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A three-tiered cake was wheeled out, and after a few blows, Ethan extinguished the candles.

“Speech,” came from among the crowd.

Ethan was dragged up to the stage and stood before a microphone. He hugged and kissed his wife and whispered something that made her smile. He then shifted a bit on the spot, something I found odd since he’d always come across as comfortable in his own skin.

“I’m told that if I don’t give a speech, I’ll be strung up and quartered.” He chuckled with a grimace. He turned to Mirabel and asked, “How old am I again?”

Someone yelled, “Fifty going onto five.”

He laughed.

“Two years younger than Jesus,” another guest yelled.

“Oh, I’m thirty-one. That’s right. And no, I’m not losing my mind. It’s been a whirlwind year. Mirabel had to remind me last week that it was my birthday.” He chuckled. “Anyway, it’s great to see you all. Old faces and new, and ones that were once old.”

He waited for the laughs to die down and added, “I’d like to give a big heartfelt thanks to my beautiful wife, my mother, Declan, Savanah, and—last but not least—Theadora for organising this night. I’ve had the best year of my life, and it can only get better. I’ve never been happier, healthier, or more driven thanks to my beautiful wife and my delightful precocious son, Cian, who bring me much joy and laughter every day.”

He turned to Mirabel, and she nodded with an encouraging smile.

“Um… I’d also like to announce that we’re expecting another child.”

Whistles and cheers echoed off the grand ballroom’s walls.

“I only heard about it this morning. The best birthday present ever.”

Draping his arm over Mirabel, he kissed her on the cheek and then held up his glass of champagne. “Here’s to a great night. I’m told the band is fab. Have a dance, a few drinks, and a jolly good old time on me.”

More cheers, and down he stepped to meet his brother and family for hugs.

I trundled over to the barrel of beer on ice, grabbed a bottle, unscrewed the top, and took a thirsty sip before embarking on small talk with some of the guests.

When the band came on, I perched myself against the wall, tapping my foot.

Declan came over and joined me. “Hey.”

I nodded. “It’s a great night. This is some room.”

“Can you believe we used to play cricket in here?” He chuckled. “Sometimes even football when my mother wasn’t around.”

“You couldn’t have played outside? There’s no shortage of land.”

“On those wet, miserably cold days. And at nights.”

I shook my head. “I can’t believe your world. But then you became one of us. I can’t quite figure that out.”

He sniffed. “My mother couldn’t either. But hey, I would do it all again. And I got to fly. I love my planes. You know that.”

Declan was a hero in the true sense of the word, and one of us. The only time he showed off his wealth was when we hit the bars during breaks. He insisted on buying all the rounds and made sure we had the best steak.

A man in a green suit bounced around in jerky moves like he’d stood on hot coals as he flirted with two women in gowns with slits up their thighs.

“He’s out there,” I said.

“That’s Orson. He thinks he’s living in the seventies.”

“I can tell.”

Theadora joined us and kissed me on the cheek. “Lovely to see you.” She looked over at Savanah for some reason. “You’re not dancing? There are lots of single girls here.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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