Danny smiled as a girl with red hair ran into her legs and hid herself in her dress.

“Mummy, why does dad have a scar on his back?” she asked, pointing at Regan’s bare back as he chopped wood in the bright afternoon sun.

With ease, my wife picked up Emily and kissed her on forehead. “Dad used to fight a lot, before he was your dad.”

“Cooool! Like me?” Another redhead ran towards mother and daughter as he waved a stick above his head. I couldn’t but smile as I watched the two children cling to the love of my life. The story of why Regan had a long scar on his back was not one my children should hear at this age. Never was even better.

I grazed my fingertips over my ribs, over the memory of another story I never wanted Aspen and Emily to know. But with a carefree Danny in front of me that wasn’t worried about when or how to smile, I dropped my hand from his side. It had all been worth it.

All our stories, all our adventures. All the hardship and terrible times we had to go through, this picture right now was what I always envisioned. What I had held onto as I wrestled through the pile of crap that had been my life.

I smiled as Danny pointed at me, crouching to my knees as my son ran towards me for a bear hug.

“Woah, buddy, slow down! Your father is getting old,” I groaned, ruffling through the red, untamed hairs of my kid.

“Pappa, do you have scars like dad too?”

I smiled, straightening out Aspen’s torn shirt. He was a wild boy, a rascal, and he brought honour to our friend’s name. Yes, we made a good choice in naming him after our friend. I hugged him tenderly, not believing I was actually so lucky to have a child like him. He was curious, kind, and unscathed. He was perfect.

I shook my head, disarming a painful memory by not even acknowledging it. “N-Not cool big ones like him.”

“Tiny ones?” Aspen asked, his eyes widening like saucers. He was so excited about fighting and swords, like all boys his age were. It was adorable and I hoped his love for swords would never disappear. That he would never have to see the horrors of what a blade could do.

“Y-Yes, I do have t-tiny ones,” I smiled, brushing the dust from his shirt. He kept finding himself dirty and muddy patches, and his clothes were a mirror for the untamed spirit he was

“Can I see them? Pappa, please?” Aspen begged, tugging on my shirt. I snickered and pulled Aspen’s small hands away from the hem.

“N-Not today. M-Maybe another time, when you are b-bigger.”

“I want to see them nooooow,” the redhead whined, his eyebrows frowning as he stomped his foot on the ground.

“Aspen, dear, let your pappa be. He is tired,” Danny scolded lovingly, climbing the soft hill and joining me in the shade of the tree.

“Pappa!” Emily cooed, stretching her arms out to me so I would hold her. Aware of how she had me wrapped around her little finger, I gladly took hold of our daughter. With her playful eyes and her fiery red hair, she was the spitting image of Danny. And she had all three of her fathers doting and fussing over her to make sure she had everything her little heart desired.

A little jealous that his sister stole my attention, Aspen tugged on my shirt. “Why can’t I see? Dad showed me his scars!”

Danny bent down to kiss our son’s cheek, laughing as he pulled a funny face and curled up in a ball to get away from her. She didn’t mind. He was just getting at that age where girls and kisses from mum were no longer cool. With the short attention span of boys of his age had, Aspen already seemed to have forgotten about the scars of his fathers. Instead, he poked his sister’s leg, making her wiggle out of my embrace as she tried to steal Aspen’s stick. His clear laugh shattered over the meadow as he, happily and wildly, raced down the hill. As fast as Emily’s little legs could carry her, she ran after her older brother, trying to catch him.

“O-Our kids are crazy,” I sighed dreamily, loving how Danny gently pressed herself into me.

“They sure are, “ she agreed, softly kissing me on the lips. In the end, we really got the perfect life. This small patch of land, at the furthest end of Leander’s kingdom, we had a home that was ours and ours alone. A garden of Eden that was everything we always wanted. With a spacious garden in the back that Darren used to grow his own herbs and ripen his own tomatoes. A goat herder lived right over the second hill to the south and every week, he passed by our home to deliver fresh milk for our children and aged cheese for Regan. Next to the house grew sunflowers and bushes of roses, a combination that summed up Danny perfectly. Filled with laughter, with warmth, with love, this was the home I never dared to dream I’d ever have. And yet, here it was. And it was mine. Ours.

My two legacies danced through the meadow, playing and laughing, carefree and hopeful like only children could be. We did well.

I wrapped my arm around my wife and pulled her closer to me, loving how after all these years, she still brought joy to my heart. The sun glimmered in beautiful pearl she wore around her finger and I remembered the day I gave it to her. It was beautiful weather, just like today. With a smile, I placed my own hand on her stomach, admiring the matching silver band.

“W-We got our work cut out for us.”

She chuckled, throwing her long red hairs over her shoulder as she always did. “We sure do.”

“They are g-going to gang up on us,” I said, the palm of my hand warm against Danny. I placed a tender kiss on her temple and with my chin resting on her shoulder, I smiled. Life couldn’t have turned out better for me. With the sun warming my skin and the wind playing through the red hairs of my family, I realised that never before I felt so at home.

“May the Spirit help us. At least before this one, the dads outnumbered the kids,” she sighed, placing her own hand on top of mine.

“I-If this one is anything like Aspen or Emily, w-we’ll have our work cut out f-for us.”

Danny nodded, pressing herself into my warm embrace. “They’re going to tire us out.”

“A tiresome t-trio.”

The redhead in my arms laughed out loud, her vibrations as satisfying as a purring cat.

“A terrifying triad,” she added, placing her hand next to mine. We didn’t know if we were having another boy or girl, but Regan wanted another girl. Daren would love another son, but truthfully, none of us really cared. We were happy to welcome another child into this world, into our life.

I nodded, humming happily. The scent of summer and star anise reassuring me that I was indeed home. “T-They’re going to be a triple threat.”

THE END