Hey! So this is a oneshot follow up to Leather and Silk and Tungsten and Silver, but it can be read by itself.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters.
Hanna Rivers crossed her ankles as she pushed her heel gently off the deck beneath her feet. The sun was getting lower in the sky, but the air was still warm and Hanna wasn't going to call the kids in for another half hour or so—the longer they spent outside, the more tired they would be when they would be when they came in and more ready for bed. Then all she would need to get through was dinner and bath time, and that could get a little messy, but at least she would have help and she only had two of the four kids that she actually needed to feed and bathe, because Melissa Kahn and Miranda Collins would be around shortly to pick up their children.
"Aunty Han!" Came a shout from the big back yard that backed onto a farm next door.
"Yeah, baby?" Hanna called back, leaning forward in the swinging chair.
"Look!" Angelique Kingston held up a big pink rose that she must have pulled from Hanna's garden. Not that she was much of a gardening person—it was Aria Montgomery and Melissa who really liked gardening, and Hanna was the one with the big backyard and so every couple of months they came over to tend to the upkeep while Hanna just weeded and watered it every few days.
"That's pretty, baby," Hanna said with a smile as she got up and turned back to check on Larissa Rivers, who was in a jolly jumper that was secured to the top of the double doors that opened onto the back deck of house. Larissa gurgled, one hand shoved into her mouth, and Hanna leaned down to drop a kiss to the downy soft hair on top of her head before walking down the steps of the deck.
The backyard of the house that Hanna shared with her husband, Caleb Rivers, had changed a lot over the past couple of years.
When Hanna had first met Caleb, he was a bachelor, and had been a bachelor for a long time. He was the Vice President of the local biker club, the Phantoms, and even though his house was tidy and looked after, it definitely required some womanly touches.
And, apparently, some child proofing.
Larissa was their second child—absolutely not planned, because Hanna had had a difficult first birth and while they both wanted another child, they hadn't planned on trying for another one until Tansy Rivers was in school. But after antibiotics interfered with her contraceptive pill, a few months later, Hanna peed on a stick and found out she was pregnant again.
They were a little overwhelmed, but they were still happy with the turn of events.
The back deck of the house had been expanded, with some help of Eric Khan, the president of the Phantoms, Lucas Gottesman and Alex Santiago, and they had a pathway that was cobbled from the front of the house where the driveway was and around to the back of the house. There was a swing set that Caleb had built by himself and a sandpit that he had finished just a few weeks ago. He had mentioned getting a paddling pool set up as well, which Hanna would be very grateful for, given they were coming into the hottest part of the summer and Larissa was cranky through most of the day unless she was parked under the air conditioning or Hanna was gently sponging her down with a damp cloth.
"Aunty Han!" Angie came running over to where Hanna had come down the stairs and was beginning to tidy up the toys that were spread out. "Can you put it in my hair?" Hanna nodded and crouched down as Angie thrust the flower into her hand. The girl was six years old now, and looking more and more like her mother each day. Except for her eyes, those most definitely came from her father, Wren Kingston.
Sometimes Hanna was struck by just how strange her life was.
Here was a beautiful six year old girl, and Hanna had actually watched her grow up.
Her life had turned out so much different than she thought it would.
Hanna had thought that she would be working in some high up job in the fashion world, managing cat walks and moody models.
She worked part time as the accounts person at the main Phantoms garage—as well as managing the two accounts girls at the second Phantoms garage which opened up a few years ago.
Hanna had thought that she would be living in New York or Milan or somewhere where she was surrounded by noise and style and all the coffee she could drink.
She lived on the outskirts of a small city that was big enough that she didn't know most people by sight but was small enough that she could get from one side to the other within fifteen minutes.
Hanna had thought that she would have a child, probably only one since she had never considered herself particularly maternal, but it would be later on in life, once she was settled.
She had had her first daughter at twenty-six and her second at twenty-eight.
Hanna had thought that she would have a grand wedding, hundreds of guests invited with a princess dress and pictures all over the social papers and a ridiculously expensive honey moon.
She had gotten married a few months after Tansy was born, before she had lost all the pregnancy weight which she honestly just didn't care about, in a registry office with a party back at the Phantoms club house where she had gotten so drunk that she didn't remember anything before ten o'clock the next morning.
Her life was different than she had ever expected, and she adored every second of it, even if sometimes things were hard and somethings things were frustrating and sometimes things were even dangerous, given the occupation of her husband.
But she wouldn't change a thing.
