At exactly 4:57 am, Miley's striking blue eyes shot open, and her lips curled into a smile. She threw the covers off of her body and started dancing around her room. "It's today! It's today! It's today!" She pulled her hair out of its messy ponytail and began jumping on her queen-sized bed.

An upset Jackson groggily dragged himself to the doorway of Miley's room. "Some people are trying to sleep, Miles."

Miley stopped jumping and folded her arms, "Well, someone is trying to celebrate her sixteenth birthday." Jackson rolled his eyes and retreated back to his own room. As soon as he left, Miley plopped onto her bed and rested her head on her abnormally fluffy pillow. I can't believe I'm sixteen, Miley thought to herself. I wonder what Daddy got me. Ooh! I wonder what Joe got me. I can't wait to see what my party is like. It was true; Miley had no clue what her party was going to be like. Her dress, the cake, and even where it was going to be held was under wraps and kept secret from Miley. Miley was trapped in her own thoughts until she heard the vibration of her cell phone on her night stand. She unlocked her iPhone and grinned when she noticed who it was from.

Whoa, exactly 16 years ago today u were born.

Happy Birthday Miles.

Joe.

Miley chuckled to herself and quickly typed up a reply:

Ur a minute late, Joe. I was born at 4:57. It's 4:58.

U better make it up to me today with an awesome present.

Mi.

Miley put her phone down on her night stand and let her heavy eyelids close. She pulled the covers back over her shivering body and was slowly drifting off until her phone vibrated once more. She grabbed her phone and opened the message. She could feel her heart flutter and her cheeks flush as she read his words.

Oh don't worry, I will.


"I can't believe your dad just sent you off to the mall with his credit card." Lilly said, stifling a yawn. "Especially at 7:30 in the morning. I didn't even know the mall was open this early."

"Well, he wants to keep me occupied while the party details are finalized." Miley replied, motioning for Lilly to follow her into an overpriced boutique.

"If you don't know anything about the party, why couldn't your dad just make it a surprise?" Lilly pondered aloud.

Miley turned to face her, "Remember what happened the last time my dad tried to throw a surprise party for me? I knew about it a week before, because someone was a little excited."

Lilly's cheeks turned red as she remembered what happened. "Oh."

"I wonder what Joe's going to get me. He sent me a text this morning saying he got me something awesome." Miley explained as she examined a pair of skinny jeans.

Lilly giggled, "Whatever it is, it's going to be better than that mix 'n match socks kit that Oliver got you last year."

"Let's hope so," Miley chuckled. "But seriously, this is my first birthday that I'm going to spending with him…and it's my sweet sixteen. I really want it to be something special."

"Don't worry, Miley. Joe knows you better than anybody else…besides me. I bet he's looking at your present right now, feeling proud that he picked it out."


"Why isn't her present here yet?!" Joe asked spastically. Before his outburst, he had been tapping his foot impatiently. Many minutes had flown by and his tapping had evolved into stomping, which had evolved into running around crazily.

Kevin put down his magazine and laughed, yawning before speaking, "Cool it, Joe. I'm sure their plane will land any minute. It's very common for flights to be delayed. Relax."

"Delayed?" Joe asked, as if the word was foreign to him.

"Uh, yeah…?"

"Oh, no. The plane can't be delayed. It just can't. This is Miley's birthday present. It has to be perfect." Joe replied, running his fingers though his messy, early morning hair. After hearing Miley babble on and on about her family back in Tennessee five days earlier, Joe decided that his only way to make Miley's birthday perfect was to invite a pack of her family members, including Aunt Dolly, Mamaw, and the one and only Uncle Earl. After receiving their phone numbers from Robbie, Joe had called them all individually, and had personally invited them to fly over. The three brothers were now anxiously awaiting their arrival at Los Angeles International Airport.

"Flight 89 has been delayed." Nick informed his brothers, walking over to the sitting area where the boys were located. "I just checked."

Joe winced. "It has?! How long?" he asked anxiously.

Nick shrugged. "I don't know. But panicking will only make it worse, okay? Calm down."

Calm down.

Joe had heard those words many times that morning, and it was getting on his last nerve. "I will not calm down until I know why the plane hasn't landed yet?!" he yelled, receiving blank stares from exhausted travelers who happened to be passing by.

Nick blinked.

