Page 127 of The Other Brother
“Cake time,” I announce as I head back through the kitchen.
Dad and Frank follow me into the lounge just as Mum emerges from the dining room. Frank and Mum give each other polite smiles.
Things are better between them now. Nothing’s perfect, of course. They actually did a parenting through divorce course together a few months after Ethan was born. About twenty years too late for Mel and Kate, but anyway.
Heather and Mum both grab their phones to record while Chris herds Ethan over to wait at the coffee table.
Cody slips next to me. I put my arm around him, and he leans into me slightly. We don’t really do the PDA thing in front of our families, mainly because providing our sisters more opportunity for mockery is never a good thing.
“Why don’t you spare those of us who are musically inclined and just mouth the words,” he whispers to me with a grin.
When Kate brings in the cake with two candles blazing brightly on the top, Ethan’s eyes light up, although whether it’s for a dinosaur or the fact he’s seeing the potential for chaos that fire on cake provides, I’m not sure.
Everyone breaks out singingHappy Birthday. Ethan looks around, his face a picture of wonder at everyone singing together.
I glance at Cody, who’s watching Ethan with the largest smile.
I can’t help the feeling swelling inside me, and all that happiness has to go somewhere.
So I sing the words extra loudly.
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