Party of Four

A Different Kind of Celebration - Nica

Waking up on my birthday felt different this year. The baby shower was two weeks ago, and I still had a mountain of things to do before Poppy’s arrival. There was numerous loads of laundry to wash and put away: mountains of clothes we’d been given for her, multiple sets of crib sheets, sheets for the changing table cushion, blankets, burp cloths, towels and wash cloths. So many teeny tiny socks.

Then there were bottles and pacifiers to sanitize. I still wasn’t entirely sure if I was going to breast feed or go straight to a bottle, so I was grateful that there was enough bottles to have that option. There were so many boxes of diapers in different sizes stacked up in the nursery closet.

Aside from our family and friends who had attended the baby shower, we also received gifts shipped to us from family members that were too far away to come. We received gifts from a handful of coworkers who weren’t part of our inner circle, as well as gifts from coworkers of both, Odie and Gwen, and from Willow’s parents. Even Eli got us a gift.

My birthday almost felt overshadowed by the baby. Not that I was complaining, it was just different.

The smell of coffee and sausage crept upstairs, filtering in through my partially open bedroom door. I yawned as I pushed myself up. Before I could do anything else, the door was pushed open the rest of the way, and Riley and Cole both came in carrying a tray and a vase of flowers.

“Good morning,” they said in unison. Riley set the vase on my nightstand while Cole sat on the edge of the bed with the tray. A breakfast of sausage and pancakes sat on top of it, and I smiled.

“Happy birthday,” he told me, leaning in to kiss me.

Riley echoed the sentiment as he leaned down to give me a kiss as well before moving around to the opposite side so I was sandwiched between them.

“Thank you,” I smiled.

I enjoyed my breakfast in bed while they sat beside me. We talked about our plans for the day, and the small gathering that was planned for this evening. It was far more intimate than the dinner at Crossroads followed by drinking and dancing at Nocturne celebration I’d had last year. Again, not that I was complaining. It was just different.

Nocturne on my birthday had been mine and Willow’s birthday tradition ever since we’d turned eighteen. Alan had tried to ruin it for a few years, but last year had been a blast. It was also the night I’d kissed both, Riley and Cole, for the first time. It was crazy to think about how much my life had changed in just a year.

“Hey, you okay?” Cole asked, tucking a curl behind my ear.

“Yeah,” I nodded, my voice lower than I had meant for it to be.

“You sure? You’ve been holding that piece of sausage for about three minutes, just staring.”

I smiled, a slight blush coloring my cheeks. “I was just lost in my thoughts,” I reassured him. “I’m perfect, this is perfect.”

I felt Riley’s hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “You’re not upset we’re not going to Nocturne this year, are you?”

“No,” I shook my head. “Not at all…it’s just different. Not a bad thing.” Right? For a brief moment I couldn’t help wondering if I was giving up a part of myself. Losing myself.

Riley seemed to read my thoughts as he leaned in and kissed my temple. “It’s just this year. Next year, we party all night, drinking and dancing until your feet give out.”

Much like with the baby shower, Cole and Riley insisted that I sit back and relax while they handled everything. It was only going to be a small get-together, much like what our Father’s Day celebration in the back yard had been, but it still required some prep work. Cole and Odie spent the day slow-cooking some brisket for a barbecue while Gwen and Riley focused on a handful of sides. Jay and Mallory showed up with jalapeño poppers, and Willow brought chocolate raspberry cupcakes.

We spent the evening poolside, eating and laughing while music filtered over a Bluetooth speaker. It wasn’t my usual celebration, but it was fun. It was also easier on my pregnant body than staying out dancing until three in the morning would’ve been.

As the night winded down, Cole, Riley, and I were left alone in the pool. I floated on my back in the water, eyes closed, relaxed and happy.

“Come on,” Riley’s voice was soft as he caught my fingers and pulled me across the water’s surface towards him. Cole was already standing next to one of the lounge chairs wrapping a towel around his waist. “You’re gonna get pruney.”

“I like being pruney,” I countered, shifting so I was upright, treading water. I slid my arms around his neck as he brought me closer, pressing against him.

