Chapter 162 — Ethan's POV
Aiden and Alina Turn One
The house was a circus—balloons tangled in the ceiling fan, toys scattered across the floor, and frosting fingerprints on places frosting should never be. But Ethan wouldn't have it any other way.
The twins were turning one.
Aiden sat in his high chair looking around wide-eyed, as if trying to understand what all the fuss was about. Alina, on the other hand, was already squishing a cupcake between her tiny fingers like it was her full-time job.
Ethan laughed, crouching beside Aiden to adjust the little crown on his head. "Look at you, birthday king."
Behind him, Amara was trying to keep Alina from wiping frosting in her curls. She looked gorgeous—even frazzled and holding a sticky baby—with her soft dress clinging to her figure and that tired but happy glow that hadn't left her since the twins were born.
"You've got about ten seconds before she eats her paper hat," Amara warned.
"I'd say five," Ethan said, stepping back as Alina chucked the cupcake at the floor.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
"I got it!" Liam called, racing down the hallway with a toy dragon tucked under his arm.
Zariah's voice rang out from the porch. "Whoa there, slow down!"
Ethan headed over to greet her, smiling as she walked in with Malik right behind her. Malik held a large gift bag in one hand and a sleepy smile on his face.
"You guys are late," Ethan teased.
"Fashionably," Zariah replied. "Besides, we brought juice and gifts. That counts as forgiveness."
From behind them came a little voice. "Where's the cake?"
Hope—Arya and Damon's three-year-old daughter—squeezed in between Zariah and Malik, her curly ponytail bouncing. She had frosting dreams in her eyes.
"In the kitchen," Ethan laughed. "But you have to wait for the song."
"I don't want a song," Hope said seriously. "I want icing."
Amara came over with Alina on her hip and grinned. "She takes after Arya."
As if summoned, Arya and Damon stepped into the house. Damon held Liam's backpack and a stack of party cups. Arya had clearly been wrangling kids all morning, but she still managed to look effortless—her hair in a messy bun, soft sweater falling off one shoulder, and a proud glint in her eyes.
"My baby twins!" Arya cooed, walking straight to Aiden. "You're both growing too fast."
"Tell me about it," Amara muttered, rocking Alina. "I blinked and now they don't let me sleep."
"They didn't before either," Ethan reminded her, earning a playful elbow.
The living room filled with laughter, noise, and warmth. Malik and Liam were building a tower out of blocks while Zariah showed Hope how to blow a party horn. Damon, as usual, stood by the window pretending to be aloof but watching everyone with quiet contentment.
Ethan stepped back to take it all in—his daughter happily chewing on a plastic spoon, his son babbling at a balloon, his wife glowing with exhaustion and joy. This was more than a birthday party. It was a celebration of how far they'd come.
"Alright, time for the cake!" Amara clapped her hands, rallying everyone to the kitchen.
Ethan picked up Aiden while Arya took Alina. The twins had matching smash cakes—one blue, one purple—with little stars piped along the edges. In the center of the table sat a larger cake decorated with clouds, moons, and the words: Happy 1st Birthday, Aiden & Alina!
They all gathered around. Zariah turned on her camera. Hope climbed into Arya's lap, already reaching toward the frosting. Liam squeezed between Malik and Damon, clapping offbeat.
Ethan held his son steady as the birthday song began:
🎵"Happy birthday to you…"🎵
Alina squealed. Aiden just stared at the flickering candle until Ethan blew it out for him.
"Now?" Amara asked, already bracing herself.
"Now," Ethan nodded.
It was chaos.
Alina dove face-first into her cake while Aiden poked cautiously at the frosting before smearing it in his hair. Hope reached over and stole a bite from Alina's side. Zariah howled with laughter.
"They've got Amara's appetite," Malik declared.
"Hey!" Amara shot back. "I wasn't that messy."
"You ate ice cream out of a measuring cup last week," Ethan said.
"That's called multitasking."
After the cakes were demolished and the twins were wiped down with an unreasonable number of baby wipes, they moved to the living room for gifts. Liam helped unwrap most of them. Hope tried to claim a stuffed lion as hers. Malik ended up reading a pop-up book to the three youngest while Damon refilled juice boxes.
Zariah pulled Ethan aside near the kitchen. "You know, you're doing good."
Ethan arched a brow. "That a compliment?"
"A rare one. Don't get used to it."
They clinked juice boxes before returning to the chaos.
Later, once everyone had left and the house was quiet again, Ethan stood in the nursery doorway. Aiden and Alina were finally asleep, side by side in their crib, their little hands brushing in the middle.
Amara leaned into him. "We made that."
"We really did."
"They're one," she whispered in awe. "We survived a whole year."
He kissed her hair. "We didn't just survive, sweetheart. We built something beautiful."
And as their twins snored softly and the house settled into silence, Ethan knew—this was just the beginning.