pinched him again. The night passed in silence. The following day marked the grand opening of All You Can Eat. Serenity and Mrs. Lane arrived at the store early in the morning, where Liberty was already hard at work.
“Liberty, is the ribbon for the ribbon-cutting ceremony ready?” Serenity asked. Having a ribbon-cutting ceremony was an essential tradition before opening a new store. Serenity acknowledged their slight superstitions; a similar ceremony took place when she first opened the bookstore with Jasmine.
“Everything is ready,” Liberty replied, having risen at three in the morning to prepare. She was in good spirits, as people often are during happy occasions. This was her first time opening a store, and Serenity assisted her sister in setting up the ribbon for the ceremony later on.
Zachary, who accompanied Serenity, could not help with the preparations due to his lack of experience. Instead, he sat by and assisted his sister-in-law with Sonny. Though Sonny was still asleep, Liberty felt it was too risky to leave him alone in the rented apartment. She had carried him on her back and arrived at three o’clock.
Once the ribbon-cutting ceremony concluded, they celebrated by popping confetti. “I can’t believe I’m late,” Duncan said as he arrived with several flower stands. Noticing the confetti on the ground, he helped Liberty arrange the flowers and added with a grin, “I set an alarm, but I still ended up late.”
“Liberty came early to prepare, while you only showed up after dawn. Naturally, you’re late,” Zachary stated matter-of-factly as he handed the still-asleep Sonny to Duncan. After holding Sonny for over an hour, it was time for Duncan to take his turn.
Duncan gently cradled Sonny. “He didn’t wake up when they…”
“Did you pop the confetti?”
“He’s sleeping soundly after all the fun he had yesterday.”
Liberty greeted Duncan as he entered the store and expressed her desire to hold her son. However, Duncan replied, “Don’t you need to make breakfast for me? I’m your first customer, right? Let me hold Sonny. I want to carry him while he’s asleep.”