ephemeral [ Conrad Fisher ]

16

THE sun was barely peeking through the curtains when I stumbled into the kitchen, my eyes still half-closed with sleep. The sweet aroma of pancakes filled the air, a sure sign that Laurel and her son, Steven, were up to something in there.

"Morning, Lennox!" Laurel chirped, flipping a pancake with practiced ease. "We're making Mickey Mouse pancakes for Belly's birthday breakfast. Want to help?"

I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Of course, I'd love to."

As I joined them at the stove, Steven handed me a spatula, his grin mirroring his mother's. "We've got a whole assembly line going here."

Just as we were finishing the first batch of pancakes, Jeremiah entered the kitchen, his gift wrapped in what could only be described as a crumpled disaster. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. It looked like it had been in a wrestling match with a roll of wrapping paper and lost terribly.

"Oh Jere, it looks.."

He shook his head silently, thrusting the gift into my hands before pulling a drawer of the island open and pulling out some supplies, "Please god Lennox, don't make fun of me just help."

I smiled as I cut a new sheet of wrapping paper, my eyes flickering to Conrad. "Alright, alright, I'll help. But seriously, did you let Conrad wrap this?"

Jeremiah's eyes widened in mock horror. "Don't even joke about that. I tried, okay? It's not my fault the wrapping paper decided to rebel." he snorts "It's not even as bad as your Christmas gift was last year I don't know what Conrad did to it."

I couldn't hold back my laughter as I folded the sides of the paper "God Conrad do you remember that? It looked like it had been wrapped and unwrapped a thousand times."

He doesn't look up from his bowl of cereal, simply tuning me out as he plays with the contents of the bowl. I shake my head, my gaze dropping to the gift as I wrapped it.

"See, this is why you should've just asked your mom for help to begin with," I teased, taping down a particularly unruly corner.

Jeremiah scoffed playfully. "And have her laugh at me? No way. I'd rather endure your merciless teasing."

I grinned, finishing up the last bits of tape. "There you go, Jere. Good as new."

Jeremiah examined the newly wrapped gift with a satisfied nod. "You, Lennox, are a lifesaver. Belly won't even know it was originally a disaster."

"Good Morning." Belly smiles, standing in the entryway, her eyes just as bright as her smile.

"There's the birthday girl, looking like a vision in floral," Susannah exclaimed as Belly entered the kitchen, moving swiftly to pull Belly into a warm hug. Susannah had a way of making you feel like you were her own, even if you weren't her biological child.

I offered a soft smile as I joined in. "Happy birthday, Belly."

Jeremiah, always the charmer, stepped in with his infectious grin. "Happy sweet sixteen, Bells." He enveloped her in a bear hug, eliciting a laugh from the birthday girl.

Steven, smiled as he chimed in with a mouthful of bacon. "Now Belly Button's getting old finally. Happy birthday."

Belly giggled, still wearing that radiant smile. "Thanks, everyone."

Laurel, who had been busy at the stove, finally joined the group, her warm eyes fixed on her daughter. "Happy birthday, sweetheart," she said, pulling Belly into a tight motherly embrace.

"Thanks, Mom," Belly replied, her voice laced with gratitude.

I couldn't help but nudge Conrad in the side, raising an eyebrow at him as I whispered lowly, "Aren't you going to say happy birthday?"