#Chapter 292: The Fire’s Warmth

Hannah It took some time to get Melody to bed that night, what with all the sugar and excitement of the overwhelming day. Noah and I had to take turns pacing back and forth across the nursery, bouncing her and cooing to her until she finally gave up and let her eyes flutter closed. By the time she was finally fast asleep in her crib, wrapped up in her blanket, it was nearly midnight. But I wasn’t tired at all, and one glance at Noah told me that he wasn’t, either. We lingered in the nursery doorway for a long moment, just watching our daughter sleep soundly. One year. It was quite the accomplishment, considering everything that we had been through. Both Noah and I couldn’t bear to let the day end—we wanted to stay up just a little while longer, just to enjoy it. Finally, we made our way back downstairs, where the party had long since been cleared away and the guests had gone home. The air still smelled faintly of cake and birthday candles, and a few r