>>Hael
The day had been long, and the crowd outside the office had only added to the exhaustion weighing down. We had an issue with a model that was signed with the company and managing celebrities is no easy task.
Working as a director has its perks but it can get really hectic at tis.
As I walked to the car, the tiredness was beginning to settle in my bones. But as I drove ho, there was only one thought that kept going, the only thing that could bring peace.
Amber.
The re thought of her made the tightness in my chest begin to loosen. By the ti I parked the car in front of our ho, the streetlights had flickered on, casting a warm, golden glow over everything. I sighed, taking in the quietness around for a mont before stepping out of the car and heading toward the door.
I didn’t expect much when I opened the door, to be honest. With everything going on lately, I figured Amber would be resting, maybe reading or watching sothing. She was nearly seven months pregnant now, and her energy wasn’t the sa as it used to be.
I have a chef hired to make her anything she wants and the maid cos to clean as well, they both should have gone ho by now though.
When I stepped inside, the lights in the house were dim, and soft music was playing in the background.
Hmmm?
Sothing slled sweet, like sugar and vanilla. For a mont, I paused in confusion. It wasn’t until I saw the cake sitting on the dining table, the candles already lit and casting a soft glow, that it hit .
My birthday.
I’d completely forgotten.
I stood there, rooted to the spot, as my eyes scanned the room. The table was set beautifully—there were gifts neatly wrapped and waiting for . The faint sound of footsteps approaching pulled from my stupor.
Amber appeared from the hallway, wearing a flowing, pale blue dress that was loose around her swollen belly, her long hair falling loosely around her shoulders. Her face lit up the second she saw , and she smiled in that way that always made my heart skip a beat.
"You’re ho," She said, her voice warm and soft.
"I... I forgot it was my birthday," I admitted, still stunned by the sight in front of .
She giggled softly, walking over to . "I know you did. That’s why I wanted to surprise you."
Orenya wrapped her arms around my waist, her body pressed gently against mine as she looked up at . I instinctively pulled her closer, resting my hand on the small of her back.
I leaned down to press a soft kiss to her forehead, "I didn’t think I’d forget my birthday." But then again, I was a celebrity then and no one would let forget. I let out a chuckle.
Things are so much more peaceful now
"Wait until you see what I have planned," She teased, her eyes twinkling.
I smiled, feeling the tension and exhaustion from the day slowly lting away. How was it possible that one person could make everything else fade into the background? She had this magic about her that grounded , that made feel alive and whole.
She always did. But back in Aurelia, I had a lot of magic power, it’s not like that here and being human is pretty different but it cos with so many new things.
Amber guided toward the table, and we sat together in front of the cake. The flas from the candles flickered gently, casting a soft glow around us. It was perfect.
"Make a wish," She said, her voice light and playful.
I closed my eyes for a mont, but I didn’t need to make a wish. Everything I’d ever wanted was already sitting next to . I blew out the candles, and she clapped her hands together with a grin.
"Happy birthday," She said softly, her hand resting on top of mine.
"Thank you," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. I was bad at these expressions in my past life, but not in this one. As they say, the way you grow up defines a lot of a person’s traits.
Amber squeezed my hand, her gaze soft and loving. "No need!" She said, "This was a given!" She stood and began cutting the cake, the sweet scent of it filling the room. I couldn’t help but admire her, the way she moved with grace even in her pregnancy. Her belly, round and full, was a constant reminder of the life we were building together.
Our daughter—our little Zola—was growing inside her. The thought made my heart swell.
After we had our cake and shared so quiet monts together, Amber gestured toward the gifts on the table. I hadn’t even noticed them until now, but she was clearly excited.
"Open them," She urged with a smile, her eyes sparkling.
I picked up the first one, a small box wrapped in soft gold paper. I unwrapped it carefully, revealing a silver watch inside. It was simple, elegant, and it suited perfectly. I looked up at her in surprise.
"You know what I like,"
"Of course I do!" She grinned, "How would I not know when we’ve spent a whole lifeti together."
I leaned over and kissed her cheek, my lips lingering against her skin for a mont longer than necessary.
She blushed slightly and motioned for to open the next gift. This one was larger, wrapped in dark blue paper. When I tore it open, I found a frad picture inside—one of the ultrasound photos of our daughter.
But what made it special was the inscription at the bottom. It read, Our family, our forever.
I stared at it for a long mont, the emotions welling up inside . This was it. This was everything I had been waiting for. My family. My forever.
I got my mories of our past like when I was fifteen. Since then, for over a decade, I had been looking for Amber. It was frustrating, because no matter how much I tried I would fail.
Over
And over
And over again.
I had to do it alone, only I could recognize her after all.
"I thought it would be nice to have it frad," Amber said softly, her hand resting on her belly. "A reminder of what’s to co."
I swallowed hard, feeling a lump in my throat. "It’s perfect," I whispered. Now that I was here again, in the mont where I had gotten everything I wanted, the loneliness from the past was fading away.
She smiled, and I could see the love in her eyes, the sa love I had hoped to see when I was looking, it was what had kept going through all the years of searching, of waiting. And now, here she was, my wife, carrying our child, giving everything I’d ever hoped of.
We spent the rest of the evening together, just the two of us. We laughed, we reminisced about our life in the magic tower and we talked about the future. At one point, we moved to the living room, where Amber lay on the couch, her head resting on my lap as I ran my fingers through her hair.
The TV was on in the background, but neither of us was paying attention to it. I was too focused on her, on the feel of her warmth against , on the sound of her breathing. Every mont with her felt precious, like sothing I needed to hold onto.
I smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips. It was a gentle kiss. She kissed back, her hand resting on my chest as she pulled closer.
When we finally pulled away, she smiled up at , her eyes twinkling with mischief. "I have one more surprise for you."
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Another one?" I grinned
She giggled and sat up, carefully maneuvering her pregnant belly as she reached for sothing behind the couch. When she turned back, she was holding a small box, her eyes shining with excitent.
"This is the last one, I promise," She said, handing it to .
I took the box from her and opened it, revealing a set of tiny baby shoes inside. They were white and soft, so small that they fit in the palm of my hand.
"For Zola," Amber said softly, her hand resting on her belly.
I stared at the shoes for a long mont, the reality of everything hitting all over again. I was going to be a father once again.
I didn’t get to hold Zola just as she was born last ti, but this ti it’s going to be different.
I looked up at Amber, my heart full. "I love you," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion.
"I love you too," She replied, her eyes brimming with tears. "More than anything."
We sat there together, holding each other close, as the world outside faded away. This was all that mattered—us, our family, our future. I had waited for her for so long, and now she was mine, forever
The End
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