Last shot to redemption [a Adam Cole story]

19 Birthday

I sat in the car on the way home and hummed to a song that was playing on the radio. I had quickly brought some clothes to the dry cleaners and had done some other small chores. I wanted to do it all today, because tomorrow would be a very busy day.

Tomorrow was Aiden's first birthday. I could hardly believe that a whole year had already passed. Tomorrow my baby would officially not be a baby anymore. He grew up so fast. It was hard to take.

The planning for Aiden's birthday party had led to some disagreements between Adam and myself. I felt that a small celebration with our families and close friends in our home was enough for a one-year-old. We could eat cake and watch Aiden unwrap his presents. He would be completely exhausted after two to three hours anyway. 

Adam, however, had a completely different opinion. He wanted to have a party with over 100 people. He did not let himself be stopped. And after he found out that I didn't had a baby shower, he was even more determined. Adam once again told me not to spoil his fun and that this party was as much for me as it was for Aiden. He insisted that since I had done all the work, I deserved a party.

After some back and forth and some pretty heated arguments, I agreed to let Adam plan the party. However, I insisted on being allowed to use my veto. For example, I limited the number of guests to 50 people, that was still an insane amount of people in my eyes and I was strictly against a clown. They were just creepy.

When I got home I took my bags out of the car and went to the door. But before I opened it, I could hear Aiden's loud babbling and squeaking and even clapping his hands. I went inside and put the bags aside quietly. Then I went into the living room as quietly as possible. The sight was just so adorable. Adam had set up his Nintendo 64 to play his classic video games. At the moment he was playing Super Mario. Aiden was sitting on his daddy's lap while Adam had his hands on the controller.

I would have expected Aiden to try tapping on the controller or trying to grab the controller from Adam's hands. Instead, the little boy looked at the TV and babbled away. Every time Adam made the little Mario figure in the game jump, Aiden would squeak and bounce on Adam's lap. He had clearly inherited his father's enthusiasm for video games. I'm sure that would make Adam very happy.

Since they still hadn't noticed me, I took the opportunity to take some pictures of this cute moment. I put my phone back in my pocket and walked a few steps further into the living room.

"Hey there. Having fun? At least it looks like it," I said, finally drawing their attention to me.

"Mama..." Aiden said, beaming all over his face. His little dimples appeared on his face.

"Hey baby. I didn't hear you come in. How was your day?" Adam asked after he paused his game.

"Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt you. That was so cute. It looks like our son has inherited more from you than just his looks. Just wait and see, it's only a matter of time before he kicks your butt in gaming," I replied.

"I'll go to the kitchen and make dinner. You can keep up the game until then." I made my way to the kitchen and got everything I needed for dinner from the refrigerator and the pantry.

"Do you need help?" Adam called from the living room.

"No, I'm fine. It's nothing fancy. Just chicken breast with mashed potatoes and green beans. This won't take long. You can relax, cause your week was exhausting enough already. Play your game and I'll let you know when dinner is ready," I answered when I started cooking.

Half an hour later the food was ready and the table was set. Adam came over to the dining table with Aiden and put the little man in his high chair.

"Are you gonna help him or should I?" Aiden was already quite independent and liked to eat by himself and with a little help it went very well.

"I'm helping him. You can eat without worries," Adam replied as I put their plates out for the two of them.

"Okay, thanks. So...everything ready for tomorrow? I really hope you didn't overdo it too much," I asked.

"Yes, everything is ready. But I can't promise you that I won't overdo it. Besides, Kyle said that he, Bobby and Roddy also have a surprise for Aiden," he said with a smirk.

"Oh great. That will be interesting. Who knows what these three have come up with," I said and shook my head.

After we finished eating, we divided the tasks. Adam went with Aiden to the bathroom to wash him and brush his teeth and then put him to bed. In the meantime I wanted to clean up the kitchen and do the dishes.

I had just washed the last pot when a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist. As I dried my hands Adam rested his chin on my shoulder and pulled me close. His stubble scratched slightly over the skin there and gave me goose bumps.

"What are you doing Mr. Cole?" I asked and put my arms on his.

"Me? Nothing. Just enjoy your warmth," he said and began to run his nose along my neck and shoulder. It made me shiver.

"Yeah sure, you're doing nothing. But it doesn't feel like nothing," I sighed and leaned against him.

"Maybe we should take this nothing into the other room. What do you think?" This time he started to kiss my shoulder and neck. Something he knew only too well that it was almost impossible to resist.

"Maybe we should," I replied.

Today it was exactly one year ago that my little Aiden was born. Now he was officially not a baby anymore. Part of me was sad to see how quickly this first year had passed, but of course I knew that this was just the beginning and that there would be many more milestones in his life.

We were just on our way to the venue Adam had chosen. He had rented a room that also had an outdoor area. So the guests had the opportunity to enjoy the nice weather and play with their children in the fresh air.

Adam had invited not only our families and friends but also some of his colleagues and their children. When we drove into the parking lot and I saw how many cars were parked there, I got a doubt if Adam had really invited only 50 people.

When we entered the party space together and I let my gaze wander over the people, it was immediately clear to me that there were more than 50 people. I just shook my head when we were greeted with a loud "Happy birthday Aiden". I was glad that Aiden was not scared and that he remained calm. That was apparently something else he had from Adam. He loved the big crowd.

We had only scheduled about three hours for the party that afternoon. Because I was pretty sure that was enough excitement for a one-year-old.

Just as I expected, Adam had of course exaggerated massively. He had hired someone to do magic tricks for the kids, someone to paint their little faces, a balloon artist and even people walking around in Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck costumes.

There was a corner where the kids could paint and do crafts and he had even organized a little petting zoo. All this was enough for five birthdays. But since Adam was so happy I decided to shut up and just enjoy the party.

And as for the surprise of Kyle, Bobby and Roddy...well the three of them had rented a bounce house for the day.

Thanks to the photographer that Adam hired, we would have a lot of great pictures from that day. Aiden unpacking presents and eating cake, bouncing on the bounce house together with us, riding a small pony and of course lots of family photos.

Aiden was so excited that I thought he would never fall asleep again, but it was probably only a matter of time before he calmed down. Adam was proud that he had clearly chosen Aiden's favorite gift. A remote control car that Aiden could sit in while Adam ran after him with the remote control. If we got Aiden a Super Mario costume now, Adam would have his own personal Mario Kart driver.

So you could say that the day was a great success, even if Aiden would certainly not remember it. But Adam and I would definitely think back on this special day many times and smile every time.