“It’s exactly what Lilly wanted,” Heather said, and winked at her daughter.
Ryan looped his arm around her shoulders and planted a kiss on Heather’s cheek. They’d sourced the typewriter themselves, though it’d taken a lot of online searching to find the right one. And Ryan had driven for hours to fetch it.
Lilly bit her bottom lip and clapped her hands. “Thank you so much, mom and dad.”
“You haven’t even opened it yet,” Amy called out from her spot beside Eva. The two of them had been gobbling down donuts and giggling like two school girls for the last half hour.
“I know,” Lilly said. “But I’m just so grateful.”
Ryan dropped to a crouch beside his daughter. “We’re grateful for you, Lilly.”
“You’ve made our lives light,” Heather said, and opened her arms to encompass the room. “Look at all these people. They wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”
Lilly sniffled and rubbed the end of her red nose. “I love you guys.”
“So proud to call you our daughter,” Ryan said, and cleared his throat. He looked away but Heather caught a glimpse of the tears glistening in his eyes.
They’d never dreamed of having children of their own, apart from Davey the dog. He was a full time commitment, after all, along with his bow tie and donut habit. But Lilly had given Heather and Ryan the chance to be parents.
They’d never be able to repay her for that.
“Open it, dear,” Eva said.
Nicolas squished around in his chair and focused on the present.
“You want to open it with me?” Lilly asked, and handed him on end of the pink bow. Even now, she’d offer to share her joy with someone else.
“Sure,” he said, and took it from her.
They tugged on either end of the bow and it slipped free of the box. Lils lifted the lid off and all four sides of the box fell outward to reveal…
“It’s pink!”
A retro pink typewriter – Lilly’s favorite color – with a set of dinosaur stickers to stick on the sides if she wanted.
“Oh my gosh, it’s amazing!” Lilly jumped to her feet, her frilly dresses swishing around her knees, and barreled into Heather and Ryan. She hugged them both.
Heather swallowed a lump in her throat and held onto her daughter. “You like it?”
“I love it,” Lilly squeaked. “It’s the best.”
“It’s awesome!” Nicolas clapped his hands. “Man, that’s the coolest thing ever.”
Lilly spun to face him. “Uh, yeah it is. We’re going to write stories, Nick. Remember that dinosaur detective series I told you about?”
“Oh yeah, I remember. Can I help you with it?”
“Of course.” Lilly squished down in her seat and lifted the stickers. She admired them, still smiling from ear-to-ear. The two kids were lost in their own conversation, already.
Heather hugged Ryan and forced the tears back. She’d never been this happy.
The bell above the door tinkled and another party guest entered – Jamie Purdue, looking dapper in a suit.
Amy stood and waved at him, her cheeks as pink as the bow on Lilly’s gift had been.
“Everyone’s so happy,” Heather said.
“Of course they are,” Ryan replied, and kissed her on the forehead. “They’re in Donut Delights, with treats and friends, a party and a cake.”
“Oh the cake!” Heather called out.
No one heard her. They were all too busy having the time of their lives.
THE END
A letter from the Author
To each and every one of my Amazing readers: I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think by leaving a review!
I’ll be releasing another installment in two weeks so to stay in the loop (and to get free books and other fancy stuff) Join my Book club.
Stay Curious,
Susan Gillard
Birthday Sprinkle Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 37 Page 7
