"I need to shower before everyone arrives," Julian says, dropping a kiss on Ivy's head and then a quicker one on my lips.
He disappears down the hall toward the master bathroom while I bounce Ivy on my hip, showing her the decorations. "Look at all the pretty colors, baby girl. All for your birthday."
I take Ivy back to her sweet lilac-walled bedroom and change her into the cutest pink dress that I’ve ever seen. She grabs her favorite stuffed animal, the elephant Tristan bought for me what seems like so long ago.
Just as I’m finishing up getting her ready, the doorbell rings. I head to the door and open it to find Izzy, her arms wrapped around an enormous plush pink rocking horse.
"Happy birthday to my favorite little girl in the whole wide world!" she sings out, maneuvering the oversized toy through the doorway. "Hope you don’t mind that I’m early–I couldn’t wait any longer."
Ivy immediately starts bouncing in my arms, reaching for Izzy with grabby hands. Those two have been thick as thieves since day one—something about Izzy's vibrant energy seems to captivate Ivy completely.
Izzy drops the rocking horse in the entryway and sweeps Ivy from my arms. "Look how big you've gotten! Are you even the same baby? There’s no way!"
Ivy giggles, patting Izzy's cheeks and trying to grab her dangling earrings.
"The place looks amazing, Cami," Izzy says, spinning in a slow circle with Ivy. "Very princess-meets-Coachella, very you."
"Thanks, girl," I say, retrieving the rocking horse and finding a place for it near the gift table. "And for the gift. She’s gonna love it."
"Only the best for my girl," Izzy replies with a wink. "Where are your three knights in shining armor?"
"Julian's in the shower, Alex is on his way with balloons, and Tristan's picking up the cake."
"So domestic," Izzy teases. "I’m surprised they didn’t just pay someone an obscene amount of money to put the whole thing together."
"They wanted it to be more personal," I reply proudly. I love how involved my men have been in—it’s honestly every woman’s dream.
The doorbell chimes again. This time when I open it, my parents stand on the threshold, my father clutching a gift bag, my mother holding a bouquet of pink roses.
"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," I say, stepping aside to let them in. "Thanks for coming."
My mother's smile is tight but genuine. "We wouldn't miss our granddaughter's birthday."
They step inside, my father's eyes immediately scanning the room as if taking inventory. His gaze pauses briefly on the large framed photo on the wall—a professional shot of all five of us taken when Ivy was three months old. All three men surrounding me as I hold Ivy.
"Lacy, Edward, so glad you could make it," Izzy says brightly, bouncing Ivy on her hip. "Look who's here, Ivy! It's Grandma and Grandpa!"
Ivy stares at them curiously. She's only seen them a handful of times—their reconciliation with me has been slow, cautious, full of awkward pauses and careful conversational paths.
"She's grown so much," my mother says, stepping closer. "May I hold her?"
Izzy hands Ivy over, and I watch as my mother's stiff posture softens slightly, her practiced smile warming into something more genuine as Ivy reaches for her pearl necklace.
"She looks just like you did at this age," my mother tells me, something wistful in her tone. "Same curious expression."
My father clears his throat. "Where should we put this?" he asks, holding up the gift bag.
"The table by the window," I answer, pointing. "Can I get you both something to drink? We have wine, champagne, or there's coffee if you prefer."
"Wine would be lovely," my mother says, still focused on Ivy, who now has a firm grasp on her pearls.
As I pour drinks for my parents, the penthouse begins to fill with guests.
Alex greets my parents with his characteristic calm confidence, either not noticing or not caring about my father's stiff handshake.
Tristan finally arrives with the cake. It took him much longer than he thought it would. It turns out there was a mix-up and it said “Happy Birthday, Irving” before they fixed it. We all get a good laugh out of that.
Julian emerges from the bedroom freshly showered, his natural charm in full force as he circulates among our guests.
