of sides including eggs, bacon, sausage, and oatmeal. I plate everything with a glass of orange juice and rush upstairs, careful not to drop the food or be too loud.
I set the food on the dresser and walk over to James. "Morning, birthday boy," I kiss his cheek. His eyes flutter open, sparkles visible through the long lashes, and smiles.
"Morning, baby," he yawns, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the bed. I land in the crease of his arm, snuggling in. I smile up at him as he comes out of the morning fog. "What's that smell?" He sniffs the air.
"Breakfast," I answer sweetly. He looks at the food on the dresser before turning to grin down at me, leaning in for a kiss. At first it's innocent, but before long we get caught in the moment and it turns slow and deep.
I pull away reluctantly, causing him to groan a complaint, but he perks right back up when I bring over our breakfast.
"Blueberry, my favorite," he observes, his voice airy.
"Mhmm," I nod as we dig into our food. "Do you have to do ranch stuff today?"
"A few things. It won't take all day though. A few hours tops." I frown, his brows creasing as he watches my disappointment. He brushes my hair out of my face, "I'm sorry," his voice saddened.
I perk right back up, not wanting to make him sad on his birthday. "It's fine," I shake my head slowly, clearing my thoughts. "But you have to text and update me every 5 minutes," I blink innocently up at him through my lashes.
"I can do that," he smiles as he finishes off his last slice of bacon. "Thank you," he pushes our plates aside and pulls me into his lap.
"Happy birthday, James," I whisper leaning in to kiss him.
"I better go do dishes," James starts to push me away and stand up.
"Nuh huh. Not so fast," I grab his hand and pull him back. "I'll do the dishes. You go to work and hurry to get back to me."
He shakes his head, leaning down to kiss me. "How did I ever get so lucky?" I just shrug and grin, kissing him one last time before heading downstairs.
In the middle of washing dishes, James comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. "I'll be back soon," he kisses my head.
"Don't forget! Every 5 minutes," I remind him.
Chuckling he responds, "on the dot," closing the door behind him.
I wait until I hear the sound of the car pulling out of the drive to rush upstairs and get dressed. Lola and I are meeting up to get decorations and throw him a surprise party for when he gets back. Little does he know that my mock disappointment was a complete ploy to throw him off any scent of my actual plans today.
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"Fuck," I yell as I fall off of the chair.
"Elle! Are you okay?" Lola runs into the living room.
I swat her away when she tries to help me up. "Yeah I'm fine. Just lost balance." When I'm finally back up on my feet, I spin around and look at the decorated house.
Blue streamers are hanging from each doorway, giant balloons saying '26' are floating by the stairs, and letters spelling out 'Happy Birthday' are hanging above the tv. We decided to keep it low key on decor since it is a 26 year old man's party, but I wanted a little something.
"Did you finish the cake," I ask as we head into the dining room, more streamers hanging everywhere.
"Of course," she squeals cheerily.
"Oh my god," I gasp. "That looks phenomenal!" I pull Lola into a hug.
"I know. I am pretty great," she sighs, as if it's a common fact. I narrow my eyes at her and she breaks into laughter. A smile pulls on my lips as I turn back to the cake.
It's a simple vanilla sheet cake with vanilla frosting and little blue swirls along the base of it. On the top of it, in the same color of blue as everything else, 'Happy 26th Birthday, James!' is spelled out.
The door opens and closes with a slam. I start to panic, thinking James is home but calm down almost instantly. For one, he never slams the door. And for two, my phone buzzes with a text from James telling me that he will be home in about 10 minutes.
"Where do you need us," Preston and Julian ask as soon as they spot us.
"Did you put the cars in the backyard?"
"Yes," the both answer.
"Great. Now if you could go set up a movie, that would be great." Preston gives a salute and James nods his head as they spin on their heels and get to work.
"Need more help," Seth asks as he walks in from the kitchen, holding Sierra.
"Nope, just occupy this cutie," I coo as I pinch her cheeks.
The front door opens with our last two guests, Darby and Lucas. "We have the food," Darby informs everyone. Lola and I rush over to help take the platters of food they brought.
After one more look around we settle down on the couch and James texts me with a 5 minute warning.
"So why aren't we having beers at the bar?" Preston pipes up.
"James wanted to chill at home," Julian shrugs. "He said beer at home for his birthday."
"Good thing I showed up. Now we have a movie, cake, and lunch too." Everyone mutters their agreements as James texts me, letting me know he just pulled into the drive.
"Places everyone," I whirl my finger in the air and run to shut the light off as everyone shuffles off to their hiding places.
