Chapter 33 #2
“Likewise. I’m Simon, and this is my wife, Claudia.” He gestures to her after placing his hand on his chest for himself.
“And this here is the special birthday girl, Gracie,” Greyson continues, bouncing her on his hip a little.
“She’s beautiful,” Claudia says with an emotional voice, her hand resting at the base of her throat.
She looks from Gracie to me, then to Greyson.
“I’m sorry it took us so long to come around.
Our daughter was just… a lot to handle, and her behavior had become toxic.
We didn’t have a choice but to distance ourselves from her. ”
She smiles sadly. “But Gracie never should have paid the price for that. It’s why we accepted your offer to come today.
It’s time we put the past behind us and focus on the future.
She’s the only connection to Stephanie we have left, and as big as the distance was between us, we don’t want to lose that last piece of her. ”
I offer Claudia a sympathetic smile when her eyes fall back on me, but I don’t truly feel it.
I understand needing to cut toxic people out of your life; I’ve done it with my mother.
But their daughter was dealing with a mental illness, she didn’t choose to be that way.
How can a parent knowingly abandon their sick child like that?
Given Grey’s body language, I take it he feels the same way I do. But we’re both willing to put our own opinions aside if it rewards Gracie with two extra people who will love her.
“Right. Well, as you said, the past is in the past. All that matters to me is my little girl and that she gets the love she deserves. So we’d be happy to have you both be more present in her life,” Greyson tells them.
I love how he involves me in the decision-making.
Like I actually get a say in what happens with Gracie.
“Thank you, we really appreciate that,” Simon says.
“It’s cake time!” Grey shouts to all the kids and adults running around the playground.
We finished with gifts half an hour ago and are now all set for the cake.
Plates and plastic utensils are laid out over every table, as well as napkins.
Loads of them. When it comes to kids, you can never have too much.
I put Gracie down in her highchair and gaze down at the seven cakes lying before me.
There are six big ones, each shaped like a letter, spelling out Gracie’s name.
And then there’s a cute tiny one that could fit in the palm of my hand.
It’s a simple round cake decorated in pink with drizzles of white icing leaking down the sides, with a cookie-shaped ‘1’ sitting at the top with a tiara in front of it.
Tiny little tulips and buttercup flowers are all over, made out of chocolate. A cake made just for Little Tulip.
All the cakes are pretty simple, yet made with such fine detail that they look like they would cost thousands to have.
Baking truly is Brey’s calling. I love how she incorporated our nicknames for her into the cake.
She also assured us that everything on the cake was edible, so we’ll be able to let Gracie dive in freely.
Shane walks up beside me, gazing at the cakes as well with affection, as if he’s not looking at the baking but rather the baker. “She’s really talented, isn’t she?” I say.
A soft smile touches his lips with a yearning look in his eyes. “She’s amazing,” he finally whispers back after a beat.
“You should ask her out,” I suggest quietly.
When he eventually tears his gaze away from the cake and turns to me, his soft smile turns sad. “Yeah, maybe someday.” He then looks at Gracie, bending to kiss her head and wishing her a happy birthday before walking away.
Those two are so afraid of what people might say if they just gave in to temptation, both thinking they aren’t worthy.
If only they knew just how perfect they actually are for each other, they could finally stop hurting themselves for stupid reasons.
They both clearly long for one another, so why not say, ‘fuck it’, and go for it?
Greyson finally shows up on the opposite side of Gracie’s chair. “Ready?” he asks as I nod, smiling at him.
He leans in, lighting the single candle on the small cake and bringing it closer to Gracie, but just out of reach so that she doesn’t try to touch it. Everyone begins to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the beautiful little girl who stares at her cake with awe.
When the symphony comes to an end, Grey and I look at each other, realizing in this moment that Gracie doesn’t know how to blow out candles yet. We both chuckle and lean in simultaneously, blowing out the candle as one, then both turn to Gracie and kiss her cheeks at the same time.
Gracie’s hand comes up to grab hold of her father’s beard, then the most unexpected word leaves her lips, the one we’ve both been waiting to hear.
“Dada!” she exclaims with a heart-melting smile, her four little teeth on full display.
Greyson freezes, shock lining his face as he stares widely at his daughter. “Did she just…” He swallows, not finishing his sentence as he fights to keep his emotions at bay.
When he looks up at me for confirmation, I smile fondly as my heart fills with love. “She did,” I whisper back.
His eyes gloss over, and he curses under his breath, dropping his head down.
He wraps an arm around his daughter as best as he can given the chair and quietly cries against her.
Tears well up in my eyes as I watch this beautiful moment unfold before me.
I bring my hand up to Grey’s hair and run my fingers through it, soothing him.
“Oh my God… I got all that on video!” someone cries.
“Me too,” another person sobs.
When I turn to our families and friends, I find all of them in different emotional stages. Some downright weeping, others drying their silent tears, some sniffling, and others battling against it. It’s a beautiful moment to witness, and I’m so glad all our loved ones were here for it.
Grey finally comes up, wiping his tears with the hem of his shirt. He chuckles nervously with a pink hue crossing over his cheeks when he notices everyone looking on. “Sorry about that.” He laughs, rubbing the back of his neck.
“I told you you’d cry like a giant baby when she said it!” Silas laughs and wipes a tear from the corner of his eye.
Greyson shakes his head. “All right, enough crying. Who wants cake?” he says loudly as a chorus of “me’s” erupts. Aubrey quickly steps up, taking the knife to slice pieces of cake while I remove the candle from the little one and place it onto Gracie’s tray for her to eat freely with her hands.
I feel a pair of arms wrap around my waist and a very familiar beard grazing my neck and shoulder, his warm whiskey and leather scent swirling around me. I look back into a pair of light-brown eyes that belong to a man I’ve come to love profoundly.
“Our baby girl is growing up so fast,” he says against my skin.
My heart nearly stops in my chest as my ears pick up on his choice of words. He always lets others refer to Gracie as mine, but this is the first time he’s said it himself. I choke on a sob and turn quickly in his arms.
My own circle around his neck seconds before I crash my lips to his in an all-consuming kiss, pouring my heart out with every stroke of my tongue.
This. This is what I’ve always dreamed about having.
My family.
My Wolf.
My Little Tulip.