Page 85 of The Moment I Knew

I waited a minute for her to keep going, but when she didn’t, I prompted her.

“I don’t know if I even want him to,” she whispered. My heart sank. “I mean… I miss him sometimes, but… how do you think Mum would react if he came? Or Sebastian—oh gosh, Sebastian would probably kill him.”

“Sebastian wouldn’t ruin our birthday like that,” I said. I’d thought this through. I’d considered everyone’s possible reactions before I’d invited Dad, and even though I knew Sebastian and Lavender wouldn’t be happy, I also knew they wouldn’t make a scene. And Lavender had prior warning now anyway, so it was one less person for me to worry about.

I reached out and tapped her arm lightly. “Look, even if you’re not sure, he’s coming. I just know it. And I know everyone will be able to be civil for one night. For us.”

And not just civil, if everything went according to plan.

Ainsley chewed her lip and stared at her reflection for a long moment. Then she let out a quiet breath and nodded. “Okay… I’ll try not to worry.”

I grinned and picked up the curler again, finishing the last few spirals. “That’s the spirit. And honestly? Even if he does something weird, we can handle it. We’re unstoppable, remember?”

She smirked, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. “Unstoppable, huh? I can live with that.”

I glanced at our reflections, side by side. Hair done, dresses waiting, and the bathroom a mess of brushes, irons, and sprays. It was chaotic, but warm and familiar—the kind of calm that only comes right before everything else kicks off.

“Ready to move on to makeup?” I asked, my own grin widening.

“Yeah,” she said, picking up her brush again. She even laughed a little this time, light and easy. “Let’s make ourselves look incredible.”

We dove into putting on our makeup and try as I might, the only time, I couldn’t stop smiling as I imagined the moment that Dad walked in. It was going to be the perfect birthday—I just knew it.

twenty-eight

The door swung open. Cold December air hit my face and the back of my neck, sharp and bracing, carrying the scent of wet leaves and the faint exhaust of cars outside. Laughter spilled in behind it, loud and immediate, spilling over the threshold like sunlight over pavement.

“Happy birthday!”

Some of our cousins stepped inside, arms full of crinkling gift bags, bows bouncing against each other. Someone handed me a box wrapped in metallic gold paper. My fingers brushed the smooth surface, cool against the warmth of my skin. I mumbled a thanks, hugged it close, pressed it against my chest, and felt the scratch of wool coats brushing my cheek. The heat and motion swirled around me, but my eyes flicked toward the door, expecting it to open again any second.

The door shut. I stared at it. Just for a moment.

Then the doorbell rang again and it happened a second time. And another. And another.

The entryway began filling with boots, kicked off in messy piles. The smell of perfume and cologne tangled with the warm vanilla of frosting drifting from the kitchen, and it hit my chest like a tide of too much, too fast. Music hummed softly from the speakers, people yelled over it, friends and family came up to wish me a happy birthday.

“You look stunning,” someone said, bright and cheerful, maybe sensing I wasn’t fully present.

“I love that lipstick.”

“That dress is insane on you.”

I forced myself to inhale slowly, pressing a hand to my chest to steady it. Dad’s not coming this early, don’t get ahead of yourself, I told myself, but the tightening in my chest didn’t ease.

Laughter swelled. Sebastian yelled from somewhere near the snack table, loud and ridiculous. Ainsley spun in the center of a group, arms flailing, bright and effortless. Everyone else was absorbed in chatter and movement, unaware of the coil of tension tightening inside me. Every time the door opened, I looked to see if it was Dad. It never was.

By the time the house was full, the air had thickened. The warmth of bodies pressed against me in waves. Fog of breath and perfume clung to the corners of the windows. Fairy lights blurred in my vision when I blinked for too long.

Forty-five minutes in, I walked into the basement to get a case of sodas from the storage room but stopped in surprise when I saw Nora sitting in Sebastian’s room, which was across from it. Nora had lived next door since before we moved here and we were in the same grade at school, but despite the factors that should have pushed us together, we’d never really gotten to know each other before she started dating my brother three months ago. I liked her—especially compared to his ex—but I still wasn’t used to her just hanging around our house as much as she did.

“Hey,” I said. Her head jerked up in surprise. “Not in a party mood?”

She smiled sheepishly. “I’m just a little tired and don’t know anyone, so I thought I’d…” She gestured vaguely.

I grinned. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell.”

I turned back toward the storage room but heard Nora shift behind me.