Page 97 of Burden to Bear

He was almost a month old, and it had been the best month of my whole life.

I’d worked out a new rhythm at home since my parents left. I’d tried to adapt to what would be the actual reality, and I was so fortunate to have Brock by my side while I figured it out. He supported me through it, giving me the means to navigate this new part of my life in whatever way I best saw fit. And if I did something that didn’t make sense or I made a mistake, he didn’t hesitate to pick up the pieces when I was a wreck and on the verge of tears.

Brock hadn’t officially moved in with me, but ever since I came home from the hospital, Brock had spent every night with me. And since he’d been on vacation from work since my parents left, he’d spent nearly all day, every day, with me. Usually, Brock only left to make a trip to the grocery store or to run over to his house for something.

Today was one of those days. He’d gotten up early this morning and made breakfast for us—I was finally craving eggs again—but after we ate, he ran out for a quick trip to the store and to get gas in my car. The last time we went out had been to take Milo to a doctor’s appointment. Milo had been fussy after that appointment, so we drove straight home. Brock didn’t like the idea of the car being low on gas, so he wanted to get that taken care of immediately.

I heard the garage door open, realized he’d returned, and couldn’t do anything but smile. He was back.

But when the door opened, and he stepped inside, I was stunned.

Because Brock wasn’t alone.

He came in behind a mess of balloons that were being carried by my favorite little girl, Izzy. There were so many balloons, I couldn’t even see Brock’s face.

But I knew he was there.

And as those balloons traveled in my direction, not only did Izzy become visible, but Brock did, too.

I’d been sitting on the couch with a sleeping Milo in my arms, and Izzy came to a stop in front of me. As excitedly as she could while doing it in a whisper, she said, “Happy birthday, Mia!”

Tears filled my eyes. Happy or sad, I felt like I spent a lot of time crying these days.

It was my birthday.

I’d forgotten about it completely.

But Brock hadn’t.

He didn’t forget anything when it came to me.

“Thank you so much, Izzy. I thought you would be in school today.”

She shook her head. “Daddy told me that Uncle Brock called and said I needed to have the day off from school, because we had to celebrate your birthday together.”

I shifted my attention to Brock again. “You’re the best guy in the whole world.”

He grinned and came over to sit down beside me, placing the large present on the floor in front of us. Izzy moved to sit next to him. “Izzy and I got presents and cake for you.”

“And balloons!”

“And balloons,” Brock confirmed. “How about I take this boy from you for a little bit, so you can open your gifts?”

“Gifts? There’s only one gift there,” I noted.

Through his soft laughter, he teased, “Looks can be deceiving.”

Curious, unable to stand the wait, I shifted Milo in my arms and placed him in Brock’s protective embrace. Izzy looked at Milo like he was the best thing she’d ever seen. “He’s so cute,” she announced.

“You were that cute when you were his age, do you know that?”

She nodded. “Daddy tells me all the time.”

“Why don’t you help Mia with the gift, Izzy? Can you lift that for her?”

Izzy happily hopped down and picked up the gift. It was almost as big as her, but she didn’t let that deter her. Not wanting her to get hurt, I reached out and helped. And once it was in my lap, I said, “This is wonderful. I’m so excited. I forgot it was my birthday today.”

“How could you forget your birthday?” Izzy questioned me. “My birthday is one of my favorite days of the year.”

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