I still couldn't believe it's been a year. One whole year since little Nate was welcomed into the world. Our world.

That day was a terrifying one for us all, but it was also a blessing. We were just grateful that he survived and was able to be here to celebrate his first of many birthdays with us. It made me think of the future. What was our baby's first birthday going to be like? Since little Nate's birthday and my baby's were going to be so close, would there be two parties? Or one big one?

"Thinking about the baby again?"

We were riding in Ryan's truck, headed to Lanie's for little Nate's birthday party. When I looked over at him, he had an amused expression on his face.

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

His eyes fell to my belly. "I can tell. Whenever you're quiet and you rub your belly like that, you're usually thinking about the baby. What were you thinking?"

I smiled before saying softly, "Little Nate's birthday had be thinking of our daughter's. What it would be like."

"Pink," he chuckled. "When I think about her first birthday, I think of a lotta pink. And crying."

"Crying?"

"Oh hell yeah. Are you saying you wont be crying at our daughters first birthday?"

"I'll probably be bawling my eyes out," I admitted.

"She already has me wrapped around her little finger," he mused. "And she isn't even born yet. Believe me when I say that I'm going to be embarrassing myself at any kind of birthday, recital, cheerleading competition, or graduation."

"And wedding," I added.

Ryan scoffed at that one. "Wedding? What wedding? My little girl is never getting married. Or dating. Ever."

"Oh no. Is my husband was going to be one of those dads that is crazy overprotective? The one who thinks that no man is good enough for his little girl?"

"No one is going to be good enough for her," he said pointedly.

None of this was a surprise to me. I just enjoyed pushing his buttons sometimes. Anyone who knew Ryan knew that he was the kind of guy who loved someone with his whole heart. Especially his daughter. He was one of the most caring people I've ever known. He would give someone the clothes off his back if they needed it.

"Whatever you say," I said softly.

There was no point in arguing with him. Ryan Hale was just as stubborn as me. Besides there was time to tease him more about that later.

"Have you given anymore thought to the name ideas?"

With a frown I glanced down at my belly. "No. I like both Christine and Julianna. Maybe the second one a little more."

"But?"

"But...it just doesn't feel right. She doesn't feel like a Christine. Or a Juliana."

"Or Tess. Or Beth. Or Sydney..." He went through the list of names I've vetoed. "Babe, we gotta pick one. You're due dates getting closer and closer."

"I know," I groaned. "I know. Gosh, I don't why its so hard. I thought this was supposed to be the fun and easy part."

He reached out and took my hand. "This is the fun part. And don't worry about the name thing. It'll come to you."

"And if I can't decide by the time she arrives? What then?"

"Then we'll call her Baby Hale until we can decide."

That made me laugh. "We can't call her that!"

Ryan shrugged and unfastened his seatbelt after pulling into Lanie's driveway. "Then we can have Jackson come up with a nickname. He's good at it."

That was one thing we could agree on. Jackson had a knack for giving all his girl friends nicknames. And no matter how much it pissed Lanie off, he still referred to little Nate as Jack. Honestly, I thought Jack was super cute. But I didn't dare say that to my best friend.

"I got the gift," Ryan called from the other side of the truck.

"Okay, thanks."

Cars littered the driveway and street. It looked like we were the last ones here even though we arrived a few minutes early. They all belonged to people we knew, though. Just the close tight circle of friends that meant way more than that.

Of course it wasn't a surprise that my mom, Ryan's mom, and Mr. Hale weren't attending. My mom was invited, but she had a special brunch with friends who were visiting from out of town. I asked Lanie about Ryan's parents, but she just shrugged and said she was 'advised not to invite them'.

I assumed Ryan told her that. He probably didn't want to be stirring the pot of their drama by having them both here. And it was nearly impossible to invite one and not the other without hurting someone's feelings and most likely making that drama worse.

What a cluster-fuck.

"Hey, guys!" Harper greeted us at the door with Jackson by her side. "You made it."

Hugs were exchanged before we stepped inside. Classic rock music was playing softly from the Bluetooth speaker on the fireplace. Presents were stacked in front of it as well. There was a large banner that said Happy 1st Birthday! across the top.

