Chapter 19 - The Birthday on the Terrace
On a warm, golden afternoon in late August, the private stone terrace of our Lake Forest estate was alive with the sweet fragrance of blooming beach roses, fresh lake air, and roasting cedarwood.
It was Lily’s seventh birthday.
A wide teak dining table was laden with platters of fresh summer fruit, wood-fired artisanal pizzas, homemade strawberry shortcake, and crystal carafes of fresh strawberry lemonade.
Gathered around the table were the people who formed our true family: my father, Marcus Brody and his family, Prosecutor Sarah Jenkins, the pediatric staff from the children's center, and several of Lily’s school classmates, sharing stories and laughing heartily under the clear sapphire sky.
In the center of the table sat a magnificent, homemade two-tier vanilla and chocolate cake decorated with miniature golden stars and seven glowing golden candles.
Lily sat at the head of the table, wearing a little paper party crown, her face beaming with pure, untamed joy.
"Make a wish, sweetheart!" my father laughed, standing behind her chair with his hands resting warmly on her shoulders.
Lily looked at her grandfather, looked at me standing beside her, and smiled with a wide, radiant grin.
"I already have my wish," Lily said, her voice bright and clear. "I wished for Grandpa and Mommy to stay with me forever!"
The entire table erupted into warm laughter and heartfelt applause as Lily leaned forward, blowing out all seven candles with one giant puff of air.
May you like
I knelt beside her chair, pulling her into a warm, fierce embrace, kissing her sweet, sun-warmed cheek while she giggled happily.
"We’re never leaving you, my brave girl," I promised, my heart overflowing with an ocean of pure, unbreakable love.
