The next day, Elsa toddled around in the backyard as her parents, uncle, and aunt finished the party preparations.
"And now I'll show you guys the smash cake," Anna Elizabeth told them as she grabbed a plastic cake stand.
"And a smash cake is?" Ethan questioned as he crossed his arms over his chest.
With a slight chuckle, Calin explained, "A smash cake is a cake that Elsa will literally smash with her hands and face. It's just a fun thing for kids who are turning one."
Ethan hummed in response before Sam rested her arm on his shoulder and asked him, "Didn't your dad do something like this for you?"
"You know, I can't really remember," Ethan began with a grin. He received eye rolls in response before he continued, "My dad did throw me a party, but I didn't smash my face into any cakes. Dad and some of my aunts and uncles just fed it to me."
With a squeeze of his shoulder, Sam smiled and commented, "Well, that's still pretty sweet."
"Yeah, it is," Ethan agreed with a small, yet genuine smile. He then joked, "I guess I was a little more warm-hearted back then."
Sam shook her head while Anna Elizabeth and Calin chuckled. The curly blonde then spoke, "Well, now, you can see your niece enjoying her smash cake."
She then pulled the lid off the cake stand and revealed a round, white cake covered with pink icing flowers and sprinkles.
"That's so cute, Anna Elizabeth. It's almost too cute to eat," Sam complimented. She then asked, "Did you make it?"
"Yeah, I did. I used one of my mom's recipes - my birth mom, that is," Anna Elizabeth explained with a smile before she covered the cake.
Ethan then tilted his head and surmised, "Since that cake is gonna get ruined, I really hope you have another one."
Calin chuckled before he told his brother, "Yeah, we do. Emma and Killian are bringing it. Their refrigerator is bigger than ours."
Ethan - and Sam - both nodded before she asked, "What does this cake look like?"
Just then, Anna Elizabeth noticed that the back gate opened, and her parents walked through. She smiled as she answered, "Why don't I just show you guys?" as she inclined her head toward her parents.
When Emma and Killian walked over, she greeted, "I hope you guys are ready for some cake."
"Well, cake is the best part of a birthday party," Ethan said with a grin.
Everyone chuckled at that before Anna Elizabeth said, "Let's see the cake, Mom. I want Ethan and Sam to have a look at it."
"And this little one," Calin added as he scooped Elsa in his arms.
Emma nodded before she lifted the plastic lid. The rectangle cake was covered in pink frosting with "Happy Birthday Elsa" written in white royal icing. A purple castle had been piped on one side while a princess in a blue dress had been piped on the other side.
"This cake is just as cute, Anna Elizabeth," Sam offered with a smile.
With his hands in his pockets, Ethan then spoke, "For a princess cake, it is pretty cool."
Chuckles erupted among the group before he continued, "So, who made this thing?"
Anna Elizabeth and Emma shared a smile before the curly blonde answered, "That would me and my mom. It seemed fitting since my birth mom made mine."
"And since this sweet little girl is named after her," Emma added with another smile just before she lightly tickled her granddaughter.
The baby girl giggled before she began reaching for her grandmother. Emma giggled before she took Elsa from her son-in-law.
Emma then said, "Hey, kid. Are you ready for your party?"
Elsa only squealed in reply as she started waving her hands.
Everyone chuckled at that before Emma offered, "I think we can take that a yes."
Calin then said, "And now we can get a few pictures before everyone else gets here." He then asked his mother-in-law, "Do you think you could help hold Elsa behind the cakes while we take a picture?"
"Sure thing, kid," Emma told him with a smile. She then walked behind the table and placed her granddaughter on it.
She removed the plastic lids before she told her, "Alright, Elsa, smile really big for Mommy and Daddy."
Anna Elizabeth had already pulled up her camera and focused it on her baby girl. She then said, "Come on, sweetie. Look at Mommy," waving as she did so.
Elsa was a bit too occupied with the cakes to pay attention to her mother, and Emma continued coaxing her away from them.
Calin then clapped lightly as he moved to stand beside his wife. He began making various faces and noises to capture his daughter's attention.
It finally seemed to work as Elsa's brown eyes flitted over to her father, and she started to giggle. Anna Elizabeth quickly snapped the picture.
She then turned to her husband with a smile and said, "Thank you. We needed at least one picture of her actually looking at us."
With a chuckle, Calin then told her, "You're welcome," before he kissed the side of her head.
