62. Birthday Boy
62
BIRTHDAY BOY
WYATT
C hildren rushed around the yard, chasing one another. In the mix were normies like mine and the royal brood who came with Rick to give Alex a break. He hung out with the other parents like any other, even if they were confused by his presence. Meanwhile, Odette and her sister Ingrid helped Mom prepare the cake, ensuring the falcon was on its way. When asked what he wanted as his party’s theme, Theo answered, “Dinosaurs!”
So, with that, we racked our brains. Thankfully, Alexandra knew a falconer, and he had rescue birds who would fly around and do a show. He’d come, teach the kids about the birds, and entertain everyone as they ate cake. Raptors were dinosaurs. It was the closest thing we could find to fit the bill.
“He’s here!” Odette said in French.
“I’ll go get him. You stay,” Ingrid responded in her mother tongue.
Ingrid was around following a terrible breakup that came seemingly out of nowhere. Her ex—The Prince—deployed, and he just got up and ended it. It seemed cowardly. I felt terrible for her, but dating in your twenties was rough. However, he wasn’t in his twenties and knew better. It was cruel for him to just up and leave her. She was a nice person. This party seemed to cheer the poor thing up a bit .
“Ah, okay, this is nice,” Mom said. “Look at that.”
She stepped back from her towering cake of perfection. Odette bought Mom a sugar sculpture of a dinosaur and a bird to use as a topper. They looked great.
“It’s lovely,” Odette cooed. “You did such a fab job.”
I know Odette wanted the pastry chef at the palace to make the cake, but Mom always made our cakes—a tradition passed down to Theo. The minute she’d offered, Odette backed off. She knew which battles to pick. She never overstepped. Her graciousness was beyond her years.
“Okay, so do we have all we need?” Ingrid returned. “The falconer is ready.”
“Let’s do the cake, and then he can come on through,” Mom said.
“I can cue him once they get seated,” Ingrid offered. “He is actually kind of cute.”
Ah, to be twenty-one again!
Odette rolled her eyes. In terse French, she said, “Focus on the children.”
We packed the cake off, Odette starting Bon Anniversaire like a goddamn angel. I first bristled at her beautiful voice when I heard her in the shower. It reminded me of Isla’s comforting pipes, but I could appreciate it now when she sang a song to Theo. It brought her joy. In turn, it brought us joy.
The children stared in amazement as Mom put the cake down. The adults tried to get them to sing along. They took their seats around the table as Theo blew out his candles. Everyone clapped and cooed over Mom’s handiwork—unable to believe she wasn’t a professional baker.
“The cake is just so good. You all were fortunate,” Odette said.
“I know,” I agreed. “For many reasons.”
It choked me up. I had a five-year-old, and this summer marked four years without Isla. But here he was with his friends, thriving.
I leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I need just a minute. If you can handle the falconer.”
She squeezed my hand. “Of course. Take your time. I get it. I’ll take a million pictures so you don’t miss anything.”
I escaped into the house, returning to a picture of Isla in what Odette called “The Drawing Room,” which hung on a wall near the window. It was taken soon after Theo was born. She held him and looked down on his face so lovingly. Somehow, nothing had changed since that moment.
“You okay, sweetie?” Mom asked.
I turned to her in the doorway.
“I just needed a second.”
“Okay. This day is always so hard—the hardest, I know,” Mom said.
“I wish it got easier.”
“It has. Wy, you have handled it with much more joy every year. I know this year, the day you lost her, was hard, but this was so wonderful for Theo. I know it took courage to go through with it.”
“I feel terrible about that.”
“He is making core memories if you’d believe what Ingrid says,” Mom assured. “Sweetheart, he’s happy. That’s a testament to you. And, if allowed, I should point out Odette’s patience and willingness to take this whole thing on.”
“She’s amazing. She’s been so good to him. And us.”
“She loves Theo, but she’s been worried about you all day. Theo having fun was a given. Kids are easy. She was worried about you. And you’re doing a great job.”
I looked back at the photo. “I miss her so much. She would have loved to plan every party with you.”
“I know. But sweetheart, she would love that Theo got this party and that so many people care about him.”
“I still feel guilty.”
“I know. And you may always do that, but I think you realise you did the right thing and that Odette being here really helped , right?”
“It did. I love how caring she always is. We don’t deserve her.”
“You do, honey. You do.”
Mom hugged me. I always wondered when I’d tire of this need for a big bear hug from my mom, but I figured it might never come. That is why I said I would if Theo let me cuddle with him during story time every night. Time was precious and fleeting.
“I think I’m good,” I said. “I just want to dry my eyes and see this falconry thing. ”
Pulling myself together, I smiled and went outside. The falconer explained to the children, in age-appropriate detail, how birds evolved.
“How did you find this guy?” I whispered to Odette.
She wrapped her arm around my waist. “He does a demonstration at our country home sometimes. It’s a real crowd-pleaser.”
“Thanks for doing all of this,” I said. “It means the world.”
She rested her head on my shoulder. “I love that you let me help. Celebrating Theo and being included by your family feels great.”
Watching Theo stand and help catch the bird as it did its pass was pure joy. Theo was living his best life on a day that—for the first time—felt all about him. We’d gone from focusing on the day’s pain to what it should be. Theo was a bright light that always got me through. And now, we had more people than ever to give him love.