𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒

33. 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝘀𝗻𝗮𝗽𝘀

𝕵ane's birthday party was today, within the hour, but no one was as anxious as Carlos. When Rilynn woke up early this morning, she was immediately bombarded with multiple messages from Carlos, making sure she and Jay were on time with the cake.

"Carlos, relax," Rilynn assured while getting dressed. Per Carlos's request, Jay was getting ready after Rilynn woke him up. "We'll be on time, and the cake will be there just like you asked. I promise."

"I'm sorry. I'm just really stressed," Rilynn could tell. "This is my first birthday as a couple, and I want it to be one of the best. I just don't wanna disappoint Jane."

Rilynn slipped on a pair of white shoes after picking out her dress, grabbed her phone, and walked toward her vanity. She put on flower earrings, the necklace Jay got her, and a gold bracelet from her mom.

"You're overthinking things," Rilynn walks out of the room and to the kitchen. She was going to grab the cake but remembered it was too heavy for her to lift. "Take a deep breath. We'll see you when we get to Evie's, but in the meantime, relax. Jane's gonna love the effort you made for her birthday. Okay? Okay, bye!"

"Wait, what about--"

She hung up before he could ask another question. Rilynn loves Carlos, but he's been a handful leading up to Jane's birthday. She tried to empathize with the stress of celebrating a loved one's birthday--Rilynn went through that for Jay's birthday, but that's beside the point. That only happened the first year; after that, Rilynn was as cool as a cucumber.

Rilynn blew a sigh.

"He's still freaked, huh?"

Jay walked into the kitchen, fresh out of the shower and in his clothes for the party. Rilynn smiled as he reached her; the princess instantly melted into Jay's arms, snuggling in his chest.

"Just a little bit."

"Just a little bit?" Jay repeated with a grin.

"Maybe more than a little bit," they laughed together. "Help me with the cake? We gotta be at Evie's before Carlos flips out and calls me if we're not there on time."

"Right. Let's get this show on the road."

Rilynn and Jay quickly got everything they needed and brought the cake to the car Rilynn got. She decided to worry about renting a car this time.

The couple drove around the windy roads leading to Evie's little castle in the forest, a little further out than Rilynn's. Evie's house eventually grew in size the closer they got, and when Jay pulled the rental in front of the house. The round driveway was mainly gravel and a little bumpy, which made Rilynn worried about the cake.

Rilynn checked on the cake, but luckily, it was still intact. The couple walked up to Evie's door with presents in her hands and Jay with the cake. Rilynn managed to knock on the door under the weight of the presents, but it didn't take long before Evie arrived.

"You guys made it!" Evie beamed. She reached for some of the presents in Rilynn's hands. "Here, let me help you with those. You look like you're about to drop them."

Rilynn chuckles. "Yeah, I was losing my grip a little."

"We brought the cake," Jay says.

Evie gasps, dropping the presents on the kitchen island. "Carlos showed us how it turned out. You really outdid yourself, Riley. It's perfect."

"Okay, okay. Enough of that," Rilynn shifted closer to Evie's side, lowering her voice while looking at Jay knowingly. "You'll make his head get bigger, and he'll just gloat about it."