“You’re ridiculous,” he teased softly, his words lacking any kind of bite. He started towards the steps, his arm around my waist so he could bring me with him. “We have a gift for you. Inside.”

“Oh,” my brows arched as curiosity fixed itself on my expression.

He nodded. I let Riley lead me out of the pool to where Cole waited with another towel. He wrapped it around my shoulders and kissed my forehead. “Come on birthday girl, before you catch a cold.”

“Riley said I have a present,” I commented as I followed Cole inside, Riley behind me.

Cole nodded, “Dry clothes first, then we’ll give it to you.”

In my bathroom, I stripped off the wet swimsuit and hung it over the shower to dry. Then I dressed in a set of pre-pregnancy, pink silk pajamas. The pants barely fit over my hips still, and the waist band rested just beneath my protruding baby bump. I wore a soft white sports bra under the unbuttoned shirt and called my attempt at dressing myself good enough.

My door opened and Cole and Riley stood there in fresh, dry clothes too, and wearing matching grins. “Ready for your gift?” Riley asked.

They both had their hands behind their backs, and my brow arched in playful, mock suspicion. “Yes…” I dragged the word out, closing the distance between me and them.

“When we gave you the promise ring on Valentine’s Day,” Cole started, “it was meant to be just that. Just a symbol of our love and our promise to be there for you and Poppy.”

“We never meant for it to be your engagement ring,” Riley added. “So, we figured this was the perfect time to give you a proper engagement ring.”

“And propose properly,” Cole continued as they both knelt.

Together, they held out a small, black velvet box. Sitting in it was a ring worth a large pink diamond. It was set in a rose gold band that twisted to look like vines. Tiny sculpted roses were nestled on either side of the diamond.

“We know you can’t marry two people legally, but will you commit to us in all the ways that actually matter, and be our wife in our hearts and in our minds?” Riley asked, his tone edging into theater kid territory.

I grinned, giggling softly. The whole commitment ceremony thing had been my idea months ago. Having them propose like this on my birthday was simultaneously the silliest and most romantic thing I could’ve imagined happening.

“Of course, I will,” I answered, reaching out to cradle their cheeks in my hands. “Of course.”

They stood and kissed my cheeks, then handed me the box so that I could replace the promise ring with the engagement ring.

I carefully slipped off the promise ring. It was still beautiful, a symbol of the beginning of our love. A symbol of the three of us. This new ring though was a symbol of our future. It was a symbol of the life we were building, our home, our family. Poppy. It felt like the promise of forever.

My hand trembled slightly as I slid the rose gold band onto my finger. It had a matching double band crafted to look like more vines that would go on my finger on the day of our wedding. Until then though, I’d proudly wear just the engagement ring. “It’s beautiful,” I whispered, my vision suddenly blurring with tears.

Cole took my hand and kissed my knuckles. “The vines and the roses made us think of you. You grow wherever you’re planted. You make us grow.”

Riley placed his hand over ours. “It’s a commitment, not just to the three of us, but to Poppy. Our home, our future. To the life we’re building, exactly the way we want it.”

I wrapped my arms around their necks, pulling them both in for a long, fierce hug. “This is the best birthday I’ve ever had,” I whispered into the space between them. “I love you both so much.”

Later, lying in bed between them, I finally closed my eyes. I thought about Nocturne. I missed the dancing, the drama, the freedom. Then I realized I had another type of freedom now. The freedom to be vulnerable, to be loved wholly, and to build a life on this solid, secure foundation. With them, I never had to shrink myself down or try to fit myself into a box.

A strong, sudden kick from Poppy broke me out of my thoughts, reminding me of the immediate future. Depending on whether or not she decided to arrive on time, we were only a month away from meeting our baby girl.

I didn’t need the escape of a dark nightclub. My gothic romance wasn’t a place to visit. It was the life I was living, right here, right now, with my two fiancés and the baby who was making her presence known. My birthday tradition was put on pause this year, but the day itself had been better than I could’ve hoped for.