Title: Birthday boy
Characters: Pete Townshend, Cady Kersey, John Entwistle, Townshend family, other members of the London music scene
Word Count: 5,518
Rating: PG-13, some swearing
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: It's Pete's birthday, 1968. Cady has much planned for it, which Pete has no idea about at all.

Author's note: This IS canon with the epic.



Thanking John silently in her head, Cady glanced around the room. Had the bassist not slipped to her a few weeks before, she never would have known when Pete’s birthday was. She had narrowed it down to a couple of months – the few months they had not been actively together. Luckily, John pulled her aside the night of the party where they announced their engagement and asked her plans for Pete’s birthday. That instantly led to clandestine meetings between the two. Elaborate plans were hatched, discarded, and revived. Now the day was at hand.

John stole Pete away early in the morning. Feigning disinterest in their man-bonding activities, Cady rolled over in bed and attempted to go back to asleep. As soon as the door clicked firmly closed, she bolted out of bed and into action. Calling his mother first, she set the phone tree in action. It was going to be a perfect surprise.

To be honest, she would not have agreed on the wedding being the following day had she known his birthday prior. Instead, she used the wedding as cover for his birthday party. If Pete suspected there was more to the elaborate planning, he had not let on. She hoped either he had no idea how to plan a very simple wedding or that he explained it all away with an overeager bride. Regardless Pete had no clue- something even John confirmed weekly. That alone was a mark of success in her book.

With everything set in action with his mother’s help, Cady turned to herself. Aware she was just as much a part of the festivities as the food, band and other such things, she quickly dressed, dug her party dress out of the back of the closet where she hid it from Pete’s eyes, and left their flat. While she could have attempted to drive – as John had been teaching her whenever they had free time – Cady was not yet comfortable enough to attempt alone. Therefore, she met an arranged car to head to the spa.

After three hours of being pampered like a bride-to-be, Cady stepped out into the overcast day. Instantly a whistle grabbed her attention. Smiling she waved at John and trotted over to where he leaned against the car waiting for her.

“My, my, my. Are you not a vision of beauty?” he complimented and kissed her cheek. “Pete is a fool if he doesn’t realize how lucky he is.”

“Thank you. He doesn’t suspect anything still?” she asked.

“No,” he pushed away from the car to open the door for her. “In fact, he was rather sad no one seemed to make anything of his birthday today, focusing more on tomorrow’s wedding. He took some convincing to be left with his parents.”

“Really?”

“I promised him I would come and get you as we arranged,” John stated. “If I hadn’t insisted on driving today, I’m sure it would not have worked.”

Waiting for John to climb in behind the wheel Cady asked, “You took him to their house, right?”

He nodded, “Yeah.”

“Good. We can go to the flat and drop off my things. And then I’ll call over there,” Cady stated.

Stashing the clothes she had worn to the salon while John sat in the living room with a beer, she pulled out a small, brightly wrapped box from under the bed. She set that on the counter in the kitchen as she picked up the phone and dialed Pete’s parents’ number. It rang thrice before Betty answered and quickly handed the phone to Pete.

“Hey, husband-to-be,” Cady greeted, leaning on the counter. “Did you have fun with John?”

“I guess so. Isn’t he there yet? He was going to pick you up and bring you over here for tea with my parents,” Pete stated.

She glanced at John, “No, he’s not here yet. But I’m sure he will be soon. I miss you.”

He paused before breathing, “I miss you too, baby. I can borrow my dad’s car and come and get you.”

“No, no. John will probably be here soon. If he’s not here in twenty minutes, then you can come and get me,” she stated, winking at John.

“Well okay, I guess. What have you been doing today?”

“Getting ready for tomorrow. Can you believe we’re going to be married in less than twenty-four hours?”

“How about we just forget the whole wedding thing and just go down to the courthouse today?”

“After all the work I have put into our special day? Are you kidding?” she responded. “We’ll be married tomorrow as planned. Why are you feeling so down today, Pete?”

“I… I just need to be with you again. It hasn’t really been that great of a day.”

Cady frowned, pausing dramatically to make him think she was distracted by something, “Pete, my love, I think that’s John at the door. I should be there soon. I love you.”

“I love you too. See you soon, Cady.”

Hanging up the phone she looked over to John, still frowning, “You didn’t really prepare me for that.”

“For what?” he finished the beer and got to his feet.

“He sounds horrible, John,” she sighed. “Let’s hurry over there so he can start to smile again.”



