Chapter 180
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When Timothy and I returned to the party, Aria greeted us with a smile as bright as the candles she
was about to light. “The girls are ready to cut the cake!” she announced, her excitement more
pronounced now that she wasfortable.
Timothy looked at me and whispered, “I think I’d better head out,” then made his way over to Duke.
The dog looked burnt out, like the girls did a number on him. Timothy grabbed his leash and
practically had to coax him to move from his ce offort.
Timothy then walked over to Olive and knelt down to her level, wishing her a heartfelt, “Happy
birthday, sweetheart,” before embracing her tightly. “Goodnight!” Olive told him. “Don’t let the
bedbugs bite.”
“I’ll keep an eye out for ‘em.” As he pulled away from the hug, I noticed his gaze linger on me. It was
an intense, lingering look, filled with a depth of emotion that I couldn’t quite ce. My heart raced as
our eyes locked for a moment, and then he turned and headed for the door.
“Night, Aria. Night, Evie.” He smiled at me as he passed the threshold and shut the door behind
him. For some reason, I felt more affronted by the
gesture.
I couldn’t deny the way his gaze had affected me. It was a mixture of curiosity and frustration,
leaving me torn between wanting to know what he was thinking and being furious with him for what
he had done. I had no intention of letting him off the hook easily. There was unfinished business
between us, and that gaze had only added to the growing pile of questions in my mind.
Once Timothy had disappeared from sight, I turned my attention back to Aria, who was now ready
to light the candles on Olive’s cake. The girls fell
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silent as the mes flickered to life, casting a warm, golden glow on Olive’s delighted face. We all
sang a heartfelt rendition of “Happy Birthday.” and Olive beamed as she made a wish before
blowing out the candles.
As the
party continued, Olive began opening her birthday presents, a chorus of excitement apanying
each unwrapping.
After reaching herst friend’s gift, Olive turned to me, her eyes shining with gratitude. “Thank you,
Evie. This ·
an amazing birthday!”
I smiled at her, my heart swelling with affection. “You’re wee, sweetie. But don’t thank me just
yet.” I reached into my bag and pulled out the wrapped gift. “This is from me and your Uncle
Timothy.”
I handed Olive the gift bag, her eyes widening with curiosity. She eagerly tore open the wrapping,
revealing the toys inside. Olive’s face lit up with. delight, and she hugged the action figure to her
chest, a wide smile on her face.
“Thank you, Evie!” Olive eximed, her gratitude overflowing.
I returned her hug, feeling a sense of happiness. “You’re wee, Olive. I’m d you like it.”
“This is the best present ever,” she said, holding up the toy. “At least Uncle Timothy’s nice. Maybe
him and Aunt Ste should get married after all.” My heart sank at her words. I nced at Olive,
unsure of how to respond. Her innocent remark had touched on something that I hadn’t expected. I
leaned down to Olive’s level, my voice gentle. “Olive, what do you mean by that? Did someone say
something to you?” Olive shrugged, her young mind not fullyprehending the weight of her
words. “Aunt Ste can be pretty mean, but Mommy says that Uncle
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Timothy is the best thing that ever happened to her. He keeps her calm.”
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I couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions as I listened to Olive’s innocent perspective. Even if
Timothy kept Ste calm, he certainly couldn’t convince her to be loyal at any capacity.
But Olive was too young to understand theplexities of adult rtionships, and it wasn’t the time
or ce to dive into that conversation. Instead, I gave her a soft smile and said, “Well, sometimes,
people find silver linings in the most unexpected ces.”
As the party continued, I found myself lost in thought. The celebrations had brought a mixture of
emotions, from anger and confusion to understanding and empathy. The intricacies of family
dynamics and theplexities of human rtionships had taken center stage, and I couldn’t
escape the feeling of being drawn into a world of unanswered questions.
The celebration eventually came to a close, the apartment growing quiet. Aria and I, both worn out
from the day’s festivities, set about the task of getting the girls to sleep. We shared stories and
bedtime rituals, gradually coaxing the young ones into slumber.
Once the girls were finally asleep. Aria and I retreated to the living room, where the warm glow of
the tablemp cast soft shadows on the walls. We settled onto the couch, emiting sighs.
“I knew seven kids in one apartment would be a handful, but that was another level,” Aria said, and
she shot me a re. “And you abandoned me twice. by the way, Miss I’ll be by your side all day‘!”
I scoffed. “I didn’t say that at all. I just said I’d take care of the big stuff, though I appreciate you
chaperoning.”
Aria rolled her eyes, though they held a hint of humor. “Man, it’s been so long since I’ve even seen
a big birthday like that. Myst one was my sweet
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sixteen and that ended with a cheating boyfriend and a torn dress.”
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Iughed along with her, but it didn’t seem possible to share my own birthday anecdotes. “That’s
awful. I guess I’ve never really had a birthday, per say, so it was hard to have a bad one.”
Aria looked at me with concern, her eyes filled with empathy. “No birthdays? Was it because you
didn’t want any?”
I sighed, the frustration and anger of my past resurfacing. “I could never really get one, though I did
want them.”
Her eyebrows creased with concern, and I started feeling troubled. She didn’t need to indulge in
more of my life story, though I’ve told her very little throughout the years..
“Ugh. I’m angry for you,” she said with grunt.
I looked away, drawing my attention to the confetti littered all over the coffee table. “I think this
birthday made up for all of them, but now I’m scared that Scarlett, who wants to actually be there for
her daughter, won’t recover from this.”
Aria reached out to ce aforting hand on my shoulder. “Evie, I understand your fears, but you
can’t control these kinds of things. All you can do is be there for Olive and be the best caregiver you
can be. Scarlett’s a strong woman, and I can tell she loves her daughter. She’ll push through.”
Her words were a balm to my troubled heart. I want to believe you’re right, Aria. It’s the only think
we can hope for
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Aria smiled, her warmth and understanding shining through. “We’re in this together, Evie. And if you
think about it, we’re living under the same roof. We can have all the sleepovers we want!”
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I couldn’t help but grin. “That sounds perfect.”
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As we exchanged goodnight wishes, Aria headed to her room for the night, leaving me alone with
my thoughts. Hope was all that was pushing me to move forward these days.
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