"I am," Alec confirmed again, nodding. He'd forced himself into the closest semblance of fine he could manage. He'd shoved most of his emotions to the back burner and was getting through each day by sheer will.

Alec's gaze found Isabelle and Billy from across the room, looking for any signs of stress or tension between them. Isabelle didn't look like her normal self but she was pretty on a good front. Alec was glad she had Billy to help.

"It's probably been nearly as long for him as it was for me in between birthday celebrations," Alec replied, glancing over at Magnus. "Thank you for not doing a surprise for mine. I can deal with surprises in small doses."