Slipping into Betty and Cliff’s house, Cady quietly made her way to the kitchen. Not seeing Pete in any of the rooms on her way there, she frowned slightly. Leaving the wrapped package on the counter, she hugged her soon-to-be mother-in-law, before heading out back to the gardens where she was informed Pete was. Greeting his younger brother, Simon, before slipping out the door, her blue eyes quickly looked over the yard. Spying his back to her, she smiled slightly and quietly made her way over to him.

Silently Cady quickly circled Pete in her arms from behind, her lips going to his ear, “You are the most handsome man in the whole world and I am so lucky to be marrying you.”

His arms folded over hers, his fingers weaving between hers, “I… I am the lucky one.”

“That too. We’re just plain lucky to have each other,” she kissed his ear. “Tell me, birthday boy, why are you sad?”

“Because – wait, you know?” Pete pulled away from her and turned around.

Cady nodded and kissed him quickly, “Happy birthday, my love.”

“But… I never told you,” he pointed out.

“There are other people in this world who know when you were born, Pete,” she stated with a half-smile. “I have a present for you inside.”

“You…”

She kissed him again, “I love you. I would not miss this day, Pete, even if you tried to downplay it with me. In fact had I known prior to us deciding what day to get married, I would not have agreed to the date. But it was too late when I found out.”

“Why didn’t you…”

“Because Pete, I wanted to surprise you,” she stated. “So I got all dressed up for you.”

His eyes left hers. First, his gaze noticed her hair had been curled and bound back from her face with a blue satin ribbon that matched the color of her eyes. Following one of the tails down to her shoulder, he smiled slightly as her simple, sexy, and elegant black dress. Black satin diamonds set against a sheer black organza gave hints of her body underneath. As he looked over the simple line and the flirty skirt, Pete was certain he caught glimpses of her bra and knickers, thought they were perhaps the same shade of blue as the ribbon in her hair. His gaze traveled beyond the skirt and down her long legs, which seemed even longer that day. Pete smiled a bit more, noticing she not only wore heels like she normally did not but even stilettos. Rather than wear black shoes as one would expect with her black dress, Cady wore dark blue slingbacks with a sparkly flower detail in the center. Pete’s eyes slowly returned to hers.

“Baby, you’re beautiful,” he commented before pulling her into his arms to kiss her.

She smiled, “I’m glad you’re smiling, Pete. No one should be sad on their birthday.”

“I… but…”

“Come on, sweetie. Come unwrap your gift and we’ll see if tea is ready,” she pulled out of his arms, her hand slipping easily into his.

Returning to the house, Cady instructed Pete to sit in the parlor and she would join him briefly after checking with his mother. Nodding he complied, not even glancing into the kitchen to see Betty really had not done anything to prepare for tea that day. Retrieving the wrapped package, Cady confirmed with Betty the next step in their plans before turning to join her fiancé. Sitting on the loveseat with him, she placed the gift in his lap.

“Cady…”

“Open it, Pete,” she smiled.

He quickly slipped the polka dot ribbon from the box, setting it on the armrest of the small sofa. His eight-year-old brother darted in the room, quickly asking Pete what he got before the paper had even been torn. Shaking her head, Cady plucked the paper from Pete’s hands and crumpled it up, tossing it at the young Simon as Pete opened the box.

“Cady…” he breathed, lifting the small canvas from the box. “Did you… did you paint this?”

“Of course I did,” she responded.

His eyes left the painting briefly to meet hers, his lips kissing hers quickly before he focused his attention on the painting. Not much larger than a standard letter-sized paper, the delicate painting depicted a photorealistic bench. He did not have to ask to know that it was their bench. He just knew.

“Cady, this is ama–”

“A picture of a bench? That’s a pretty lame present, Cady,” Simon stated.

“Simon!” Pete instantly responded.

“It’s okay,” Cady smiled. “He’s young. He doesn’t get it.”

Betty entered the room, glancing at the painting briefly, “Pete, your father called. He’s not coming home for tea again. Which means we’re going out.”

“Mum, it’s okay we don’t ha–”

“Pete, it’s your birthday. We’re going out for tea. Come on, Simon. You need to get cleaned up,” she tugged him out of the room. “Five minutes and then we’re leaving, Pete.”

Pete set the painting back in the box, folding the tissue paper around it to protect it once more, “This is wonderful, Cady. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, birthday boy,” she kissed his cheek. 

