Downhill From Here (#1)

40. Lilo's Birthday Pt. 1

Nathan's POV

3:47 pm

The sound of my daughter's laughter warmed my heart.

Lilo's cheek was painted with a unicorn thanks to Scarlet and she had already changed from her yellow dress into a pink princess gown. She was matching with the rest of Nalu's nieces.

They were all jumping in the castle bouncy house while Whitney stood guard at the entrance, reminding each of them of the ways they could break a bone if they weren't careful.

Lawn chairs on the beach were filled with Nalu's parents and my folks, each of them talking animatedly about something of interest. His 4 brothers were all playing volleyball with the net that had been set up earlier and his sister sat on the porch steps with Stitch in her arms, laughing at Whitney's attempt to calm her daughters.

The house was loud with not only music but conversation. Each adult held their own choice of alcohol while I stuck to my ginger ale. Poppy was quietly taking pictures of everything; the party table out on the porch filled with food and cake, Stevie and Nalu together on a hammock, Scarlet and Ozias singing loudly in the living room working the karaoke machine. I could tell Scarlet was tipsy by the way she was laughing and the redness of her neck.

With the sounds of the ocean in the background and people all around, it was a kind of peacefulness I wanted to remember.

"Did you ever think you'd be here a couple of months ago?"

I turned my attention to my side and found my sister leaning on the porch banister beside me. Her blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail with a lai flower necklace around her neck that matched her white sundress.

I sighed inwardly and said softly, "No." The way I said it carried more emotion than I intended but I realized that all day I had been getting a warm feeling in my chest and a lump forming in my throat. Lilo's last birthday had been emotional for me for different reasons. But this year it was a good one.

"I've never seen you like this before," She said retrospectively. I gave her a weird look and she raised her eyebrows. "You just seem so relaxed and happy."

"Jeez, Piper. I've been happy before." She laughed and hit my arm softly. Despite our last conversation, things between us today had settled immensely and I realized how much I missed my sister. I ruffled her hair and she pushed me away. "Why does everyone say that I'm some big mean old grump?"

"You know what I mean," She teased, a soft smile on her lips. She swayed while holding onto the banister. Looking out onto the beach, she pursed her lips. "You're...different ...these days. And I hadn't really noticed when I should have which is my own fault."

I watched her carefully and waited. She reached out to squeeze my wrist and looked up at me when she said, "I'm really glad that you met her."

"I am too," I whispered, looking away from her gaze. My chest did that weird thing again where it felt like I was flying but held firmly to the ground.

Last night I wanted to tell Bowie that I loved her so badly that it physically hurt. But I knew that it was way too soon. She needed time and I needed to be patient.

I wanted to tell her that I wanted to put a label on us right away but I knew she wasn't ready. She'd been let down so often and her expectations were a bit lower because of it. I knew if I told her everything and showered her with too much of my love that she'd pull away. It would seem like too much too soon.

So I offered to take everything slowly. And I really didn't want to mess this up. She was too important.

And my usual overbearing ways didn't work out well last time so maybe I should actually work on that shit.