Page 33

Despite all of Nora’s assurances to me that she didn’t invite that many kids, my backyard is alive with voices and laughter with the chaos that comes from a yard full of kids, all hopped up on sugar and cake.

It’s early spring but unseasonably warm, so we decided to move the party outside, where the air is bursting with the scents of Phina’s garden, all those fresh flowers she and Nora planted.

Seeing it like this reminds me of my mom, of all the time she used to spend back here growing fruits and veggies and cutting fresh flowers to bring inside.

At first, I was worried that living in my dead parents’ house might be too morbid, but being here with Nora and Phina is different. They bring the entire place to life.

Nora kept the room she and Phina had shared, painting it blue and picking out her own furniture. The first thing she brought in was the pink and purple chessboard from Denver.

Phina redecorated what’s become our bedroom, filling it with lighter colors and swapping out the dark wood for light. Now it looks like a completely different place.

And even the backyard has had another facelift.

With fairy lights twinkling overhead and a hot tub in the far corner, it actually feels like the kind of place where you’d have a party.

Phina even went so far as to build a picnic table, painting it a soft purple and situating it under our tree, which is currently strung with balloons.

Phina is bustling around, refilling punch and fetching snacks and cleaning up messes before they even happen. Occasionally, I catch her using a tiny bit of magic, and when we lock eyes, I shake my head at her. She just laughs.

The rule was only in the house. I just never knew my house was going to host all of Silverville’s sixth grade.

Apparently, after years of struggling to make friends, Nora didn’t take long to amass a queue of potential party-goers once news spread that she was a Sorel. And not just any Sorel. The alpha supreme’s daughter.

I lean against the porch railing and watch Nora command her party, just another sign of the alpha she’s destined to become. Even the other alpha kids are listening to her, and I get the feeling that it’s not just because it’s her birthday.

Or maybe that’s what every parent thinks about their kid.

“Dad!” she calls, surprising me by turning and meeting my eyes like she knew I was thinking about her. “Be on my team for the relay race!”

I shake my head and laugh. “Not sure that would be fair, kid.”

She rolls her eyes good-naturedly, then turns back to the race, which Felix has been laying out for the last ten minutes. When Phina gave him a task for the party, I didn’t actually think he would do it. And I certainly didn’t think he’d do such a good job.

Lachlan, Felix, and Soren are in the corner of the porch, working the grill. They’d tried to convince me that cooking the meat was part of my job as alpha supreme, but I managed to convince them that there was no way I’d be standing over a hot grill all day.

“Hey,” Phina says, opening the sliding door and appearing next to me. I turn to find her offering me a glass of lemonade, and I accept it, unable to tear my eyes from her. She’s beautiful today, dressed in a simple sun dress, her blond hair loose around her shoulders.

In this light, she’s practically glowing.

“Hey,” I reply, pulling her in and kissing her cheek quickly, as though someone might catch us being affectionate in our own home and kick us out.

Well, more specifically, Nora might gag all the way from across the yard.

The party proceeds exactly according to Phina’s schedule.

First, we sing to Nora. It’s controlled chaos as we gather around the picnic table.

Eleven candles flicker on top of a chocolate cake decorated with sharks and seaweed.

Nora laughs and sings along while everyone sings “Happy Birthday” with varying degrees of enthusiasm and key accuracy.

Felix’s voice cracks on the high notes while Lachlan harmonizes perfectly, because of course he does.

Knowing him, his parents insisted that he take singing lessons as a kid to go with his violin and piano lessons.

But it’s Phina’s voice I focus on, soft and sweet beside me, her gaze locked on our daughter.

When we’re done singing, Nora takes a deep breath and blows out all eleven candles in one go, earning cheers from the assembled crowd.

After the cake, it’s time to swing at the pinata. A squid, which Nora informs us is different than an octopus. It’s been provided by Lachlan and strung up by Soren.

Finally, after Nora nearly takes the head off another kid who’s not paying attention and goes running by the pinata, it’s time for presents.

From us, Nora asked for a pet shark, despite definitely knowing that wasn’t going to happen.

Instead of a tank, her gift comes in an envelope and is an annual membership to the aquarium in Denver, along with a pass for one friend on each visit.

She throws her arms around us, squeezing us tight and squealing in excitement. Right now, she’s convinced she’s going to be a marine biologist.

The rest of her gifts are thoughtful: jewelry and new clothes, a stuffed octopus, a book about the Atlantic Ocean’s weirdest critters. When she thinks she’s done, she goes to stand, but Phina clears her throat.

“Looks like there’s one more,” she says pointedly.

It takes Nora a minute to find the smaller box on the table. “Weird,” Nora says, glancing up at everyone as we all watch her. “This one isn’t for me.”

“It’s not?” Phina asks, her voice slightly higher as she glances between her daughter and me. There’s something going on here, but I can’t quite put a finger on it.

“It’s for me and Dad,” Nora says, and just like always, hearing her say that word makes something warm and heavy settle in my chest. Dad —something I didn’t know I was until so recently. Something I’ll never get tired of hearing.

Then, I finally register that it’s a gift for me , too.

“What?” I stand up, shaking my head and peering at the present. “That can’t be right. It must be a mistake.”

Unless it’s a prank. I look questioningly at Felix, but he shakes his head and holds his hands up, as though that can prove his innocence.

“Weird,” Phina remarks coyly, shifting in her seat. “You guys had better open it, then, if it’s for both of you.”

I glance at her, trying to figure out what she’s getting at here, but she avoids my gaze, her eyes locked on the present.

So, while everyone watches, Nora and I open the gift together. The first thing that falls out is a tiny firefighter’s helmet. Then Nora pulls out an equally tiny shark costume, one that would never fit her.

“Cool,” Felix jokes, leaning on the railing and taking a sip of his soda. “You guys are getting matching dolls.”

Like always, Nora figures it out a moment before I do, her mouth falling open, her head snapping over to her mother. “ Mom ! Really?”

Phina is smiling, bringing her hand to her mouth, and I glance between them, trying to figure out what’s going on.

Then it hits me, and I look down at the little firefighter’s helmet in my hand, realizing it’s the perfect size for a tiny little human.

“Oh, gods!”

I stand instantly, walking to my wife, throwing my arms around her and drawing her in closer to me. I want to squeeze her, then I force myself to relax in case I hurt her.

Pulling back, I look her in the eyes, joy zipping through me like the bubbles rising to the top of a drink. “We’re having a baby?”

Phina nods, tears sliding down her cheeks. “Technically, I’m having a baby, but yes—”

“I’m getting a little sister?” Nora practically squeals, appearing at our side, throwing her arms around Phina, not concerned at all with how hard she squeezes. “Thank you! That’s exactly what I wanted, but I didn’t think it would happen! That’s why I asked for a shark instead!”

Felix snorts, which leads to everyone else laughing. I just shake my head, pulling Nora and Phina closer, shutting my eyes, feeling the sun against my skin and vibrating with the future I know is ahead.

A baby.

Our baby.

This is happiness, I realize. This chaotic, imperfect, absolutely perfect life we’ve built together.

And it’s only going to keep getting better, and better, and better.

*****

THE END