Enchanted N.H

Chapter 31

Lia and I help Emma decorate the living room of the house for Dana's birthday.
She is turning six today and the normal procedure is that children leave to go back home during their birthdays but Dana can't.
Her mother is severely sick and needed to go to the hospital, Dana was crushed when  she heard that she needs to stay at the house.
Now we are trying our best to cheer her up and make her birthday as good as possible.
Lia keeps smiling at her phone when Emma isn't looking and I peek over her shoulder, trying to see what she is doing.
"It is a surprise, you are too nosy" she dismisses me with a sly grin and I pretend to be offended so her words.
Emma holds the ladder for me and I hang the pink and white balloons on the ceiling while trying to make a little small talk with her.
She seemed a little off today but reassures me that she is totally fine and that I should focus on not falling from the chair.
When we are done we proudly look around the room and high five each other.
Drawings that her friends had done for her are glued on to the walls, pretty balloons are everywhere and on the table that we pushed into the centre of the room sits a big birthday cake with six candles on it.
For dinner the kids are having homemade pizza and I am happy that I don't have to clean the kitchen afterwards, I can only imagine how dirty it is going to get.
"We should let the kids in now", Emma suggests and we open the door to the living room where both Aich and Dana are impatiently waiting.
"Can we see, can we see?", Aicha excitedly jumps up and down pulling Dana with her.
I smile at her, I love to see how comfortable she is to speak to other people than Dana, how bubbly her personality is once you get to know her a little better.
"Call the others and then we can go in", Lia tells Dana and both girls run away screaming for the others to come to the living room.
Emma gets a pink scarf and wraps it around Dana's head to block her view from the decorated room.
The other kids follow in a line behind Dana and wait until she is inside before forming a half circle around her.
"Happy birthday Dana", everyone yells in unison and Emma unwraps the scarf from her eyes.
Dana smiles widely, her eyes sparkle and she runs to the table with the cake on.
Mike, one of the few male staff members lights the candles and tells Dana to blow them out.
"Make a wish Dana", I tell her with a smile and she closes her eyes.
Lia cuts the cake and hands it out to the kids, Dana unwraps a present and I pour juice and water into the kids plastic cups.
"I wish my mommy was here", Dana suddenly speaks up and I see her lip quiver .
Immediately I place the cup I am holding on the table and rush to her side.
"You will see your mom soon Dana", I coo trying to calm her down but with little success.
Soon big tears spill from her eyes and Lia comes to my help and wraps her arm around Dana's small frame.
"We have a big big surprise for you Dana but you have to stop crying before okay?", she tells her and I raise my eyebrow in confusion.
Lia winks at me and keeps shushing Dana until her sobbing has stopped and I hand her a tissue to dry her tears.
"Guys we have a big surprise for everyone so please sit down on the carpet and form a big half circle for us", Lia speaks up and gets the others attention.
Still confused I obey her demands and sit down next to Aicha who bombards me with questions but I can only shrug, not knowing what it's happening either.
"Because it is your birthday today Dana we invited two people to sing you some special birthday songs", Lia opens the living room door again and reveals a smiling Lewis and laughing Niall.
Niall meets my eye and winks at me causing me to blush a little.
"The evil man", Dana shrieks and runs to hug Niall.
He hands his guitar to Lia and picks Dana up, carrying her to the middle of the circle and sets her down on a chair that Mike placed there.
When Niall and Lewis are all set up they begin to play, first with a regular happy birthday song and then they start to play what makes you beautiful for Dana.
I chuckle when Dana and Aicha dance around the room, soon joined by the other kids all laughing loudly.
Lia grabs my hand and pulls me up just when they start playing Girl Almighty.
We twirl around the living room and I take Mike's hand to force him to dance with us.
All three of us get dizzy from spinning but only stop when they start with Lewis song Grace.
We sit back on the floor just watching the kids dance and scream. Lia sways her upper body to the music and I wrap my arm around her shoulders just enjoying the moment.
Lewis and Niall finish their small private concert and everyone applauds them happily.
Emma asks if the boys would like to stay for some coffee and some cake and they gladly accept the offer.
Niall kisses my cheek when we sit next to each other at the table. "Surprise", he grins and I mirror the happy expression on his face leaning forward to brush a few cake crumbs from his chin.
"Thank you babe you really made her happy", I tell him and point to Dana who is chatting to Mike.
"Don't thank me, it was Lia's idea".
I turn to Lia to tell her how amazing the idea was but she is busy flirting with Lewis, he has his hand on her tigh and she leans forward trying to catch everything he tells her with a light blush on her cheeks.
"They are adorable", I gush about the two to Niall.
"We are cuter though", he chuckles and kisses my temple and brings a fork with cake to my mouth.
Our eyes lock again and I run my hand through his hair smoothing it down a little bit.
How I wish this honeymoon phase of our relationship would last forever.