Kevin just stared.

"Young man, could you please calm—" began a young woman behind the service counter, before Kevin and Nick jumped to her rescue.

"DON'T SAY IT!" Kevin and Nick exclaimed.

Nick cleared his throat before continuing, "What we meant to say is…we'll take care of it."

Joe stood there, steaming in anger before his cell phone rang. "Hello?!" he nearly yelled into the phone.

"Joseph? Is that you?" Uncle Earl asked, before carrying on without waiting for an answer. "Unfortunately, our layover in Phoenix was longer than expected."

"How long?" Joe asked nervously.

Uncle Earl hesitated before continuing, "Our flight to LA has been cancelled." he informed sadly.

"What?! Will you still be able to make it over? I really don't want to let Miley down." Joe told Uncle Earl sincerely.

Uncle Earl scoffed. "Joseph, in no way am I going to let my darling niece down on her sixteenth birthday. We'll be there faster than a gravy-covered cat can run in a barn full of bloodhounds."

Joe blinked. "I'm guessing that's pretty fast." He sighed. "Well, if you can't make it over, I understand." He huffed dramatically before hanging up. "Great."

"What did he say?" Kevin asked.

"Their flight to LA has just been cancelled. Chances of them making it over are slim, but they're still trying. What am I going to do?" Joe asked desperately.

Nick sighed sadly. He knew how much Joe wanted to make this birthday special for Miley. "I'm sure we can trust Miley's family in making it over here in time. They know how much this birthday means to her and they'll do whatever it takes to be here for her. But just in case they don't show up, we could try shopping for a back-up gift?" he suggested.

"Yeah, good idea." Joe said. "There's a gift shop at the other side of this terminal, I'll go check it out." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Kevin. "Keep it, just in case one of them calls with any updates. I shouldn't be too long." he said before disappearing down the long, stretchy halls of the airport.


"Daddy?" Miley called, her head peeking in from the front door of her house. "Is it safe for me to come in?"

"Yeah bud, come on in!" Robbie answered from the kitchen. He looked at his watch, "It's 3:30 already? Eight hours at the mall…? Wow."

Miley laughed. "Eight hours of shopping is nothing, daddy. But remember, I also stopped to take my driver's test. Which I passed!"

"Congratulations, bud! I am so incredibly proud of you!" Robbie smiled, "Why don't you go take a shower and get ready for your party? Your dress is laid out on your bed. And when you're down, Lilly can help you with your makeup."

"Eep!" Lilly squealed. "Let's go, Miley!" she said excitedly, grabbing Miley by the hand and leading her up the stairs. Lilly stopped dead in her tracks as she notice the dress laid out on Miley's bed, letting out another resounding, "EEEEP!" She pushed Miley to the foot of her bed, "The dress…gorgeous!" Lilly shrieked, unable to put her words into a sentence.

"Oh my gosh," Miley said, feeling a tear making it's way to the surface of her eyelids. "This is the dress my mom wore for her sweet sixteen! I've seen it in pictures."

"Wow," Lilly drawled, gently running two fingers across the surface of the cream-colored, knee-length dress, adorned with rows of silver sequins. She chuckled, "It's hard to believe something from back then could look so cute today."

Miley laughed, "My mom always knew what to wear."


"You're sweet sixteen is finally here." Lilly choked out, a tear rolling down her cheek as she curled the last strand of Miley's hair.

"Aw, Lilly…you're crying?" Miley asked, turning to face her best friend.

"Oh, no. I burnt myself with the curling iron." she confessed. "But I'm happy about your birthday too. You're the last one of us to turn sixteen." she said, laughing a bit.

Miley nodded and smiled, "Yeah. But like you said, it's finally here."

"Time flies," Lilly said, applying mascara to Miley's lashes. She placed a dab of powder on each of Miley's cheeks and carefully wiped off any excess. "Time for the finishing touches," Lilly explained, applying a layer of clear lip gloss on Miley's lip. She stepped back and smiled at her work. "You're irresistible."

Miley turned her swivel chair around so she faced the mirror. "Wow, Lilly. You're like my own personal beauty salon."

"Yeah, well, I take pride in my work." Lilly said in mock arrogance.

Miley giggled and opened the double doors to Hannah's shoe closet, smiling as she walked in, with Lilly close behind. "What shoes should I wear, Lilly?"

