Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
He let out a low grumble, then slid the door open and motioned for me to lead the way. I stepped outside and was immediately blown away. Hadley had transformed their backyard into a whimsical wonderland. She had colorful banners and bunting in shades of pink, purple, and blue draped over the eves of the house and swing set. There were balloons of all shapes and sizes scattered throughout the backyard. Streamers hung from trees and fences, and in the center of the yard, there was a sweet, little canopy draped with flowing fabric and little white lights, creating a magical play area for the children.
She had various games set up and an inflatable bouncy castle. And if that wasn’t enough, she even had a face painting station where an artist transformed the children into their favorite animals, superheroes, or fairytale characters. It was crazy and beautiful and the perfect party for a precious little girl.
Hadley spotted us and came rushing over. She gave Wrath a big hug, and then reached over and gave me one as well. As I hugged her back, I told her, “Everything looks amazing!”
“Tom thinks I went overboard.”
“Well, your little girl only turns two once.”
“That’s what I told him!” She turned to Wrath and told him, “The guys are in the garage watching the game if you wanna go join.”
“Awe, hell yeah.” He glanced around the crowd. “But first, where’s my girl? I wanna tell her happy birthday.”
“She’s over on the swing set with Liv and Clutch.”
He nodded, then made his way through the yard full of children and parents. Willa’s face lit up when she saw him walking in her direction. She held her little arms out and shouted, “Unk Char-wee!”
“Hey there, beautiful!” He leaned down and picked her up from the swing, twirling her around in a circle. “How’s my birthday girl?”
“To-wa.” She held up two fingers as she repeated, “I’m to-wa.”
“That’s right. You’re two years old today.”
“I -ant ba-woon!” She eagerly clasped her hands together. “That one.”
“Alright, I’ll get you one.”
I was still watching them when Hadley leaned over and said, “I always prayed he’d find someone who made him smile again. I’m so glad it was you.”
“Oh, Hadley. You’re going to make me cry.”
“I mean it. I can’t remember ever seeing him look so happy.”
“Well, he makes me happy, too.”
“Oh, I can tell. We all can.” She pointed over to one of the back tables where Darby and Susana were sitting with Casey. They were all three smiling as they waved me over to their table. Hadley shooed me over to them as she said, “You better get over there before they cause a scene.”
“Are you going to join us?”
“In a bit. I need to get a few things done first.”
“Okay, I’ll go say hi to them, and then I’ll come back and give you a hand.”
“That would be great.”
I scurried through the crowd of kids and went over to chat with the girls, and just as I expected, they wanted to know all about Wrath and me moving in together. Today wasn’t about me. It was about Willa and her birthday, not me and Wrath. So, I kept it short. When I was done, I went back over to Hadley and Liv, and did my best to help manage the kids.
It wasn’t easy.
There were so many of them.
But eventually, things started to calm down, and it was time for Willa to open gifts. Hadley and Tom gathered everyone together on the porch, and Wrath came over and stood with me. His eyes were fixed on his niece. He clearly adored her and was pleased to see her look so happy.
Willa’s eyes were wide with excitement as she looked at the sea of presents wrapped in colorful paper and beautiful ribbons and bows. She could barely contain herself as she ripped them all to shreds. We all oohed and awed, and she gave an excited squeal whenever she finally reached the gift.
It was the perfect party made even more perfect because I was there with the man I loved.
Life was good. Very, very good.
When we got back home from the party, I was surprised to see that my recliner and loveseat were sitting in his living room. Confused, I took a step further into the house, and that’s when I spotted my lamps and my pictures on the floor in the foyer.
When I saw all the boxes and bags of my stuff in the hall, I immediately turned to Wrath and asked, “What is all this?”
“I had a couple of prospects bring it over.”
“When?”
“While we were at the party.” He walked over to me and placed his hands on my hips as he explained, “I’ve waited a long time for you, Mia. I don’t want to wait anymore.”
“Stop with the sweet. I don’t know how to do the sweet.”