Chapter 48

The day of Liz's birthday arrived. Early in the morning, she received beautiful flowers and a delightful breakfast prepared by her beloved.

"Good morning, my love," Henry said as he entered with a gift in hand.

Liz was arranging the flowers he had sent in a vase. They kissed, and Henry handed her the present.

"You already do so much for me."

"Open it and see if you like it."

"Alright," she said, opening the gift. "How beautiful, Henry! I love it!"

She hugged him tightly and kissed him. "You make me so happy. I hope I can return the favor and make you happy too."

"I am already very happy, my love."

Her family entered the room, and Liz showed them the gift: a beautiful necklace with a simple heart pendant engraved with their initials.

"Can I put it on you now?" Henry asked.

Liz, without hesitation, said yes.

Her family came closer and embraced her, wishing her a happy birthday. Her aunt handed her a gift, and when Liz opened it, she found a lovely pair of sandals—the same ones she had admired in a store when they were out shopping for the new house. Liz hugged and thanked them.

Her mother then handed her a present that moved Liz deeply. She opened it and found a car key.

"Your father had already bought this gift for you. Now, you can go outside to see it. I had called the dealership to make sure it was delivered today, and they did."

Everyone accompanied her outside to see the car. Liz cried a lot, hugging her mother, who was also crying, and then she hugged Henry and kissed him.

"Are you okay, my love?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm fine. It's just that I wish he were here to give me the gift himself."

At that moment, Henry's parents arrived and also wished her a happy birthday, handing her their present. She opened it to find a beautiful pair of earrings.

Liz was still crying but thanked everyone. She said she was very happy and that she wanted to have all of them in her life forever. "We are now just one family, and I love you all."

Everyone got emotional.

Henry's father joked, seeing that everyone was quite sentimental: "Maybe no one has had breakfast yet. So, I invite everyone to join us for breakfast."

Liz responded that he was right. "Henry sent enough breakfast for a whole battalion. So, let's all head inside," she said, walking ahead with Henry by her side.

The phone rang, and it was Penne:

"Happy birthday, my most beautiful friend and sister in the world!"

"We're all having breakfast. It's missing you to be complete."

"I'm on my way... Kisses," Penne said, hanging up.

Liz smiled to herself and thought, Now we'll all be together the entire day.

"Well, since no one is working today, I want my whole family together all day. This baby, your cousin, and your grandchild want all your attention. His mother is feeling very sensitive. It must be the hormones. I feel like crying so much, but with you all around, my day will be so much better." She looked at Henry, who came over and hugged her. He kissed her cheek lovingly, and they sat down next to each other.

Half an hour later, Penne arrived with Nick. "We came to have breakfast with you," Penne said.

Liz got up to greet them and said, "Now my family is complete."

"We brought a gift for the most beautiful mom-to-be of the year."

Liz opened the package, finding several gifts inside: a maternity dress, a pair of flat shoes, and a picture of the third gift, which she called Henry over to see. He was also amazed, and they showed everyone.

Penne explained that it was the first gift from the godparents to their godchild—a beautiful crib that was already fully assembled. Liz hugged her friend and Nick and began crying again.

Henry reassured their friends that they shouldn't worry. "Today, she's more emotional than usual."

Penne hugged her and said how much she loved her and wished her all the happiness in the world.

"Whose beautiful new car is that outside?" Penne asked.

Liz replied, "It's a gift from my father and mother. He had bought it to give to me today."

"Today, I want to see you happy and beautiful—no more crying, or by nightfall, your face will be red and swollen," Penne said with a smile.

Liz replied, "Alright, I'll try."

Liz noticed that the men were gathered in one corner, talking, while the women were in another. She commented, "They must already be talking about work."

"Let's spend the day by the pool and have lunch together. What do you think?" Liz asked. Henry responded, "That's a great idea."

"I just need to make a few calls to check if everything is ready for the dinner tonight."

Everyone enjoyed the morning and had lunch together. In the afternoon, Penne and Nick left to get ready for the evening.