Despite Pete’s weak objections, they arrived at The Orangery in Kensington Gardens for tea. As the couple often frequented the Kensington Palace grounds as Cady was enamored with the peacocks and had painted Pete a number of times in the varying light of the park, it was a very familiar location. Even the wait staff recognized Pete and Cady, leading them back to their preferred table by the windows. With the complete normality of it all, he had not glanced about and noticed his friends occupied a number of the tables. Simon nearly blurted something out but Paul pinched him to redirect his attention. Noticing, Cady smiled slightly her thanks before sitting next to Pete and quickly kissing him.

“Good afternoon,” their server greeted once all five were settled around a larger table. “How are you on this fine Sunday, Pete?”

He shrugged.

She frowned, “And why is that? Are you not marrying this lovely woman tomorrow?”

His eyes went to Cady and he smiled, “That I am. Not soon enough.”

“Then cheer up,” she stated. “It’s your last day as a single man.”

He chuckled, “I haven’t been a single man since I laid eyes on her. My heart was instantly married to her.”

Cady grinned and quickly kissed him, “I love you, birthday boy.”

He flushed slightly.

“Wait,” the server interrupted. “Did you just say birthday boy?”

She looked to the older woman and nodded.

“Huh. I guess that would explain what all these people are doing here,” she stated loudly and motioned to the nearby tables crowded with Pete’s friends.

His blue eyes quickly went around the room. In addition to John and his wife, the rest of the band and their management were present, Keith looking the most uncomfortable of them all in the palatial teahouse – something that indicated to Pete that hijinks were likely to occur. Mates from his art school days littered the room with girlfriends and wives. Even a number of his friends from the music circuit were present, including Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Anyone who was important to Pete in some facet filled a seat in the large room.

Before he could say anything to Cady, the chef appeared carrying a birthday cake. Everyone quickly broke into ‘Happy Birthday,’ causing Pete to flush a bit more. Cady kissed his ear, as the cake was set before him. His eyes flicked to hers.

“I have nothing to wish for,” he muttered softly. “You’re everything I could ever desire.”

“That’s sweet,” she smiled and kissed his ear again. “Then wish for something like a boat.”

Pete chuckled and quickly blew out the candles. The gathered crowd cheered and clapped. Simon instantly asked if he could have cake before tea. When Keith chimed in something of the same, Pete laughed and indicated they would have cake with tea. It seemed safer that way.



Arm slipped around Cady, Pete led her out into the gardens as the crowd dispersed. They said their goodbyes to his friends and family before leaving the Orangery, certain to see most of them the following day for the wedding. A grin still stretched across his face, lighting even his eyes.

“I can’t believe…” he began. “I cannot believe what you did today. I thought… I thought…”

“That I would forget my soul mate’s birthday? Ha. Do you really think everyone I know through you would allow that?” Cady replied, bumping him slightly with her hip.

“But everyone seemed so… quiet today. Even John didn’t really say much this morning. I thought perhaps… that our wedding or something had overshadowed it.”

“Good. That’s what I wanted you to think,” she responded.

“But… why?”

Cady rolled her eyes, slipped out of his arm and turned around, walking backwards so she could face him, “Because it wouldn’t have been a surprise otherwise, Pete.”

“I guess.”

She stopped, forcing him to stop, her lips touching his quickly, “Would you really have your surprise ruined?”

“Uh… maybe.”

Her eyes held his, “Well… your birthday isn’t over yet.”

“What does that mean?”

“The sun hasn’t even set yet, Pete,” she pointed out. “Perhaps we should go home for a nap though. I don’t know how late we’ll be out tonight and with tomorrow…”

“You have plans for us for tonight?”

“Of course I do,” she rolled her eyes. “Do you really think tea with your family and friends is really an appropriate birthday celebration?”

“But we’re getting married tomorrow.”

“Right you are. And that will be a completely different kind of party,” she countered. “So do we go home and nap or do we go where I have planned next?”

Pete’s eyebrow lifted, “What do you have planned next?”

She grinned, “Good. I think a nap would mess up my hair anyways.”

Once more returning to Pete’s side, she led him through the park. They stopped by the fountain and kissed. Naturally, they could not come to the park without venturing through the peacocks, even if it was a serpentine route. Cady stopped as two of the birds displayed their feathers. Her sparkling eyes went to Pete, making him smile again.

“You do that too, you know,” she commented before slowly continuing through the park.

“I do?”

“Yes. Every time we are out around other people who could possibly be looking at me, you strut a bit. It is very pronounced around people like Jimmy,” Cady claimed.

