Yours Truly (Post Malone)

23

Winter's ninth birthday was the next day and she was talking our ears off about what she wanted or how she wanted her party to go. Austin and I were throwing her a surprise party and weren't telling her a bit about it. Austin went out and spoiled Winter rotten with the gifts that he had gotten for her. I tried to tell him to tone it down but Austin always came up the excuse that Winter was his daughter and it was the first birthday he was celebrating with her.

I laid on the couch, scrolling through my phone as I combed through Winter's hair. She was lying across me, watching tv. It was a lazy afternoon without much to do. I was starting to avoid wedding planning since we had most of it done. There were only a few things that needed to be finalized. Jay was my maid of honor, though I didn't have a choice in the matter. As soon as she found out I was engaged, she made herself the maid of honor.

I wasn't mad as Jay was my best friend and she was the obvious option. She loved my wedding dress and was sad to have missed my fitting but she had work obligations. But as long as I got Jay's approval on my dress, I was happy. I was sure she was planning something for the bridal shower. Something fun and exciting.

Winter got up on her elbows to look at me. "I'm bored. Can we do something?"

I combed my hair through her hair. "What do you want to do, bug?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just don't want to spend the rest of the day watching tv and Austin is busy. Can we go to those shops we passed the other day? You said you'd take me there soon."

I laughed. "I did say that, didn't I? Well, get up and get dressed. We'll take my car."

Winter got up, squealing as she ran up to her room. I got up to change into something nicer. Once I was done, I went downstairs to find Winter sitting on the couch, tapping her foot as she waited. She got up and we left the house, getting in my old Chevy Impala. We drove to the downtown area and parked.

We walked around and found an ice cream shop. We sat outside with our cups of ice cream, enjoying the nicer weather. Winter was quietly eating hers, watching the people around me. It was a busy day with several people walking around. 

"Mommy, what are we doing for my birthday?" Winter asked.

"I can't say," I replied. "It's a secret."

Winter rolled her eyes. "You always say that."

"Why would I spoil the fun and tell you what we're doing?" I asked. "It ruins all the fun."

Winter sighed, placing a hand on her cheek. "I'm excited for it but none of my friends from Chicago aren't going to be there."

"Do you miss everyone there?" I asked.

Winter nodded. "Yeah. I haven't really met anyone here that I've made friends with. I know a few kids from school but none as close as from Chicago."

"We'll be able to go back and see everybody during winter break," I replied. "Or during breaks in school."

"When are we going to see Aunt Jay?" Winter asked. "I miss her a lot."

"We can see if we can call her when we get home," I replied. "She's coming to the wedding too."

Winter perked up. "That's great! I miss her so much and she's a bunch of fun."

I smiled. "Yeah, I know. You'll have a great day tomorrow, I promise."

"Okay," Winter said. "Can I call my grandparents and Jay tomorrow? I want to talk to them on my birthday."

"We'll call them then," I said. "I'm sure that they would love to see you on your birthday."

Winter looked around as she ate her ice cream. "I like it here but Chicago is nice. I like the city because there was so much to do."

"There's a lot to do here too," I replied. "We just haven't found that yet. There's always something to do. Preferably in the legal sense."

"I want to explore more too," Winter said. "Like when I'm done with school and when you're not doing something too. I like going out to do things to see what's out there."

"That sounds like a plan, baby," I said. "I'll look more into everything more later. Right now, I want to spend more time with my baby."

Winter giggled. We finished our ice cream and walked around the downtown area. There were a few people that stared at Winter as we passed but she didn't care. After a few hours of being in the downtown area and the park nearby, we decided to go back to the house. I drove slow, enjoying the air coming through the windows. 

Winter rested her head against the doorframe of the car, staring out the window. She had a little smile on her face. We entered the gated neighborhood and got to Austin's long driveway. As I parked, I looked up at his beautiful home. It was big and large enough for a family. I wanted kids with Austin but I was still unsure about having more. Winter was amazing and I hoped that if I had more kids, they were just like her. 

Winter had beat me to the door and was waiting patiently. When we walked in, Austin was sitting in the living room with the tv on. He turned it off as Winter went straight to him.

"Hey, bug!" He greeted as he pulled her in for a hug. "How was your day?"

"It was great, Dad," Winter replied. "We went to get ice cream and walked around downtown. We also went to a park."

"Sounds like a lot of fun," Austin said. "Are you excited for your birthday?"

Winter nodded. "I am but you guys aren't telling me what we're doing."

I sat on a recliner nearby. "Because like I told you earlier, it will ruin the surprise."

Winter rolled her eyes. "Okay, I guess."

"Don't you worry though," Austin said. "We got you loads of presents and we're going to be out all day."

We spent the rest of the evening in the living room. Winter finally went to bed, leaving Austin and I alone. I moved to cuddle against him. He held me close as the movie kept playing. We stayed quiet until we both got too tired. I wanted to get up early to start getting ready for Winter's party. There was a lot to do and I wanted it to be perfect for my baby girl.