Chapter 40. Noelle and Shane

The limo pulled up at Noelle and Shane’s new house with perfect timing. She could hear music playing when they got closer to the front door, and she smiled in anticipation of her first real birthday celebration with her dad. She’d had some birthday parties as a little girl while her mom had been alive, but she could barely remember those days. This was different. Now it felt like a birthday celebration. 

Noelle, Will, and Georgie entered the house, and she smiled at the balloons and decorations in the kitchen. No one was inside, but she heard the chattering voices from the yard, and a peek through the window confirmed that all the guests were hanging out on the patio. 

Armed with bottles of water to help counteract the champagne, the three of them joined everyone outside. Noelle had never smiled so hard in her life. Shane’s mom, Edith, was beaming with happiness as she crushed Noelle in an emotional hug.

“I had just about gi