« Mom, when is Grandma getting here? »
***
From the very beginning, Beverly had made it clear she didn’t see Lila as real family.
« I’m not going to pretend some stranger’s baby is my blood, » she’d once said, and those words had never left me.
Over the years, my MIL had found countless small ways to remind us that Lila didn’t belong in the family tree the way a biological child would. A missing invitation here. A comment about « real grandchildren » there.
Nothing I could fully call her out on, but enough to sting.
But today was different. Today was Lila’s day, and I’d ensured everything would be perfect.
Those words had never left me.
***
More than 50 people attended the party that afternoon. The backyard was decorated with streamers and balloons in shades of purple and gold. A wooden stage held the outdoor screen Caleb had set up for a birthday slideshow.