Lilly stroked her chin as her eyes circled the room. "How about those?" she asked, pointing a closed shoe box with a red ribbon placed on the top.

"Aw…an early birthday present?" Miley asked, making her way over to the box. She grabbed the card and grinned as she read it aloud: "Happy birthday Miles, from…Jackson?" Miley's eyes widened in confusion as she set the card down beside her. "Jackson got me a pair of shoes?"

"That doesn't seem like him." Lilly agreed.

Miley scoffed, "Pfft. It's probably a rubber snake in a shoe box." She gasped as she opened the box, knowing she'd have to eat her words. "Oh, lordie. Lilly, look…" she said, taking out a pair of silver strappy heels by Jonathan Kayne Maui. "This has got to be the sweetest thing Jackson has ever done for me," Miley said, slipping her feet into her new pair of heels.

Lilly grinned, "You know you're brother loves you. I guess he rarely shows it. And when he does…he really does." she giggled.

"Yeah…" Miley replied, admiring her shoes. She looked at the clock and squealed. "It's 5:30, which means it's time for my party!" she shrieked excitedly. She and Lilly linked arms and giddily made their way down the stairs.


"Alright bud, here we are…" Robbie said as he led Miley into a building unknown to her. He slowly untied her blindfold and smiled as a gasp escaped her mouth. "Happy birthday, Miley." he said warmly, wrapping her in a hug.

"Daddy…" Miley gasped, taking in her surroundings. There was a buffet, a DJ, and a dance floor lit by ultraviolet lights. "You did all this for me?"

Robbie placed an arm around his daughter, "This is my friend's old warehouse, and he let me turn it into the perfect party location with the help of a few friends."

Miley squealed and nearly squeezed her father to death, "Thank you, Daddy! This is amazing. I couldn't ask for a better birthday party."

"Whoa, the party hasn't even started yet, bud! Now go, have a good time with your friends." Robbie smiled as he watched his little girl disappear into the endless sea of party guests.

On the other side of the building, Joe slowly trailed in behind his brothers and parents. He looked down at his hand, sighing at the wrapped present he was holding. Miley's relatives still hadn't shown up, and he was starting to lose hope. He put his despair to the side when he spotted Miley on the dance floor with Lilly and Oliver. "Whoa," he mumbled, taking in her features.

He gazed at her long copper-colored hair and was breath taken at how it freely trailed down her back. He watched as her eyes sparkled under the spinning disco ball, and how her smile lit up the room. She was always beautiful, but the way she looked tonight completely redefined the meaning of beautiful. Joe slowly made his way over, setting his present down at an empty table. He smiled as he approached Miley and her friends. "May I?" he asked.

"She's all yours," Oliver said as he and Lilly stepped away.

"You made it," Miley said as she smiled, almost sounding as if she were surprised.

Joe planted a soft kiss on her lips. "You didn't actually think I would miss your birthday, did you?" he asked as they swayed to the slow song that was playing.

Miley chuckled. "Aside from your texts this morning I haven't heard anything from you. Is everything okay?"

Joe felt his stomach turn. "Y-yeah, everything's f-fine." he lied. Come on Earl, you promised you wouldn't let her down. If you let her down, I let her down.

"Are you sure?" Miley asked, raising an eyebrow.

Joe nodded his head, "Yeah. Don't worry about me. This is your party." He sighed as Miley placed her head on his shoulder. He sneakily pulled out his phone to see if there were any messages from her relatives. Nothing. Joe cursed inwardly at himself before escaping to his own thoughts. Come on, Earl, Dolly, Mamaw. Don't let me down.

Don't let her down.


After blowing out the candles on her vanilla cream layer cake, Miley had opened all of her presents, except one. Joe's. She received a nine carat white gold pendant from her dad (and of course, the car he had bought her a while before), a breathtaking pair of diamond studs from Lilly and her mom (to which Lilly says, "We bought on sale!"), and a Dolce & Gabbana sweater from Oliver (which miraculously, he bought in the right size). After thanking everyone for their 'sincere kindness,' she jumped into Joe's arms. "Some night, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah, I g-got you something…" Joe said nervously, handing her the sloppily-wrapped present. His heart sunk when he saw the excitement in her eyes when she started to unwrap it, knowing she would only be let down.

