Hidden Barriers (28 page)

With my stomach overly plump, I undo my skinny jeans once Josh and I are in the car heading home from his parents’ house. His mother, Grace, clearly outdid herself when cooking
dinner. Josh can’t stop laughing as I recline the passenger seat and let it all hang out. I’m so full and sleepy I don’t think I’ll be able to get out of the car.

At some point, I must have fallen asleep on the drive home. My eyes lazily open as I feel Josh’s arms lift me from the car and carry me inside.

The house is eerily quiet, but considering it’s Derby Date Night, everyone probably decided to go out for the night. I feel Josh take the stairs up to my room and place me tenderly onto my bed before removing my stiletto heels. Since my jeans are still unzipped, stripping them off is relatively easy for him. I feel him kneel on the bed after flipping on the lamp next to my bed. His rough fingers graze my skin as he pulls my sweater over my head, tossing it onto the floor.

Shortly after the blankets are pulled back, I feel the heat from his bare chest rest against my back as he curls into my body. Pushing away my hair from the nape of my neck, he places kisses at my collarbone. His warm breath causes a fluttering within my stomach, which only intensifies as his arm snakes around my waist. Josh’s thumb plays along the hem of my lace thong above my pelvis.

His phone vibrates from the nightstand, and he pulls his arm from me to grab it. Moments later, he aggressively throws it onto the nightstand before turning off the light.

“Everything okay?” I inquire. Josh’s body goes rigid, but he only runs his fingers over my bare arm, curling into me even tighter.

“Everything is fine, sugar. Let’s just sleep now.” He kisses my temple before my eyes close completely, and I release a loud yawn. “Sam?” Josh whispers into my ear.

“Mmmm,” I drawl in my semi-sleep state of mind.

“That was a text from Jeremy. Mom wants you to join us in Savannah.”
“Oh, yeah? That’s not so bad, right?”
“Well, that’s not all.”

“What is it?” I shut my eyes, nearly falling asleep again.

“She apparently wants to know how soon before she can start planning our wedding.”
My eyes snap open before I shout, “What?!”

“Hey, for what it’s worth, I did warn you this could happen.”

It turns out that I can’t go to Savannah with Josh anyway. It’s the same weekend as our Derby race. When I told him the news, he appeared relieved just slightly more than me, and I have a feeling it has to do with him trying to keep me from meeting his ex-girlfriend Sue. It honestly doesn’t bother me. Okay, that’s not entirely true. It doesn’t bother me that much. I’m sure he’ll always have feelings for her, but I can’t understand why he doesn’t want to introduce me if she is as much a part of the family as he says she is. I probably should have asked him myself, but since I met his parents last week, we’ve both been busy again.

The following morning, my mom sent me a text, saying they all would be making the trip up from Connecticut. They want to visit for my birthday this weekend while on their way up to my grandparents’ cottage on Lake Winnipesaukee. I can always tell summer is approaching when they make the trip up there to open it after a long winter.

The girls usually turn the house into a rip-roaring party. I’m a little hesitant to have my parents here. Don’t get me wrong. I can’t wait to see them, and once you get a couple of drinks in them, they can really be a friggin’ hoot. But, some of the derby girls are a little rough around the edges, and sometimes things get slightly out of hand. Add Josh, his family, and our friends to the mix, and my birthday party becomes a serious affair. I don’t know whether I want a shot of Jack or feel the need to throw up.

Plus, Kim likes to have themed parties around here. For Lucy’s party last November, the house turned into an island paradise, and we all had to wear ugly Hawaiian shirts. My birthday party theme is the 1980s. I never want to see another pair of lime green spandex or rainbow leg warmers after today,
ever
!

“Rise and shine, birthday girl!” Lucy shouts as she bounces on all fours over me on my bed. “C’mon, Sam! The sun is out, and you’ve got a party to get ready for. And, let’s not forget, there will be a cake,” she continues to say as she opens the curtains along my bay window.

“I’m up. I’m up,” I moan as I peek up over my comforter, trying to block the sun from blinding me. “You better have a good reason for waking me up this early on my birthday, Lucy,” I say as I roll over, tossing back the blankets to get out of bed.

“Duh, silly!” she snickers. “Do you think I want to be up this early? Someone decided to drop by on his way to work today and leave a shit ton of stuff for you in the kitchen.” Looking over at Lucy, I see the shit-eating grin spread over her entire face.
Josh was here.
I bolt from the bed, running through the house until I reach the kitchen. My sock-covered feet come to a sliding halt as my eyes fall upon the scene.

Balloons litter the ceiling everywhere. My hands move through the sea of strings dangling from the balloons until I find a clearing. My eyes don’t know where to begin. Banners are hung along the walls. Number balloons are all over the place, connecting to form a “26” when put together. There are gift bags on the counter and multiple bouquets of flowers waiting for me.

