For someone like Leah, a birthday was one of those trivial things that only mattered inasmuch as it meant surviving another year, but when it came to those who were important to Leah, like her siblings and Marigold and Evan, a birthday was a big deal, for different reasons. Marigold’s birthday would be a big to-do, she had no doubt about that. But for Evan, it was less a celebration of turning another year older, and more for the fact that it was the anniversary of one of those turning points in their relationship.
And for that reason, Leah wanted the setting to be as close as possible to that day, one year ago. Many things would have to be different, though, and that was fine. Evan was busy handling leadership responsibilities, which put a damper on their semblance of a party being held during the daylight hours — plus, Leah couldn’t recall from a year ago the exact time they’d met on the roof of Grand Central.
Besides that, having him busy gave her plenty of time to set things up. The day before, she’d gone through a book and found a recipe for mini mixed berry tarts, and thankfully the greenhouses had everything she needed and the instructions were easy to follow. She’d also grabbed a bottle of champagne and traded a few things for a few packs of cigarettes.
The last thing on the list was doling out the babysitting duties, since Marigold had already gotten in her “happy birthdays” that morning. Luckily Leah had three siblings who were more or less always willing to look after their niece for an evening.
Leah was in the dining/office area when she heard Evan come in. She smiled tiredly. It was irritating how she’d be energetic for a couple of hours, followed by exhaustion the rest of the day. It had been that way with Marigold, too. At least she wasn’t battling too much morning sickness. Small favors. She finished stuffing a small duffel bag with the things she was going to give Evan tonight and responded as she zipped it closed, “Just me.” That had become her usual response when she was the only one in their apartment.
Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she walked into the main room to give him a welcome home kiss. “How were things today? Busy as ever?” Things had been chaotic ever since Andrada returned.