Miley's smile slowly faded, but quickly reappeared when she realized that Joe was still watching her. "A mix-n-match socks kit. This will go great with the one I got last year! Thanks Joe, I love it." she exclaimed as happily as she could, although there still was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"I'm sorry, Miley. I had something amazing planned for you. But everything backfired and nothing happened the way I wanted it too." Joe said earnestly. "And I know I still should've gotten something better than a mix-n-match socks kit, but it was all they had at the airport gift shop."

Miley grinned and placed her arms around Joe's neck. "Joe, that's awfully sweet of you to plan something for me. It's the thought that counts. And don't worry, this mix-n-match socks kit means the world to me, because it's from you." she said honestly, poking him in the side. "Wait a second, why were you at the airport?"

Joe bit his lip, he might as well tell her what he had in store for her. "Well, I—"

"Surprise, surprise!" a loud voice shouted from the doorway as a large, shadowy figure entered the building. Soon enough, the shadowy figure was revealed to be the one and only…Uncle Earl. "Happy birthday, Miley!" he exclaimed, running over to her.

Miley's eyes lit up in surprise. "Uncle Earl? You're here?" she asked as he embraced her in a hug.

"Oh sweetie, it's not just me." Uncle Earl told his niece. "Take a look for yourself."

Miley squinted her eyes as she searched the room. She could feel her breath stop short when she noticed two of the most important in her life. "Aunt Dolly! Mamaw!" she shrieked as she ran over to them. "I can't believe you're here…and not fighting!"

"Miley, you know we couldn't break a promise to you. As you know, we've put our differences aside a long time ago." Aunt Dolly explained, following with a nod from Mamaw.

"What are you all doing here?" Miley asked.

"Your hunk of a boyfriend told us to come." Mamaw piped up, causing Joe to blush.

Miley turned to Joe, her long-lasting smile widening, "Joe, you did this?"

Joe shrugged, a smile creeping onto his face. "Guilty as charged."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. "Thank you, Joe. This is the most amazing thing anyone's ever done for me. I love it. Now everyone's here." she said, before her smile faded and her gazed concentrated on her feet. "Well, not…everyone."

Joe sighed and pulled her closer. He knew exactly who she was talking about. "You know she's smiling down at you this very moment."

Miley cried softly into his chest, before lifting her head up for a breath of air. "I'm wearing her dress. My dad saved it all this years because my mom told him that she wanted to see me wear it one day." She leaned into his chest again, and let out a muffled cry. "And she never got to."

Joe rubbed her back. "She's watching you wear her dress from a better place. She wouldn't want you to spend the night of your sweet sixteen crying, would she?"

Miley shook her head.

"Exactly." said Joe. "She'd want to see you having fun, right?"

"I guess so."

Joe smiled at her. "Come on."


Later that night, Miley and Joe lay in the grass in Miley's backyard. It was silent, except for Miley's constant giggles and an occasional laugh from Joe. Miley relaxed into Joe's embrace and breathed in her favorite scent: Joe's sweat. Her eyes slowly closed as she listened to his heartbeat. Joe smiled down at her. "You hear that?" he asked.

Miley nodded.

"It only beats for you."

Miley looked up at him and smiled. "You're too sweet." she said, tapping his nose.

Joe chuckled, before a more serious expression washed over his face. "Miley…?" he began nervously.

"Yeah?"

"Um, I have something for you." he said, fiddling with something in his pocket. "I wasn't sure if I should've given it to you at your party, or anytime near today. But…"

Miley chuckled at his shyness, "What is it Joe?" She rolled and shifted so that she was lying next to him. A small smile was plastered on her face as the night breeze blew through her hair and the freshly cut grass tickled her bare toes.

Joe breathed deeply before pulling out a gold rope chain necklace with a heart-shaped charm at the end. He mentally prepared himself for the worst as he handed it to Miley with a shaking hand. "F-For you." he stuttered.

Miley smirked at him and let the chain fall through her grip, quickly catching it with the other. "It's pretty. Thank you." she told him sincerely. She ran her fingers across the texture of the necklace, stopping when she noticed an engraving on the back of the heart. She allowed her fingers to run across its cold, shiny surface before flipping it over. She gasped as she read its message, then shifted her gaze to Joe, waiting for him to confirm the engraving.

I Love You.