“That’s because he wants you.”

She sighed, “Pete, we have been over this a million times in the past year. You are my man. Am I not marrying you tomorrow?”

“That doesn’t mean Jimmy Page doesn’t wa–”

“You know what it does mean? It means you shook your tail feathers just right and this peahen chose you. She couldn’t care less about the other cocks,” Cady stated. “So since we don’t have a car at hand, we can either take the tube or hail a cab. What is your preference?”

“I have none.”

She paused as they neared the edge of the park, “Tube it is then.”

Pete chuckled, “I knew you would choose that.”

She glanced at him before turning to head to the entrance of the subway, “Yes I know it is a well-known fact that I happen to like London’s underground. Reminds me of New York.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Sometimes. But I gave up America for a very good reason.”

“And what is that?”

“Love of course,” she stopped and reached into his pocket for his wallet. “Love is a very good reason to give up any and everything.”

Accepting his wallet back, Pete mulled over her statement. It really did not sit well with him at all. He knew she had the choice to stay in London, always had. They discussed it every now and then. Their reasons for staying were always linked to him and the band – which he always claimed he could quit for her. But Cady consistently insisted they would stay where he was needed. No one else in the world needed her but him, so she stated she had no reason to go anywhere else. But she missed it. He knew she missed it. That was where they should go on their honeymoon, not that they had one planned due to his work schedule.

“Cady,” he followed her through the turnstile. “Why don’t we go back to New York for our honeymoon?”

“Because you have work to do,” she responded simply.

“I can do my work from anywhere in the world, much like you. I think it would be a good idea,” he claimed.

“I… if that’s what you want, Pete, then we can go to New York for our honeymoon.”

He quickly moved around her, stopping so that she would stop, “Baby, is there something wrong about New York?”

“No. Not at all.”

His finger went to her chin, tilting her face slightly so that she could not look away from his eyes, “Tell me truly that you have no issues with New York.”

“I truly have no issues with New York.”

He kissed her softly, “Then why do I feel you pulling back.”

Cady shook her head, trying to turn away from him.

“Cady, please,” he held onto her.

She closed her eyes, “No, Pete. Not now. It’s your birthday. We’re celebrating your birthday today.”

Pete kissed her again, “I cannot celebrate if I feel I have said something wrong to make you sad.”

“I have no issues with New York. I have issues with the States. Because that’s where my family is. The family that does not accept the fact I am marrying you tomorrow,” she answered quickly. “That’s all, okay?”

He did not believe her. At all. There was more to it, but she wanted him to let it go. He could do that, or at least pretend to for now. They could discuss it more later.

His lips brushed hers and he smiled, “So how long will this adventure take?”

“Depends on you.”

“That sounds intriguing,” Pete commented, slipping to her side, his arm around her waist.

“But we do have dinner reservations at eight,” she stated.

“I will keep that in mind.”

The couple slipped onto the train a few moments later. Cady’s eyes seemed to avoid looking at Pete, something that instantly distressed him. Bringing up New York had been a bad idea. He should not have suggested it. Fuck, he had ruined his own birthday – just after she had rescued it. He was not–

“This is our stop,” Cady stated and stood.

Glancing at the sign, he followed her to the door. He knew this was the arts district in London, but that did not really explain to him where they were headed. Given the fact Cady had hidden the tea so well from him; Pete figured it would not be a good option to attempt to try to figure out where they were going and why. He would merely let go and let her be in charge.

Her hand slipped into his as they left the train station. Pausing at the edge of the sidewalk, she glanced both directions and headed out into the street. Pete smirked to himself. After over a year of living in London, she still crossed the street like a New Yorker, albeit one who actually looked before crossing. Of course, he did not mention such, but merely hurried to the other side with her. Cady paused once they reached the other sidewalk and stole a quick kiss from Pete before turning towards their destination. He remained a step behind her so he could watch her as well as see the businesses they passed. As much as he was trying to not figure out the surprise, he could not help looking.

However, Cady stopped in front of a rather nondescript wooden door and knocked. Pete’s eyes instantly wandered, looking for some indication of what kind of place they were going to be entering. Before he spied any sort of signage, the door opened and Cady pulled him in. Within seconds, Pete knew they were in an art gallery, but not one he had ever been in before. It had the slight scent of art supplies and curing paint and large blank white walls surrounded a large open space. Nothing hung on the walls at all, nor were there any pedestals with sculptures. Drop clothes covered most of the floor, except a path from the door to the back of the large room exposed a hardwood floor.

