Half Baked Hearts | ✔

28. Birthday Girl (1)

The sound of singing woke me. My eyes shot opened to find my dad, my mom, Cash, Samir and Aunt Mimi all crowded around my bed singing Stevie Wonder's version of Happy Birthday.

A smile split my face in two as my family sang loudly and off-key. I loved them, but I was forever grateful neither of them tried to get into music.

Cash held a plate of rainbow pancakes topped with whipped cream, fresh fruit, sprinkles and a candle that my dad was reaching over to light.

"Thank you." My voice was groggy with sleep as I sat up wiping crust from my eyes.

A camera clicked and I glared at my aunt. Hopefully she kept the pictures of me in my leopard print bonnet to herself.

"Go on, make a wish," my mom urged, her smile as big as her hair.

It had been a week since everything went up in flames—Cake Me Up, whatever I had with Nate, my dreams of going to Bake-A-Palooza.

The only thing that got me through it was the anticipation of my birthday. Seeing my family together always made me happy. And the fact that in a few hours I'd be heading to the happiest place on earth didn't hurt either.

I had everything I could've wanted. I shouldn't have felt like something was missing. Yet, there was an ache in my chest I couldn't shake.

No matter how much I denied it, I missed Nate.

He hadn't reached out since last week. I was both thankful and irritated. I appreciated that he understood I wasn't ready to talk to him, but I was annoyed at him for giving up so quickly. My feelings for him were a jumbled up mess of scheming uncles and ex-girlfriends.

So, what did I wish for?

Clarity.

A well-defined path to take, whether it meant forgetting about Nate or giving him a second chance. I just needed a direction.

I blew out the candle to cheers and more happy birthdays and more clicking cameras.

We relocated to the kitchen, where I ate my birthday breakfast with my family. There was a pancake buffet set up on the island, balloons and streamers decorated the kitchen, and there was a pile of gifts waiting for me in the center of the table.

My birthday was usually pretty lowkey, but my family seemed to step it up this year. I couldn't help but think it was because of all the crap that had happened recently.

My chest felt ready to burst, filled to capacity with my love for them. I didn't realize I was crying until Cash pointed it out, telling my step-dad to pay up. Apparently, they bet on how long it took for me to start the waterworks.

"Charm's a crybaby," Cash announced as he counted the bills Samir just handed him. "You should know this by now."

My mom snatched the money from him and stuffed it into an envelope with a birthday card before handing it to me. "Happy Birthday, baby," she said, ignoring my little brother's stunned expression.

"Are we doing presents now?" My dad steered me to the head of the table, instructing me to sit before he handed me an envelope of his own.

It wasn't big enough for a card, so I was confused. My confusion only worsened when I pulled out a read piece of paper, the words YOU'RE FIRED written on them. "Um... what is this?"

"Exactly what it says," my dad said, squeezing my shoulder. "You're old enough to make decisions about your own career path. So, I'm firing you."

No other gift I got would top no longer having to deal with teeth. "Thank you so much," I said, throwing my arms around him.