I run my fingers along the counter as my heart warms at how much thought he put into all of this.
A card rests on a wrapped box with my name on it. “Hey, Birthday Girl- Open Now” is written in Josh’s writing on the envelope. Sliding my finger under the seal, I push in my fingers to pull out the card.

SAM,

MY FAMILY TENDS TO OVERDO IT ON BIRTHDAYS, AND AS YOU CAN TELL, I WENT A LITTLE CRAZY. BUT, IT’S NOTHING COMPARED TO HOW CRAZY I AM ABOUT YOU. THERE’S A BALLOON HERE FOR JUST ABOUT EVERY TIME I’VE THOUGHT OF YOU SINCE I MET YOU. WELL, MAYBE NOT THAT MANY; THE JEEP IS ONLY SO BIG. I WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO SEE YOUR FACE AS YOU CAME INTO THE KITCHEN, BUT DUTY CALLS. I’LL BE OVER AFTER WORK FOR THE PARTY.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUGAR!

LOVE, JOSH

The moment I place the envelope onto the counter, the rest of my roommates come storming into the kitchen. Kim forcefully pushes away the balloon strings as she moves into the kitchen. “Damn, Sam. That guy has got it bad for you. Look at this place! He’s totally cleaning this up later.”

Rose turns on the coffee maker as she covers her mouth to stifle a yawn. “Happy Birthday, Sam,” she says as she comes to pull up the bar stool next to me. “So, are we opening these presents now or later?”

Lucy’s bubbly voice fills the room as she comes in carrying champagne bottles in her arms. “Who’s ready for mimosas?!” she exclaims as Rose heads over to grab the flutes from the cabinets. Kim is already pulling the orange juice from the fridge just as Lucy is popping the cork from the first bottle.

After all the drinks are poured, everyone grabs a flute and raises it into the air. Rose makes a toast. “To Sam. May your birthday be filled with laughter and friends.” She leans over to whisper into my ear, “Remind me to thank Josh later tonight.”

“What for?” I ask curiously.

“For being the one to bring your smile back to life. It’s good to see you. Just be you for once. It suits you,” Rose says, giving me a hug. “Well, are you going to open these gifts or what? I’m dying to know what he got you!” she squeals before sipping her mimosa.

Grabbing the first gift bag Josh left on the counter, I remove the tissue paper and laugh at what’s inside. There is a folded note taped to the top of the tissue paper.

To help channel your inner ‘80s goddess.

I start pulling everything from the bag and see DVDs and music from the ‘80s, silly straws, Rubik’s Cubes, beaded necklaces, and glow bracelets, but what really makes the gift special is the Baby Ruth candy bar. He knows it’s from the one movie from the ‘80s I’ll watch over and over again. I can never get enough of
The Goonies
.

God, I love that man.

I wait to open the rest of his presents, realizing it will be more special to have him here with me. I finish sipping back my mimosa as my phone starts dinging on the counter. Text messages clutter my screen. Everyone known to mankind begins sending me messages. If I weren’t already awake, I would be now. The messages that humble me the most come from Josh’s family. Both his mom and sister send me birthday wishes, telling me they can’t wait to see me later.

Then, it suddenly sinks in. My parents will be here. Josh’s parents will be here. Shit. Shit. Shit. Our families are meeting for the first time. This just became a serious affair. My breathing escalates as my body begins to tremble.

Kim notices my sudden change and is at my side instantly. “Sam, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Bringing my hand to rest on the top of my head, I try to hold it all together. “My parents…his parents…both here…together,” I sputter, not making sense.

“Breathe, Sam,” Kim says, trying to calm me. Everyone’s eyes zone in on me, and smiles creep on their faces, as they understand what I just came to realize.

Lucy is the first to rush over to me. “Sam! This is so exciting!” she boasts. “This means he’s totally into you! This means he really does love you more than anything.”

I need to sit down before I literally fall down. My feet move toward the living room to find the sofa as I push through the balloon strings. Once I find the sofa, I plop down and cover my face with my arm as I lie down.

I hear Rose from the kitchen call out to get my attention. “Do you want another mimosa now, or should I be breaking out the bottle of Jack?”

Ugh. Jack and I might be getting reacquainted earlier than expected today.

My eyes literally have to do a double take as I walk through the C-Naughtie house backyard. It is like a scene from an ‘80s nightmare. Everywhere I look there are neon colors and really, really big hair. Lanterns and lights dangle from trees, while ‘80s music plays over the speakers.

My parents follow me through the backyard. Courtney rushed into the chaos a few minutes ago once she saw Drew near the plastic kiddie pools filled with drinks. I knew there would be trouble when I saw what he was dressed as. Every straight girl here tonight will be falling all over him. Drew is obviously supposed to be the main character from
Risky Business
who slides across the floor in his socks, underwear, t-shirt, and shades. Yeah, that’s Drew. I hope he knows it’s April, and it’s still not that warm out, regardless of the fire pit and patio heaters they have going right now.