He then said, "And thanks, Emma, for trying to help."
She waved a hand before she replied, "Of course. I have quite a bit of experience wrangling kids for pictures," offering a grin toward Anna Elizabeth.
She rolled her eyes before she defended, "I wasn't that bad."
"On the contrary, love. You rarely sat still - it's no wonder that my dear brother and sister-in-law were always so tired," Killian added with a grin of his own.
Anna Elizabeth rolled her eyes once more before she changed the subject: "Let's just cover the cakes," before she walked over and did so.
"And still just as stubborn," Killian mumbled, a playfulness to his tone. Emma heard him and shook her head before she lightly elbowed him.
Anna Elizabeth then planted her hips as she as she surveyed all the tables. To no one in particular, she then asked, "Is this everything?"
Calin answered, "Yeah, it is - we got it covered." He then suggested, "Let's just sit down while we wait for everyone else."
She nodded before the two of them sat down at one of the round tables, and their family joined them, with Sam settling in Ethan's lap.
She folded her arms on the table before she jumped when Elsa began banging on it.
"Sorry about that, love. We think the lass wants to be a drummer," Killian teasingly apologized with a grin.
Sam giggled before she said, "Oh, I'm pretty much used to it. Ethan plays air guitar - sound effects included - almost every day. Both at home and at work."
She then reached slightly behind her to ruffle his hair.
He smoothed it down as he complained, "Hey. Don't do that," before he addressed her comment: "You play it sometimes, too, you know. And you're always singing."
With a grin, Sam then said, "You know it's one of the reasons you love me. You just won't admit it."
Ethan rolled his eyes before Killian interjected, "If I may, mate, you'd be better off just listening to your wife," with a grin.
Emma nudged his shoulder before Sam gestured to him and told her husband, "See, he gets it." She grinned once more and added, "And he's on my side."
She then tilted her head as a realization hit her. She then looked at Emma and Killian and said, "We haven't even actually met, have we? That's not awkward at all."
Emma and Killian couldn't help but chuckle before she assured the young woman: "It's okay, kid. It can be a bit nerve wracking meeting your, uh, new family."
"That's a bit of an understatement," Sam admitted, running her fingers through her hair. Ethan squeezed her hip and planted a soft kiss on her arm.
She then waved her hand and said, "Sorry, guys. I was really nervous about meeting all of you, but I'm okay now," a smile forming across her features.
She received smiles in response before Killian offered, "Well, we're all glad to finally meet you, love. We've heard quite a lot about you and seen photos, and it'd be rather nice to get to know you."
"Especially now that you're family," Emma added with another smile as she playfully bounced Elsa in her arms.
Sam smiled once more - this time even brighter - as Ethan ran his hands up and down her arms.
Part of him had the urge to throw in a teasing "I told you so," but that part quickly grew quiet at the sight of her smile.
Emma then said, "And in the spirit of getting to know you, I wanted to ask about your mom. She's a wedding singer, right?"
With a nod, Sam then answered, "Yep, she is - and she absolutely loves it. I mean, she always loved music, and she's a romantic at heart, so it's kind of like the best of both worlds."
"And how long has she been doing that?" Killian then questioned, resting his chin in his hand.
"Since shortly after I was born," Sam began. She then took a breath and continued, "She wanted to break into the music business, but it's way too unpredictable, and she knew that she needed something more stable for me. One of her friends asked her to sing at her wedding, and the rest is history."
Anna Elizabeth then commented, "And you went with her to the weddings. I think you said something about always making friends with the flower girls and ring bearers."
With a chuckle, Sam then said, "Yeah, I did. And any other kids that were there. I always loved going with Mom, and I always looked forward to it."
She then paused and continued, "And when I got older, I started helping out the catering staff. It turned out pretty great for a first job, especially since it led to a career I love."
Ethan curled his arms around Sam's waist before he added, "Which translates to one couple having a fully loaded bar, and an 18-year-old Sam being completely fascinated."
With another chuckle, Sam then said, "That's the gist of it. I just thought it was cool how there seemed to be an endless array of drink combinations. Mom saw how passionate I was about this, so she let me practice at home. And since I wasn't quite old enough to drink, my mom was my guinea pig."
With a smile, Killian then commented, "As most parents are at one point or another. Even if they're grown," casting a look over at his daughter, who smiled and shook her head in response.
