Till death do us part

Chapter 29: One year - Age 26

Rose's POV

Today I woke up with mixed feelings. It was a very special day because my little girl turns one year old. I'm so happy about it, I'm so excited to celebrate it tonight. But I can't help to feel upset about it too. She was growing up so fast. Soon, she won't be my little baby anymore.

As Cora left for work this morning, I faked a smile so she wouldn't worry all day about me. She was also very eager to celebrate Hope's birthday tonight. She'd even get home sooner so we'd have enough time.

It was my task to call everyone about the party tonight. They were all notified beforehand but I would check up to make sure they will come or not.

I called my parents, Anthony, and Miles. I also called Naheed and Dara. I received the good news that they would all come to the party tonight.

After that, there was only one thing left to do: get the house ready for the party. I started hanging up balloons, birthday garlands, and party hats. I decorated the table with a colorful table cloth, and colorful plates and cups.

When all of that was done, I smiled. That looked good. Right, at that moment, I heard Hope wake up. I smiled and rushed to her room.

I entered her room and smiled when I saw her move around excitedly. "Hey booboo," I picked her up. "How's my birthday girl?"

She giggled and looked at me.

"Kiss?" I puckered my lips.

She kissed me and started clapping excitedly.

"Let's go downstairs and play with your toys."

______________________________

Cora's POV

As I left to work this morning, I was already looking forward to going back home. I couldn't wait for the party. I couldn't wait to see Hope enjoy her gifts and party. It will be a very special moment for Rose and me.

All day I had been looking forward to this evening. My mind was busy with the thoughts of the party, I wasn't really focused on the job at hand. Luckily, Andrea was there to help.

During lunchtime, I went to a toy store to buy a gift for Hope. Rose and I had chosen it online and I would simply have to go get it. When I returned to work, Andrea was smiling at me.

"You went shopping?" She asked.

"Yeah," I sat back down at my desk. "Hope needs a gift for her birthday."

"That's right," She turned towards me. "She's turning one year old, isn't she?"

I nodded.

"When?"

"Today," I smiled happily. "I can't wait for her to open her present."

"They're so adorable when they're so young," She smiled at me. "I hope you and Rose enjoy tonight."

"We will," I looked at the gift, already imagining the party. "We will."

______________________________

That evening, I rushed home. I parked the car and hurried inside. There I saw Rose, Hope, Rose's fathers, my brothers, and our friends. It seemed I was the last one to arrive.

"Hey everyone," I walked to the living room with my gift. "Here I am."

Rose got up to kiss me. "I'm happy you're here."

I smiled at her. "Where's our birthday girl?"

Rose moved aside a bit to show Hope in Dara's arms. I walked to Dara, who handed me Hope. "Hey there," I kissed her head. "Happy birthday, muffin."

Hope giggled.

Rose then went to the kitchen and came back with the birthday cake. When she was walking towards Hope and me, everyone started singing for Hope. It was a wonderful experience. It was a unique event that brought all my loved ones together. It was amazing.

We all ate a piece of cake and laughed with Hope. She missed her mouth completely...

Hope then got a lot of presents from our guests. Rose helped Hope open those gifts and Hope was always so happy with what she got.

After that, it was bed time for Hope. While Rose brought Hope to her bed, I helped our guests with their jackets. I also thanked them for their gifts and their presence at Hope's birthday party.

"Are they all gone?" Rose asked as she finally got downstairs.

"Yeah," I said while I was cleaning the living room. I was collecting all the plates and cups and brought them to the kitchen. "It's getting late for them too."

Rose checked the time and shrugged.

"Do we keep the cake for tomorrow too?"

"Uhm," She looked at the cake. We had eaten most of it during the party, 2 pieces remained. "Yeah," She eventually decided. "We can share it with Hope tomorrow."

I smiled. "True."

Rose took the two pieces of cake, put them on a small plate, and put them in the fridge. She then looked at me as I was preparing everything to do the dishes. "Cora," She said, walking to me and wrapping her arms around me from behind. "Can we just leave those dishes for tomorrow?"

I chuckled. "You're not going to want to do them tomorrow though."

"I will," She rested her head on my right shoulder. "I just want to go to bed now."

I tried to look at her as best as I could. "Are you sure?"

She nodded.

"You won't complain?"

"I promise."

I smiled. "Ok," I dried my hands and turned around to face Rose. "Let's go to bed then."

She smiled and took my hand. She pulled me with her to our bedroom. We got dressed in pajamas and went to bed.

I looked at her as she was seemingly deep in thoughts. "What are you thinking about?"

She let out a breath. "Today," She then looked at me. "It was amazing."

I smiled at her. "It was," I scooted closer to her. "You organized this party so well."

She smiled and blushed a bit. "I couldn't have done any of this without you," She turned on her side too and scooted closer to me. "We're a good team."

"We are," I wrapped my arms around her. "We're the best together."

She nodded slowly. "I love you."

"I love you too, Rose," I pecked her lips. "And I loved today. I'm so happy Hope got a great first birthday party."

"Me too," She smiled at me. "This day was amazing," She let out a breath. "I'll never forget this day."