Blackmail

Cake

After various party games and eating lots of delicious food, Lili brings out two cakes. Each is three tiers with adorable baby related items cut from fondant stuck to it. On the top, two numbers catch my eye.

'1'.

'2'.

I glare at Lili as she addresses the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming today! I would now like to bring all your attention to these lovely cakes. Each cake is dyed a specific color to reveal the gender of the baby it corresponds with!"

She walks over to stand beside me as she continues.

"Cecilia is going to cut a piece from each cake and reveal the genders!"

I didn't sign up for this. She knows I have stage-fright!

I let her pull me over to the cakes. She hands me a knife and nods, signaling me to cut the cake. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Nathaniel holding a video camera.

"Lift the cake."

I do as she says, lifting the piece of cake. Pink stares back at me.

"The first baby is a girl!"

The room erupts in claps, everything growing quiet again as I start cutting into the second cake. The butterflies in my stomach go crazy.

Do I really want to know the gender of the other baby?

Of course! It'll make it easier to pick names!

I lift the second slice up using the side of the knife.

"Baby two is another girl! Cecilia is having twin girls!"

I immediately put my hands to my stomach. I'm having girls. Twin girls!

I barely hear a word Lili says as I struggle to keep my emotions in check. I peek over at my father. He's giving a little smile. I know he will love the girls the moment he sees them.

He's tough on the outside, but a teddy bear on the inside.

Only after studying him closely do I notice the wet streak down his cheek.

My father is actually crying tears of joy.