He then surmised, "And I'm guessing that when you were 21, you found a job at a bar," turning his attention back to Sam.
She nodded before she finished her story: "And one year later, I moved from Baltimore to Providence after one of my best friends told me about this great retro-style music bar that his firm did some marketing for. He knew I'd be perfect for it. I worked there until new management came through and decided to keep the music and style of the place, but they exchanged margaritas for lattes," resting her chin in her hand.
With a grin, Ethan then added, "And then she came over to Indigo Fire, and she fit right in with everyone. For me and her, it was friends at first sight."
Everyone smiled and shook their heads. Calin then said, "Uh, Ethan, the saying is "love at first sight"."
He shrugged before he pointed out, "I know that, but that wasn't how it was for us. I just thought she was cool."
Sam smiled fondly before she kissed the side of his head. Anna Elizabeth smiled as well before she teasingly spoke, "Well, at least you guys didn't act like you two could only ever be friends."
Emma and Killian both rolled their eyes before she spoke, "Very funny, kid." She then paused and continued, "I think we all know people fall in love in different ways."
"Indeed they do," Killian agreed before he planted a kiss in her hair. The sweet moment effectively broke when Elsa yanked on the ring around her grandfather's neck.
He grunted before he pried it from her small hands. He scooped her in his arms before he said, "I suppose I'll learn to put this in my shirt when you're around, eh, little love?"
Elsa only started reaching for the ring again when Calin chuckled and said, "I'll go get one of her toys."
He then got up and began heading inside when his baby girl yelled, "Da-da!" and reached for him.
He smiled before he walked over and picked her up. He then told her, "Let's go get your ball, sweetheart."
"Ball!" Elsa shouted as she clapped her hands. Everyone chuckled before Calin carried her inside.
Sam crossed her legs and rested her elbow on her knee. She then spoke, "I bet she keeps you guys on your toes, doesn't she?"
She then ran her fingers through her blue-streaked hair and quickly added, "But she's still a really cute baby."
Emma, Killian, and Anna Elizabeth chuckled before he assured her, "It's quite alright, love. I felt the same way about Anna Elizabeth when she was born; she was my niece, and I loved her to bits, but I wasn't always quite sure what to do with her."
He then cast a smile over at his daughter before he finished, "But I learned, and so will you, Sam. I'm sure you'll be a proper aunt in no time."
Emma couldn't help but roll her eyes before she said, "The American way of saying that is you'll be great with Elsa. And any other kids, too."
With a smile, Sam replied, "Thanks, you guys. I apparently need to hear it more than once for it to get through my head."
With a wave of her hand, Anna Elizabeth then assured her, "Don't even worry about it. Sometimes it takes a while for worries to fade away."
She then grinned and added, "And no one will judge you because we're all pretty stubborn around here."
Sam giggled before Killian added, "I think you would know that best, Anna Elizabeth."
She rolled her eyes before Calin came back outside, with Elsa holding her ball in her hands. He then said, "I just saw Liam and Evie pull up through the window."
"Then I guess it's time to start this party," Ethan spoke with a grin, earning laughter and head shakes from his family.
They soon rose to their feet, and Ethan unwrapped his arms from around his wife's waist before he and Sam did the same.
A pensive look then dawned across her features, and the voices around her became echoes.
A hand squeezing her hip brought her back to reality, as well as her husband's voice: "Do I need bring out your real name again to get your attention?"
Sam only shook her head before she told him, "No, you don't. But I was thinking about something."
"Let me guess - you're thinking that the feather necklace doesn't go with the Guns N' Roses short shirt," Ethan began with a smirk.
Sam rolled her eyes before she corrected, "First of all, it's called a crop top," before she continued, "And I was thinking that I never thought that moving to Providence would bring me to a place that feels like Mayberry. But in a good way."
With a chuckle, Ethan then conceded, "Yeah, I don't think I pictured that meeting my half-brother would lead to this either." He then paused and continued, "But I think life would be extremely boring if it were predictable."
Sam only hummed in response. She then smiled and said, "And I'm pretty sure people would say the same about you."
With a half-crooked smile, Ethan then offered, "Yep. And that's what makes our relationship so fun."
"And so amazing," Sam offered with a genuine smile. Ethan returned it before he kissed her sweetly.
When they pulled away, he took her hand in his and told her, "Come on, babe, you have lots of people to meet."
With a broad smile, Sam replied, "Well, I can't wait."