Bonus Material

Steve

Standing in my dark living room, I’m surrounded by fifty or so of my dad’s friends, my friends, and some of Boss Construction’s clients.

“When are they coming?” Jocelyn, my father’s longtime bookkeeper, asks.

I look at the text message from my sister. “Olivia said they left their house about twenty minutes ago. They should be here any time.”

Eliza snakes her arm around my waist and stands by my side. She’s looking just as anxious as I am. We’re waiting for my dad, to celebrate his seventieth birthday.

“Don’t worry,” Eliza says. “They always behave with other people.”

I kiss the top of her head. “Thank goodness.”

Minni, Eliza’s much younger half-sister, threads herself through our legs. “No kissing!”

Someone drives up, and I recognize Olivia’s car. “They’re here. Everyone be quiet!”

The house is decorated with balloons, streamers, and a big Happy Birthday sign. The smell of freshly baked cake wafts through the air. We’ve planned everything down to the last detail, but I can’t help feeling like something will go wrong.

“They don’t look like they’re here,” I can hear Dad gripe. “Are you sure we’re meeting them here?”

“Steve told me we should let ourselves in if they were out picking up dinner,” Olivia says.

“Why are we eating out?” Mom whines. “I would have made a good lamb stew for everyone.”

My heart skips a beat as we rush to the front door to greet him. As he steps inside, we all shout, “Surprise!”

Dad jumps back, looking genuinely shocked, his eyes wide with a giant grin. I think for the first time since I was little, he’s speechless. Mom hands him a party hat from the nearby table, and he puts it on, grinning from ear to ear.

“Did you know?” he asks her.

She shakes her head. “Not even a hint.”

Olivia puts her arms around their shoulders. “We wanted it to be a surprise because we knew if we offered a party, Dad would never go for it.”

One of Dad’s early clients, Jim Melbourne, steps forward. He was the architect on Vancouver’s convention center. They fought constantly because the roof is a complicated contraption of heavy-duty tarps and gardens. “You’re still a baby,” he says as he shakes Dad’s hand.

“So great to see you, Jim,” Dad says.

Mom wraps her arms around Olivia and me. “I can’t believe you did this for him. This is exactly what he needs. All these people are great reminders of how much he’s accomplished. He’s really struggled with retirement.”

“His advice on the projects we’re working on is always welcome,” Olivia offers.

“Maybe after tonight you can talk to him about that,” Mom says.

The table in the dining room is covered in a white tablecloth and ready with fancy plates, glasses, and silverware. In the center of the table is a beautiful floral arrangement of yellow and white daisies. The catered food includes mini shepherd’s pie, colcannon puffs, chicken skewers, fruit platters, cheese and crackers, a veggie tray, and my favorite, Guinness Dubliner dip.

I spot Michael and Nadine huddled in the corner. “Thank you guys for coming.”

“We wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Michael replies.

“Besides, the twins are home sleeping with a nanny monitoring them.” Nadine does a little happy dance.

“You could have brought them,” I tell her.

She shakes her head. “No way. They are beginning to walk, and let me tell you, I thought crawling was hard. Now, it takes two nannies and my mother-in-law to keep up with them so I can work.”

I laugh.

“You laugh now. I’ve heard stories about you,” Nadine threatens. “You’re going to be in more trouble than we are.”

“Well, don’t tell Eliza. She might not want to have kids with me.”

“I tried to talk her out of dating you,” Jack says from behind me. “But she wouldn’t listen.”

I throw my hand out to him. “Thanks for coming.”

“No problem. Once I told my dad about this, there was no stopping him.”

We look over, and our dads are chatting away. Davis sees us spying on them and walks over. “I think they’re plotting to take over the world.”

Eliza eventually wanders over with Tanya and Paisley. She wraps her arm around my waist. “I didn’t realize you guys were all second-generation friends.”

“And we’re working on a third generation.” Davis grins at Michael.

Olivia has Logan on her hip. “And speaking of which, Logan is excited to see the twins tomorrow.”

“We’re ready,” Nadine says.

“It’s almost time for cake. Are you good?” Olivia asks me.

I nod, and together we walk into the kitchen. The caterer put the cake on a small table with casters so we’re able to roll it out. It’s a three-tiered confection with chocolate cake, vanilla frosting, and gold accents. We light the sparklers on top, and Davis turns off the lights. We sing the birthday song and push the cake over to Dad.

“Make a wish,” Michael’s father encourages.

Dad pauses a moment, and then blows out the candles. The guests cheer.

The rest of the evening is a blur of laughter, conversation, and, of course, cake. We all take turns sharing memories and stories about the man we’ve come to honor. As the night wears on, Dad thanks each one of us for coming and making his day so special. I haven’t had this much fun with my parents in a long time.

I’m so grateful to be part of this moment. It’s not every day you get to see pure joy on someone’s face as they’re surrounded by the people they love. And even though tonight is not about me, I feel immensely loved. I have parents who love me, fantastic friends, and the most beautiful woman and partner I could have ever dreamed of.