I was barely coming to, when I heard Ellie scrounging around in the kitchen. I rolled over to check the time and saw that it was too early for her to be up, much less making that kind of racket. I threw the covers back and pulled myself out of bed, heading into the kitchen to see what she was up to. When I walked in, she’d already started putting up the decorations, and the stove was covered with pots and pans. She was as busy as a fucking bee and had no clue I’d even walked into the room. “It’s six thirty in the morning, Ellie. What in the hell are you doing up so early?”

Without turning to look at me, she answered, “Everyone will be here in a few hours.”

“They won’t be here until one.”

“I know! That doesn’t give me much time.” She fussed about.

Today was not only our Clayton’s first birthday, it would also be the first time that we were having everyone to the house. While my brothers have been over to hang out, and her parents, too, they’d never all been here at the same time, and she wanted everything to be perfect. Knowing that she was nervous, I walked over to her and pulled her into my arms. “Everything’ll be great, angel.”

“I know, but I can’t help myself. I just want it all to be perfect.”

“And it will be, but you don’t have to do this all by yourself.” I kissed her on the temple and said, “Let me take a quick shower, and I’ll come help you get things ready.”

“Okay.” When I started towards the bedroom, she called, “Don’t forget that you need to go get the cake.”

“I know.”

“And ice!”

“I know.”

“And you might wanna grab some more cups and plates while you’re out.”

“Just make me a list. I’ll get whatever we need.”

“Thanks, babe.”

“It’s what I do, angel.” I chuckled as I went to take my shower. By the time I was done, Clayton was awake, and Ellie had him sitting in his highchair eating Cheerios. As I walked over to them, it still amazed me how much our son looked like his mother. They shared the same dark hair and eyes, and when that boy smiled, he could light up an entire room. “Good morning, pot-squally. Your momma wake you up, too?”

He answered with a stream of incoherent babble, but I understood him perfectly, or at least, I pretended that I did. “I know, but keep in mind, she’s doing all this for you.”

He smiled, and Cheerio goo came oozing out of his mouth. I kissed him on the top of the head and grabbed my keys off the counter. “You got my list?”

As she handed me a slip of paper, she answered, “Yep. This should do it.”

“I was only gone for twenty minutes, and my list has doubled.”

“And?” She smirked.

I leaned towards her and kissed her. “It’s a good thing I love you like I do.”

“Ditto.” She winked. “Thanks for helping me.”

“Not a problem. You know that.” As I headed for the door, I said, “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Leave the balloons for me. I don’t want you climbing up on that ladder.”

“Okay.”

I could tell from the sound of her voice that she wasn’t listening, so I warned, “I mean it, Ellie.”

“Okay. Fine. I’ll wait.”

I ran all the errands for Ellie, and when I finally made it back to the house, I walked in and found Two Bit standing on a ladder. He was hanging up the balloons while Zoe helped Ellie set the tables. Carrying the bags of ice over to the freezer, I said, “Hey, Two Bit. How’s it going?”

“Better now.” He got down off the ladder and handed me a handful of balloons. “Here ya go, buddy.”

“Seth,” Zoe complained.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t gonna help.”

I looked over to Ellie and said, “I thought you were going to wait until I got back before we did the balloons.”

“I said I wouldn’t get on the ladder.” She chuckled. “You didn’t say anything about Two Bit.”

Zoe walked over and gave me a wink. “She got you there, big brother.”

“Don’t encourage her, Zo.”

“I can’t help myself.” She walked over to Clayton and carefully lifted him out of the highchair. “I can’t believe my nephew is already one. How did that happen?”

“I can’t believe it myself. This year has flown by.” I walked over to them and as I looked down at my son, I asked, “So, when are you and Two Bit gonna get yourselves one of these?”

“It’s not like we can run down to the supermarket and pick one up.” She huffed.

“I know where they come from, Zo. Trust me.” I chuckled.

“Well, if you must know…” She whispered and continued, “We’ve been trying for a while, and I think it finally paid off … but you can’t tell anyone, Scotty.”

“Wait. Are you telling me you’re pregnant?”

I was still trying to get over the shock of her news when I heard Two Bit fuss from across the room. “I thought we weren’t gonna tell anyone yet.”

“We’re not. I’m just telling Scotty!” She argued ... weakly.

“Tell him what?” Ellie asked.

“See what you just started,” Two Bit grumbled. “It’s on you when the whole club knows before sundown.”

Shaking her head, Zoe turned to me and Ellie and said, “It’s really early, and we don’t want to jinx anything.”

“We totally understand. Your secret is safe with us,” Ellie assured her as she gave her a hug. “Congratulations though, that’s great news! Promise you’ll let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Ellie. Now, what else do you need me to do?”

Once we finished putting up the decorations, I took a step back to check it all out, and the house looked amazing. As soon as we tied the knot, Ellie had taken it upon herself to fix the place up. She even hung some of the paintings she’d done in her art class, and we’d bought a few new pieces of furniture. I was glad we finally had a chance to show it all off, and I knew she felt the same. Once my brothers and their families arrived, Ellie started to relax. The girls gathered around in the kitchen, making themselves busy as they gossiped about this or that, while the guys piled up in the living room with the kids. I smiled as I watched Cotton try to manage controlling the remote with his twin daughters in his lap. I had to give the man credit. He was determined as he flipped the channels to find the football game we were all dying to watch, and when he finally found it, the sounds of my heckling brothers filled the room.

When her folks finally arrived, Ellie left her spot in the kitchen and rushed over to them, giving them each a hug. “I’m so glad you both could come.”

“We wouldn’t miss it.” As her father stepped out of the way, he revealed a man standing behind him. Even with the distraction of his fatigues, I could see the family resemblance and knew right away it was her brother. “We brought a little surprise for our grandson.”

Ellie rushed through the door and wrapped her arms around him, screeching, “Joseph!”

“Hey, sis.” He lifted her off the ground as he hugged her tightly. “Damn, it’s good to see you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“We wanted it to be a surprise.”

As he put her down, Ellie looked up at him and asked, “How long will you be home?”

“At least a few months. Maybe more. Just gotta wait and see how things play out,” he explained. “Now, where’s my nephew?”

“He’s inside. Come on in and meet everyone.”

After all the introductions were made, everyone started to settle in. As I’d hoped, Ellie’s family fit right in, and with all the food everyone had brought, it didn’t take long for the guys to start fixing their plates. While the kids ran amok, we stood around talking and eating and simply enjoying each other’s company. It was a perfect day, and as I looked around the room at my brothers and their families, and Ellie with our son on her lap, I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful sight. Family. That’s what it’d always be about.