Broken Halves

Chapter Thirty-Two

POV: Dani

"Calm down Dani," Rowan chides from her spot next to me. "Everything is going to be ok I promise you. Faolan is going to have a great first birthday I promise." I find the strength to smile at her despite the frazzled state I am in.

Today is the day my baby turns one years old. He has grown so much in this year that I just don't know how to handle it. I have accepted the fact that Faolan will be my only child... however I have not yet accepted the fact that he is growing up. He is now completely weened his way off of my breast milk and is eating entirely solid foods. Not only that but he is fully walking and even beginning to talk. Nothing major yet, but a few words here and there. He can say hot, mama, and dada. Jorden continues to rub it in my face that dada happened to be the first word he said but I am holding on to the fact that he is more like me in his personality. Despite growing to be a spitting image of Cole, Faolan has definitely developed my quiet and gentle personality. Compared to Rowan's Rosie... Faolan is the calmest child I've ever seen.

"Mama," Faolan calls brining my attention to him. Quinton took him for the night so Jorden and I could decorate one of the house's living rooms for the party. As the future Alpha, Jorden and I both decided his birthday was meant to be a pack event and invited all of Blood Moon's members.

I smile widely and grab him from Quinton's outstretched arms. "Happy birthday Faolan Colton Richards!" I sing before lifting him up over my head and blowing on his tummy which causes him to erupt into giggles; giggles that are the reason why my heart beats.

"Mama loves you so much baby and she is so happy that you are in her life." I whisper to my son before kissing his soft cheeks. With a sigh and a smile, I set him down and let him toddle over to his toys before turning to help Rowan finish up the decorations.

Faolan's birthday theme is wild one; which means, we have turned the room into a jungle. We have green table cloths and pictures of animals up on the walls. The pack kids will be playing pin the tail on the lion and Faolan gets to wear a 'King of the Jungle' party hat.

"Where is Jorden?" Quinton asks while looking down at his watch; "Party starts in a half an hour." I shrug my shoulders feeling some of the stress return. "I sent him out this morning to get the cakes and he hasn't returned." Rowan lays a hand on my shoulder comfortingly, knowing the location of my child's father is the main cause of today's stress. "He'll be here Dani that man loves nothing more than his son, he won't miss the party." She once again reassures. I just bite my lip and turn my head to gaze at Faolan who is playing with trucks in the corner, desperately hoping that my friend is right.

"I am here, I'm here!" Jorden screams while skidding around the corner with two cakes in his hands five minutes before the party is set to start. Quinton shakes his head slightly in amusement while Rowan wastes no time in grabbing the bigger cake and setting it up on the table. The smaller cake of the two is Faolan's and I'd be lying if I said recreating the photo of Cole's first birthday wasn't the part of today that I was the most excited for.

Faolan squeals excitedly, before abandoning his toys and running over to Jorden. Jorden smiles and picks up Faolan as he reaches up for his father. "Hey Buddy," Jorden says excitedly. "I missed you," he lightly kisses Faolan's cheek before speaking again. "Happy birthday Faolan I still can't believe that at this time last year your mama was on the stretcher being wheeled into an emergency C-section." Faolan just giggles and throws himself backwards indicating that he wants down causing us all to chuckle.

I take a moment to take in Jorden's appearance as he watches Faolan walk back over to his toys. To anyone else, they might not have noticed it... but I do. His hair is messier than usual and his shirt is wrinkled, overall he looks slightly disheveled. I shake the thoughts away and put on my smile as pack members start trailing into the room bearing gifts for my son, their future Alpha.