Big Time Love Story Part 6: Reunion Between Father and Daughter (Happy Birthday, Miranda!)
Once Miranda and James were inside, Kendall shut the door.
"Okay, James. Take off the blindfold."
"You got it."
When Miranda saw the living room decorated, a smile lit up her face.
"Awesome! Balloons, all kinds of food, and so many presents. I can't wait to open them."
I laughed and directed her to the food.
"Feel free to help yourself to some food, Miss Mayfield."
Miranda giggled and nodded.
"Thank you ,kind sir. I think I'll do just that."
As Katelyn and Erin joined Miranda at the food table, Logan looked at me.
"Nervous?"
"Not really. Anxious maybe, but not nervous. Just not sure how she'll react to seeing her father."
"I'm sure she'll like it, Carlos. The fact you put this homecoming together will definitely wow her."
When Logan left me alone, I thought of Lt. Mayfield. Luckily, I got him some food before Miranda and James got here. I didn't want to risk her seeing him and ruining the surprise.
"Okay, Birthday Girl !Ready to open your presents?!"
"You bet I am, Carlos."
Once Miranda was seated, Katelyn and Erin handed her their gift.
"Erin and I decided to pick out your gift together. We hope you like it."
"I'm sure I will."
Miranda opened the gift to see a stuffed cat.
"Aw, how cute! Thanks, girls. I love it."
James gift was a gift card to a WalMart near the apartment building.
"Figured you'd like to get whatever you want, so I hope you don't mind a gift card."
"It's fine, James. I like it."
After Kendall and Logan presented their gift, a picture of BTR in our tour bus with our signatures on it, everyone looked at me since my gift was the last gift to be given. I sighed heavily and stood up, heading for the downstairs bedroom where her father was waiting.
"Melissa, this isn't a gift that could be wrapped, but I know you'll enjoy it just the same."
She stood up as I opened the door, and her hands flew to cover her mouth as she looked at her father. Tears formed in her eyes as she looked at him.
"Hey, Baby Girl. I'm home."
"Daddy..."
She then ran up to him and gave him a tight hug, one he gladly returned. By now, Erin and Katelyn both got teary-eyed. As the two Mayfields embraced each other, I knew that my idea to surprise Miranda worked. The look on her face told me she really enjoyed having her father back. Once the hug was over,Miranda looked at me.
"Carlos, you did this?"
"Yeah. I wanted your birthday to be special, so after Sgt. Haner called here, I called him back so I could talk to your father. He told me he planned on coming home in time for your birthday, and I wanted to help make it happen."
"Carlos, this is the nicest and sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me. Thank you so much."
She then proceeded to hugging me, and I was more than happy to accept and return the gesture. After Lt. Mayfield pulled Miranda aside to tell her his other good news, Erin took me further away from the group.
"Erin, what's up?"
"You, that's what."
"What about me?"
Erin looked at Miranda and her father as he told her he found an apartment in her building. I smiled as I saw the happy look on Miranda's face.
"The surprise, the trouble to make sure you were the first to wish her a Happy Birthday. It's obvious you were trying to impress her. That's usually a sign that you like someone, Carlos."
"Just because I did all these nice things for her doesn't mean I like her, Erin."
"Okay, then. Look me in the eye and tell me you don't have feelings for her, because all the signs I've seen tell me that you do."
I began thinking back to when I first started doing all this stuff for Miranda's birthday. It's true I wanted to impress Miranda by being the first to wish her a Happy Birthday, but the hidden meaning behind that didn't become clear until Erin brought it up. What James and Katelyn pointed out to me in the past made sense, too.
"Okay, Erin. I admit it. I do like her...a lot, but how can I tell her?"
"Just tell her in a way that makes you feel most comfortable, Carlos."
When the party was over, Miranda stopped me as everyone left and her father went to wash his hands in the bathroom.
"Carlos Pena Jr., what you did for me tonight was the most amazing thing ever. You helped my father come home in time for my 23rd birthday, and I don't think I could ever thank you enough."
"Um...thanks."
"I feel like I owe you for everything you did tonight."
"No, you don't need to repay me, Miranda. I did it...because I wanted to, not because I wanted something in return."
She smiled and hugged me, then kissed my cheek as she pulled away. She giggled as a light blush appeared on my face.
"Dad's got some stuff to move over here from storage to his apartment here. Feel like coming over tomorrow to help out?"
"Think he'll mind?"
"Not at all. He'll be staying here tonight, then he'll head out tomorrow with his overnight bag for his apartment, which happens to be at the end of this hallway. After leaving it here, I'll be taking him to the storage unit where his stuff is at."
After thinking about it, I decided to join Miranda and her father. After I left the apartment, I saw Kendall stuck around to give me a lift to my place.
"So, how'd it go?"
"I'm coming over tomorrow to help Miranda and her father move his stuff into his apartment. It's not too far from Miranda's, actually."
"Erin told me about your talk. Any idea how you're gonna tell Miranda how you feel?"
"No idea yet, but I do know I want it to be done in a way she'd remember for a long time."
"Like how you and Lt. Mayfield surprised her tonight?"
"Exactly."
He offered to drop me off here tomorrow morning to help out the Mayfields, and I chose to take him up on his offer. After all, it's not every day you get the chance to help your crush's father move into a new apartment.
That's a wrap for part 6. After a tearful reunion between Miranda and her father at the birthday party, a talk with Erin helps Carlos realize he has feelings for Miranda. Part 7 will begin in Carlos' POV as Kendall drops him off at the Mayfield's apartment building. Also in part 7, the moving process begins as Lt. Mayfield's stuff is placed in his apartment. Stay tuned to see what happens