An older woman, likely around his mother’s age, had opened the door. She looked Pete over once before embracing Cady, forcing Pete to release her hand. Saying nothing, but nodding, she turned away and headed down the wooden pathway.

“Cady,” Pete whispered, “what is this place?”

“Shhh,” she responded.

They stepped through a doorway into a cramped back office. Though not normally claustrophobic, Pete certainly felt the weight of the walls pressing upon him now. It was not that the room itself was small, but rather it was lined with cloth-draped, large frames. Curiosity drew Pete closer to one, but Cady’s hand tightened on his to keep him from wandering away.

“Zee final one is framed,” the older woman stated.

“Wonderful. Just in time,” Cady responded.

Stopping in front of a covered painting that was nearly as tall as she was, the woman pulled the sheet aside. Cady gasped and released Pete’s hand. She stepped forward and gently touched the canvas. Her body obscured the painting from Pete’s vision, but he knew without a doubt that it was her painting. The tension in her shoulders indicated her gasp had not been a good one, that something was wrong.

“Where is the contract for the framing?” she asked evenly.

“One moment, Miss Kersey.”

With the other woman stepping away, Pete filled her space. His eyes went to the painting. At first, he was struck with how it was not only beautiful but that he had a visceral response to it. It tugged at something deep inside of him. And it was merely a very large painting of a peacock feather, a painting he had never seen before. His eyes were drawn to where Cady’s fingers lightly touched the canvas and he suddenly understood. Her painting had been damaged.

“Cady?”

Her eyes went to his, tears brimming, “Pete…”

His arms quickly circled her, “It’s okay, baby. We’ll get it fixed.”

“But Pete, it was supposed to be perfect. It was all supposed to be perfect. We… we were supposed to hang it all in the gallery tonight for its opening tomorrow before the wedding,” she muttered, curling into his embrace. “But now it’s… ruined.”

“Not at all,” he assured her. “Besides. No one can buy that painting. I want it.”

She pulled back, “But it’s ruined.”

“Not at all,” Pete repeated. “It’s a minor scratch. We will get them to repair the canvas and you can fill in any of the paint that has flaked off. No one will be the wiser. I’ll hang it in my studio where it can remind me of you whenever I am stuck on a song or melody and all the magic that you are will carry me through.”

“But, Pete–”

“No. We’ll fix it, Cady. I promise. Show me the rest of what you have here so I have an idea when we go back out into the gallery,” he stated.

“But–”

“How did you get this gallery anyways? And how did you keep it from me?”

“I don’t own the gallery. You do.”

His eyes snapped to hers again, “I do?”

“It’s part of your wedding present.”

“Part of it?”

“You get the rest of it tomorrow.”

He smiled and kissed her, “Then come show me what you can. We have reservations to make.”

An hour later, Pete stood in the center of the gallery – his gallery – astounded. He knew Cady had been painting again as he had encouraged her ever since he knew she painted. But he had no real clue what she had been painting, other than the few sessions in the park he sat for. Unsurprisingly, none of those paintings made Cady’s selection for the gallery opening, perhaps because they were too personal. He wasn’t certain. What he was certain about is that there clearly was not a gap in the presentation because of those missing portraits. As was Cady’s choice, her style ranged from photorealistic to cubist. Pete could easily connect similar themes in each painting, knew without being told they all depicted something from the park. He merely had not expected to be surrounded by such awe-inspiring beauty.

“I still wish the feather was–”

“No. Absolutely not. Not only will your framers fix it, but also I do not want anyone to see it. It is mine,” Pete interrupted, his eyes leaving an impressionistic painting of a fountain.

She smiled crookedly, “If you insist.”

“I do,” he nodded. “How is it that you hid all of this from me?”

“The same way I hid planning your birthday activities from you,” Cady responded.

“And that was…?”

“John helped. Your mother helped,” she shrugged. “When you’re focused on things or touring, it isn’t that hard to keep things from you, Pete.”

A brief shot of fear colored his eyes.

“Not that I do hardly ever,” she quickly added. “Are you ready to head to dinner?”

He nodded, “Is it far?”

“Not too far,” Cady answered. “We’ll just lock up and be on our way.”

Dinner was fairly uneventful, though Pete was certainly grinning more with each passing moment. He really knew he was a very lucky man to be marrying Cady. Even with the brief trips throughout the day, ever since she stepped back into the activities, his birthday had been magical. In fact, he was content to just go home with his beautiful fiancée and bask in her glow. He needed nothing else.

