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“This is so cool,” he finally said. “Do we get to play?”
“You bet we do,” I told him. “And there isa lotmore.”
“There is?” he asked in wonder, staring up at me, mouth slightly agape.
“Yup, but we need to go find our spot to sit before we go check everything out, okay?”
“Okay.”
My son was a good kid. Sure there were moments, but I was so damn proud of how well he behaved. “You did good, Brin.” Because it was all her and she needed to hear it.
She looked at me and a sparkle shone in her baby blue eyes. I didn’t want her to cry, but I did want her to know. “You’re an amazing mother and did a great job.”
“My mommy is the best, but can we go now?” Zander pleaded, tugging on our hands.
He never seemed to miss a beat, our kid. And while he was very well behaved, he was still just that. A kid. One who happened to be in a child's dream place right then, so I couldn’t blame him for wanting to start playing.
“You bet. Let’s get this show on the road,” I told him.
“But I don’t want to see a show, I want to play games.”
Brinley and I burst out laughing at him.
“No, buddy, it’s just an expression that means to get going,” I told him.
Zander puffed out a small breath and started pulling on our hands dragging us along. I veered him toward the party room I had reserved and maneuvered him in front of us so he walked in first.
“Surprise!” a chorus of people screamed as he walked through the open door. “Happy Birthday!”
Our friends had gotten there earlier to decorate and it was fantastic. Even if Summer, who was in charge, may have gone a little overboard. It looked as if she bought out the entire store of decorations. But it was for Zander so there were no complaints from me. I was so thankful for the people that had come into my life, as well as Brinley and Zander’s.
They were damn good people.
“This is for me?” he asked, looking up at me and then his mother.
“Daddy planned it for you,” Brinley said.
And once again my heart took another little stumble at the word Daddy. Only this time it was because it had come from Brinley’s mouth.
“Thank you, Daddy.”
Then he was rushed by all the kids and I knew it was time to get the party started.
* * *
“It’s time to make a wish,”Brinley told our son after everyone finished singing happy birthday.
We had pizza and had been playing for a couple hours, but the kids were ready for cake. Which happened to be perfect and had Zander clapping his hands in excitement because it was designed like a forest with army men hiding throughout the trees as if on a mission.
I was impressed and I knew it would be good since it came from my favorite little bakery. I’d brought Brinley and Zander cinnamon rolls from there the first morning after they moved in and she was addicted to them. Although she said she hated me because she is going to gain too much weight.
Personally I thought she looked amazing and over the last month had filled out generously. She had needed it and it rattled me to think the stress in her life had caused her to lose any weight before coming to Portland.
Brinley’s body was—shit, not something I should’ve been thinking about at our son’s birthday party with a room full of kids around.
“If you don’t hurry and make a wish it will be our bedtime pretty soon,” Embry told Zander, bringing my mind back to where it should be.
“But I already got mine. I got my daddy,” Zander said, looking right at me.