"You're looking well, Danielle."

That British accent I've grown used to hearing drew my attention. "Thank you, Jackson. I'm feeling good today. Better than I have been in awhile."

Obviously doubting me, he glanced to Ryan for confirmation. When Ryan nodded in agreement, Jackson smiled back at me.

Men, I thought with a shake of my head.

"I'm fine!" I cried. "You all need to stop mothering me. I have a mother and she does it enough.

"Good luck with that," Ayden muttered from the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes and looked over at Lanie who was standing beside Harper. "Where's the birthday boy? I need to see him."

Nate walked up carrying the man of the hour in his arms. "Here he is!"

Little Nate was wearing a Yankees onesie underneath a dark blue set of overalls and one of those pointy birthday hats on his head. The smile he had on his face said he knew exactly what today was. And he was loving every second of it.

"Happy birthday!" I cooed, reaching out to take him.

Nate hesitated before handing him over. "Are you sure he isn't too heavy, Danielle?"

My eyes met his and I lowered my voice so no one would overhear. "If you don't hand him over, Nathan Jenkins, I'm going to tell everyone here about your punishment when you were at my place."

The blood drained from his face instantly and he handed me the baby. Truth was, I knew something like this would happen today. As much as it bothered me, every single person here was going to continue to mother me. No matter how many times I asked.

But if I could get around it with blackmail like I just did, then I was going to do it.

"You've gotten so big." Little Nate gripped my finger tightly. When I glanced over at Lanie, she was watching us with watery eyes. "How are you holding up, mama?"

Ayden appeared next to her with a box of tissues. "Here you go, goddess."

She took one and wiped at her eyes. "I can't believe he's one!" More crying followed by an angry, "What's going to happen next year? Is he going to enroll into college?"

Everyone chuckled. Except Lanie. She stormed off. Probably to get some wine. Or tequila.

Tugging on my necklace had me looking down at little Nate again. He had the kind of smile that made everyone around him instantly happy. Staring into his innocent face made me think of my daughter. She was going to come into this world completely oblivious to the horrors of reality.

She wasn't going to have a care in the world. She was going to be happy and loved. In that moment I promised myself that I was going to try to keep it that way for as long as possible.

"They grow so quickly, don't they?"

Without looking at Harper, I nodded. "I can't believe it's been a year. So much has happened in that time."

Over the span of this past year, Nate and Karma got back together. Karma lost her mom. Harper and Jackson split up. He took off to London and she went after him. Then they got married. Gwen got together with that stripper. I'm having a baby.

"Yeah," I whispered. "They do grow quickly."

I really hoped time wouldn't go by this quickly when my daughter was born. That was one of the reasons I stopped working. Well, kind of. Six years ago I started a clothing line that surprisingly took off within a year. I also started selling makeup and perfume. My store Perfectly You was located in Manhattan not too far from where we lived.

So when I got pregnant, I decided to take a step back from my busy work life. My mom helps out and I have a great management team. I'm just more behind the scenes now and work a little from home.

Just when little Nate started squirming in my arms, Nate appeared out of nowhere.

"I got him."

With my good mood instantly ruined, my anger meter went from zero to scary in a nanosecond. So when Nate started to walk away with the baby, I said very loudly, "Nate gave me a manicure and a pedicure as punishment for being overbearing when he was over my house the other day."

Silence filled the Jenkins/Sawyer house. Besides the music that was still playing, no one said a word.

Mouths were dropped and Nate instantly became the center of attention. As everyone stared at him in shock, his gaze was locked with mine.

That's right, Nate, my eyes said to him. I warned you I was going to dish that little secret if you kept mothering me.

Looked like I was the one stirring the pot now. Although...I did not expect what happened next.

***

Hey, all. Happy Tuesday. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was fun writing it. I have part 2 coming Thursday (hopefully). Work has just been INSANELY busy. Forgive me. I will also be posting another chapter of Heartstrings tomorrow! Make sure to catch up if you haven't already. Things are getting exciting for Nate and Karma in the prequel!

As always, thanks for reading

xoxo