“Oh, you’re my favorite boy,” she said as she hugged him tightly. He grinned, because Momma had lots ofboys and girls to love, but when she told him he was her favorite, he believed her. “I love you.”
“Love you too, Momma.” He stepped back and swept a kiss along her cheek. “Thank you for doing this.”
“Hey, Misty-girl.” Momma took Misty into her arms, and Link’s whole world slowed as he watched his fiancée sink into that warm embrace, her eyes drifting closed in bliss. “Happy birthday, sweetie.”
“Thank you, Sammy,” Misty murmured, and when she stepped back, Link was right there at her side.
“Well, there’s tons of food,” Momma said as she cleared her throat. “Daddy’s got the uncles singing some songs in a little bit, and Smiles organized all the younger cousins for a dance number.” She grinned widely, and Link started laughing again.
“A dance number, wow,” he said, sliding his arm around Misty and keeping her close. “Never had one of those before.”
“It’s Smiles, and a bunch of children under the age of fourteen,” Momma said. “I expect the applause to raise the roof.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Link said with a chuckle. “I’m sure it will.”
“Okay, well, make sure you find Daddy before you and Misty sneak out.” She smiled between them and then turned to go find her place for dinner.
Link hadn’t even turned back to his table of friendsbefore Uncle Preacher’s miked voice filled the barn. “I need the birthday couple up here, please.”
“Here we go,” Link said as music filled the barn. Everyone turned to look at him and Misty, and Link had gotten used to it over the years. He moved through the crowd to where Preacher stood—thankfully, not on a platform, but just in front of a microphone.
Uncle Ward, Uncle Mister, Uncle Judge, and Daddy played guitars, and Preacher beamed at Link and Misty as he said, “It’s time to sing Happy Birthday to Link and Misty, and then we have a short program before we’re going to pray. Then there’s a bunch of birthday cake and food, and the night is yours.”
So maybe ten minutes, Link thought. He could endure this spotlight for ten more minutes, and then he’d be able to retreat to the back table to enjoy the delicious food surely Uncle Bishop and Aunt Etta had been in charge of making.
The song started, and Link did his best to smile through the whole thing. He’d always thoughtHappy Birthdaywas a long song when it was being sung to him, and with Misty beside him, it seemed to drag on and on until Aunt Dot’s high-pitched voice sang that last note completely off-tune on purpose, the way she always did.
The last word cut off into applause, whistling, and laughter, and Link added his own to it. Then Smiles appeared in front of him and said, “All right, you gotta go stand in the crowd.”
Link grinned at his younger brother and did what he said, taking Misty with him. They stood at the front of the crowd as Smiles called all the littles up front for their “performance.”
Besides Ollie and Rory, Uncle Mister and Aunt Libby had the youngest child—a little boy named Brantley, who was five years old and would start kindergarten this fall.
When Smiles had them all gathered around him, he held up a bright blue ball that filled his palm and could easily be seen. “All right, you guys. This is for cousin Link and cousin Misty, okay? Remember what we did?”
Link doubted very much that this would go off without a hitch, but he couldn’t stop grinning. Smiles looked up and called, “Hit it!” in the direction of the kitchen. Link didn’t dare look away from the kids, and when the first popping beat hit the sound system, he was glad he didn’t.
For Smiles had gathered the kids around him strategically, and the outer circle of them jumped up and faced the crowd upon that first beat. “Everybody clap your hands,” Smiles yelled, bringing his hands up over his head to start the beat.
The kids around him did the same thing, and it only took one more clap to get the crowd involved. Link laughed as he brought his hands together, glad to see Misty doing the same thing.
The kids in the second circle jumped up and turnedaround to face the crowd, and then the final circle of them did too. Smiles was the tallest of them all, but Shiloh, Gunn, Rock, Wilder, and Robbie were all fourteen or fifteen years old too. They took up the back row, spaced out to help the younger kids.
They grapevined to the left, which made Link whoop to watch little Dallas—Zona and Duke’s youngest son—nearly trip over his feet. Whoever had choreographed the dance had kept it simple, having everyone move left or right to the beat, and as the dance number came to a close, all the kids reached behind them and pulled something from their pockets.
Popsicle sticks with colorful, curly ribbons on them, which they shook as the music ended. Before Link could take in the rattling of the streamers and the amazingness of the people in front of him, they all shouted, “Happy birthday Link and Misty!” in a perfect chant.
And that was when the barn positively erupted, just the way Momma wanted it to. Link added his voice and applause to the deafening noise, and then all the kids ran at him and Misty and surrounded them as they cheered for them.
He and Misty got separated, but she didn’t seem to mind. This was pure chaos, but pure chaos built from pure love. And in the midst of all that, Link knew he’d just experienced the best birthday of his life.
And one look at Misty told him she had too.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Finn took the bowl of white chocolate popcorn that Edith handed him and took it over to the tables they’d set up in their living room. Two six foot tables for game night, and Finn sighed happily as he put the popcorn next to a bowl of pretzels that he’d poured peanut butter M&Ms into a few minutes ago.
“Do you think we made the right decision in assigning food tonight?” Edith came to his side and looked at the few bowls of snacks, one hand resting protectively on her baby belly. Finn loved her endlessly in that moment, because she was soft and maternal and oh-so-beautiful.