“Oh, come on Uncle Nathan! Just one more game?” Anthony asks, spinning the basketball on his finger. He's tall for his age, and so much like his father it's uncanny. He has the same lean features, the same lithe frame, but in the middle of his face are the trademark blue eyes of our family. Even Janice, my daughter, has them, something that every child in our extended family shares, a bond deeper than blood and three last names. “You only lost by two!”

“Yeah well, your uncle is an old man, and could settle for just a game of H.O.R.S.E, but one on one? You need to ask your Uncle Jackson for that one.”

Anthony smirks, something else he inherited from Andrea, and shakes his head. “Nah. Maybe DJ though. He's doing okay for a first grader.”

“So says the oh-so-wise second grader,” I tease, waving him off. “Be nice to your cousin. Remember, he's getting more martial arts lessons from his parents than you are.”

“Yeah, but I'm getting taught by you,” Anthony replies as he takes off. I ease myself into the deck chair and reach for my cup of iced tea. I hear a chuckle behind me, and Andrea's there with a pitcher of the same tea, laying out stuff for the party.

“You’re hardly an old man. And thank you for intentionally bricking those last two shots,” Andrea says, coming over and giving me a hug and kiss. “You can’t be that old if you can keep up with these kids.”

“I try, but damn if it doesn’t wear me out,” I tease, patting her hand. “Congratulations, Liam’s third birthday. You doing anything special?”

Andrea shakes her head, smiling softly. “Just the usual. He likes it that way.”

The transformation of the farm has been dramatic. Using our family's riches, we expanded the whole property, buying the ten acres next to the original farm to build what we all jokingly call the 'family headquarters'. With ten bedrooms, a swimming pool, basketball court, and something for every member of our family, Carson and Andrea live there with their three children, and there's plenty of room for everyone to stay, which we often do.

Still, it's not like Melissa and I are suffering or living cheaply either. The original farm house is ours, the barn still Melissa's studio, and Carson still rides his ATV over two or three times a week to do archery practice with Andrea and her daughter in the same shooting range, or doing pistol practice with me. There's no real need for it now, but still, old skills and habits are hard to let go of. “Hey Andrea?”

“What's up?” Andrea asks, and I get up out of my chair and go into the house with her, where Melissa is helping Baby Andrea, who’s ten-years-old now, frost Liam’s birthday cake.

“Never mind,” I reply, going over and giving my wife a kiss on the cheek before hugging my goddaughter. “Andi, just where is your mother?”

“Finishing a report for Aunt Darcy,” Andi says, carefully piping Liam’s name in blue gel. “She wants to have it on the USB drive to give to her when she, Jeff, and Henry show up.”

“You know, they are business partners now,” I tease, “you think she'd just e-mail it.”

Andi shakes her head, her smile just like her father's. “You know how she is.”

I chuckle. Andi's taken to the whole underground idea, having been raised in it. “Well, once you finish this, think you might want to check on your little brother? Anthony was saying he wants to challenge DJ to a game of basketball. You know DJ, he doesn't always follow the whole no-contact rule in basketball.”

Andi gives me a startled look and sets her piping bag down, heading out the door. “Douglas Jackson Hart! You play nice with Anthony, or else I'm...”

The closing door cuts off her voice, and Andrea laughs. “Poor DJ. With Andi riding herd on him, he's never going to have the chance to get into half the trouble his father did.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” Melissa asks, and Andrea chuckles. She picks up a tray of sausages and takes it outside, leaving me and Melissa alone. She turns and hugs me, kissing me. “Are you having a good afternoon?”

“Of course. I love days like this. The whole family,” I reply, hugging her back. “How about you?”

Melissa nods, putting her head on my chest. “I am. These are some of the best days of the year. Hey, is everything packed for the trip?”

“I called the service, they already went up and cleaned everything out,” I tell her. “A week, just you and me, Janice staying with her aunt and uncle, DJ and Andi. She's going to love it. Then Carson and Andrea get to do the same thing.”

Melissa hums, then laughs. “I'm glad they're going last this year. I still can't forget the look on Andi's face when she found some of Andrea's toys at Christmas.”

“Yeah, that was a talk I don’t think Katrina or Andrea were ready to have with Andi quite yet,” I laugh, thinking of the semi-awkward discussion in the main room as Andrea tried to explain to Andi what exactly those padded cuffs were for. Or at least, what they tried to pretend they were for. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. I think I'll go check on everyone, see how it's all going.”

Melissa leaves, and I look out the big glass double doors over the porch to my family. I'm interrupted when I hear footsteps behind me, and I turn to see Katrina, still wearing her loose pants, but the crop tops have been replaced by t-shirts as she's had two children now, even though you couldn't tell from looking at her. “How's the report?”

“Good. Darcy'll be pleased,” Katrina says, coming next to me and watching the party. “Things look good out there. I saw from upstairs that Carson's monitoring the pool, that's good. And the kids are having fun.”

“They are. You know Katrina, I never would have thought we would be here like this ten years ago?”

Katrina chuckles and puts her arm around my waist, giving me a hug. “Ten years ago, I didn't even think I'd live to see today. And I certainly didn't think I would have the family to go with it. How's it feel, being the patriarch of a thirteen-person family?”

“Twelve,” I correct her, before Katrina's slight smile makes me stop, my own smile coming to my face. “A third for you guys?”

“A third. We checked last night. Keep it under your hat until after the party though, okay? Today's Liam’s birthday, let him enjoy being the baby for a few more days.”

“I can do that. You guys thinking of names yet?”

Katrina nods, and hugs me again. “If it's a boy... we were thinking that Nathan's a fine name.”

I hug Katrina back. That is a very fine name indeed.”

Katrina chuckles and looks out. “Come on. Let's go have a birthday party.”