Tethered Souls | Books 1, 2, and 3

53 | Birthday

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• Luna •

"So, if you and Amir get married, will he be like a daddy to me?" Sarah asked Luna as she combed her hair. 

Luna turned her around and smiled. "Where did you get that from, sweet pea?" 

Sarah shrugged. "I have my ways." 

"Well, how do you feel about that if he proposed to me?"

"He's all right. I love his skin. It's like touching silk. And I love his eyes. They look like beautiful marbles. And I love his personality. Papa has a great personality. He plays with me, and I can sense his devotion to my mommy."

A tear slid down Luna's cheek. "Papa? You call him Papa?"

Sarah nodded. "Amir is Papa. You two should definitely get married." Sarah wrapped her arms around Luna's waist. "I am team Aluna." 

Not wanting to do anything else, Luna laughed as she pressed her daughter's tiny body against her chest. Sarah liked Amir, and that was very important to her.

About two hours after everyone had settled in, they all cleaned up and got dressed for dinner. Amir started praying forty-five minutes earlier, while Cami was asleep in the next room. Luna played with Sarah in their new room, relaxed, and felt comfortable.

Liberty just entered the room to inform her that a formal dinner would be served downstairs. Luna got up and slipped on a black party dress that covered most of her scars and bruises. Then, she joined the others downstairs.

Outside, there was a huge dinner with many different kinds of food. Next to the cheese, several meat slices were lined up. She grabbed some fruit and a salad, while Sarah was taken care of by Liberty. Luna saw Amir, Faisal, Vikram, Raul, and Colin chat in the backyard as she sat down in a lounge chair and took small bites from her plate.

When Darren and Sue joined the party, Luna walked up to her to say hello. "Hi, Sue. It's good to meet you. I'm Luna."

"Likewise," Sue said with a Kiwi accent, her light brown hair falling in waves around her face.

Luna smiled and walked back to her chair, then sat in her seat and chowed down on a piece of sliced turkey, enjoying it to its fullest. 

When Amir glanced at her, he grinned. "I see you and Sarah are eating well. It's good." 

Luna nodded and almost choked on a piece of strawberry she tossed into her mouth. "I can't remember the last time I ate food like this. It's not stale or served on a metal plate." 

She immediately regretted going there as soon as he narrowed his eyes. "I didn't—"

"No. It's all right, Moon. Eat." 

Amir guzzled down his grape juice. He then jumped up and reached for more grapes, apples, and banana slices. Luna noticed he wasn't eating anything that wasn't a fruit or a vegetable, and he didn't eat any of the Chicken Karahi. She just wanted to lick the food off her plate and enjoy every bite. She glanced at the group as they chatted and argued about who their favorite player on their sports team was before turning her attention elsewhere.

Then her eyes casually met Faisal's. But he turned his head away and smiled the second Cami came down the steps. When he saw her grab a plate, his smile grew.

After Amir had sat down, Luna rested her palm on his knee. He turned his head toward her frame, and a strand of jet-black hair fell over his forehead.

Luna ate as much as her stomach could hold because she knew it made him feel better while he sat quietly and looked out into the yard.