Cady intercepted the check before Pete could reach for it, “What time is it, love?”

“Time to go home,” he responded.

Her eyes flicked to his as she beckoned for his wallet, “But why?”

Pete leaned across the table and kissed her quickly before, “Because I want to end the night with you.”

“You’ll do that anyways, silly,” she responded, handing the payment to the server. “Come on, Pete. One last stop and then we can go home.”

Tucking his wallet back into his jacket pocket, he slipped is arm around her. While Pete now contributed money to the relationship, they had long gotten into the habit of he stowing all of their cash in his wallet. Whenever any would ask about it, Cady brushed it off as not wanting to carry a purse, which for the most part she never did. The charade had worked so well for so long; neither even considered changing their habits for now.

Cady hailed a cab outside the restaurant. She spoke their destination so quietly; Pete had not a chance to figure out their destination. Frowning slightly, he settled in the back of the taxi next to her, naturally slipping his arm around her shoulders. She instantly wiggled closer and cuddled with him, turning his frown into a slight smile. He really did love her. Brief moments like this made it ever more apparent in Pete’s mind that he had finally found the one. He was so – was that the club they met at? They had not been there on a Sunday night in ages. He could not imagine that was where they were… stopping.

“Cady?” he turned to her as the car stopped.

She slid towards the door, “Pay the fare, Pete.”

Scrambling out behind her a moment later, he headed up to the door with her. A large sign printed with ‘Private Party’ hung on the large wooden door. Pete froze as she reached for the door handle. This could not be… she did not…

“Cady?” he breathed.

“Come on, birthday boy,” she reached for his hand. “Everyone is waiting for you.”

He swallowed noticeably and followed her into the club. While it was not packed, there certainly were a large number of people. Besides his band and a few other assorted friends who had been at the tea, many others from the music crowd were present. Everyone from the Beatles to the Rolling Stones was present. In addition, on stage, Cream had assembled. Pete glanced at Cady and she quickly kissed his cheek. A moment later, the entire crowd broke into a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ before the band segued into ‘Born Under a Bad Sign.’ Laughing, Pete followed Cady out onto the dance floor. For a brief moment, he watched his lady dance and gyrate to the music before she turned to him, beckoning him over.

“You are amazing,” he muttered, slipping his arms around her briefly and kissing her.

“Happy birthday, baby,” she grinned. “I love you.”



Slipping into their flat not long after midnight, an unheard of time on most nights out, Cady threw her arms around Pete. Chuckling as she showered kisses on his face, he closed the door behind them, turning the lock quickly. His arms circled her waist and he spun her about as she kicked up both feet behind her. Stopping midway through the flat, Pete lowered her back down to the floor, drinking of her kiss for a moment.

“So your birthday was good?” she asked, eyes on his.

Pete nodded, “It was by far the best birthday I have ever had.”

Cady kissed him again, “I’m so glad. When John told me you were feeling down earlier, it nearly broke my heart. Don’t ever think you’re unimportant, Pete. If to no one else, then remember you are so very important to me.”

His eyes searched hers briefly, before he leaned in for a quick kiss, “I am so lucky to have you by my side. I will spend every day of the rest of my life remembering that.”

Her hands surrounded his face, her lips touching his as soft and briefly as a butterfly’s wings, “I love you, Pete. Always.”

“I love you more than I thought possible, Cady. Nothing… nothing can compare with how I feel for you,” he breathed.

She kissed him again, “Come to bed with me, birthday boy. Let me show you how passionately I feel for you.”

Cady took a step away from Pete, but he remained rooted where he was. Turning with confusion in her eyes, she looked to him. He shook his head.

“I don’t… I don’t understand,” she uttered.

He reached up and caressed her cheek, “We’re to be married in a few hours. I would rather just hold you tonight and save the passion for tomorrow.”

Her eyes wavered slightly, “You think I cannot love you passionately twice in a row?”

“No, baby,” his thumb trailed over her bottom lip. “I know you can. But I want our wedding night to be that much more special. I have abstained from touching you for over a week now. I will not give in merely because it’s my birthday.”

“You mean the reason we haven’t made love in awhile is because you’re saving it for our wedding night?”

He nodded cautiously.

Cady quickly turned the thought over in her mind. A moment later, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his mouth.

“Then come to bed with me, husband-to-be. And we will cuddle and talk of big things such as love and the dawning of our new life together.”