"There we go," Hanna smiled as she tightened the ponytail that she had gathered Angie's hair into, with the rose's short stemmed firmly tucked into it.
"Does it look pretty?" Angie asked with a charming smile that came from her father, along with those sparkling eyes.
"So pretty," Hanna assured her with a smile of her own and Angie grinned. She turned as though she was going to go back to the sand pit, where Theo Khan and Tansy were playing, but then she heard something and her head snapped up.
"Mama!" Angie cried out and began running toward the side of the house. Hanna looked up to where Miranda was coming around the corner, looking a little harried after her day at work, but her whole face lighting up when she saw Angie running toward her. Theo and Tansy both looked up when they saw their Aunty Miranda picking up her daughter and smushing kisses against her cheek.
"I swear you get bigger every time you're away from me!" Miranda was saying as Hanna walked over to her after checking back over her shoulder and noting that Larissa was still bouncing happily and drooling over one of her hands.
"I didn't get any bigger this time," Angie giggled and Miranda smiled at her.
"Hey, girl," Hanna smiled at Miranda as Theo and Tansy came running over, Theo running a little slower so that Tansy could keep up with him. They latched onto one of Hanna's legs each, grinning up at Miranda.
"Hey, babes," Miranda looked between both kids. "Theo, I'm going to take you home, okay? Your mum has gotten caught up at the office." Theo nodded, because that wasn't particularly unusual. His grip on her leg loosened as he reached out a hand toward Miranda. "Let's go get your things, okay?"
The small group headed inside, Hanna taking Larissa out of the jumper and resting her on her hip as they went into the house. She had actually managed to get the place tidied up since the children were playing outside and so the house wasn't looking completely chaotic like it had been just a few hours ago. Angie 'helped' cleaning up as well, although most of the time Hanna just had to follow behind her and do the job properly, but it was sweet that the little girl tried. They gathered up Angie and Theo's things, Angie clinging to her mother and making it hard for Miranda to pick things up and Larissa doing something similar to Hanna, while Theo and Tansy were babbling to each other, Theo patting Tansy's arm.
A lot of people in the club had bets going that Theo and Tansy were going to end up together when they got older.
Melissa and Hanna didn't want to put any ideas like into their babies heads, but even they could see that the two were bonded intensely.
"Alright, we'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Hanna said as she wiggled Theo's backpack into place on his shoulders.
"I'll be five!" Theo held up one hand with all five fingers splayed out.
"You will be," Hanna grinned, although she couldn't help but think that the kids were growing up too fast. Tansy was two months younger than Theo, so she was going to be five soon as well, and Larissa was going to be two in just a few months. As Miranda was heading out the door, Angie now on her feet and carefully herding Theo in front of her, there was the roar of the engine and Tansy let out a squeal.
"Daddy!" She cried out, pushing past Miranda and her friends and running down the steps at the front of the house. Hanna and Larissa followed more slowly, after Miranda, Angie and Theo, stopping at the top of the steps and leaning against the door frame as she watched Tansy run to Caleb. He took off his helmet and shook out his hair, which had steadily been getting longer over the past few years. He got hair cuts, but the space between them was longer, and now, rather than getting it cut short like he used to, he was just getting a trim. Usually he wore it back in a bun or a ponytail at the nape of his neck, although she loved it when it was out and she could run her fingers through it.
"Hi, angel," Caleb smiled widely at his daughter, putting his helmet down carelessly and then leaning down so that he could pick Tansy up as she ran into his arms. He swung her up, spinning her in a circle before bringing her in close to his body and smothering her face with kisses. Tansy was giggling and grabbing at the leather shoulders of the cut he was wearing.
Caleb was incredible with the girls.
He was amazing with all the kids that ran rampant around the Phantoms.
He was a better father than Hanna could have ever hoped for, and he made her a better woman, a better mother—a better person.
"You say hi to Wren for me, yeah? Haven't seen him in a few days," Caleb said, stopping by Miranda where she was getting Angie and Theo into the SUV.
"Will do," Miranda said, pausing to give Caleb a quick hug and accepting a kiss on the cheek from him. Caleb moved away from her and with the arm that wasn't holding Tansy tight, he reached down to grip the bars of the tricycle that was in front of Miranda's car, making it easier for her to turn around in the large, open driveway, rolling it off to the side and onto the lawn that wrapped around to the back of the house. He turned himself and Tansy around to face Miranda as she got into the car after safely strapping in Theo and Angie, buckled in and then drove away, both of them waving as she left.
"Dada!" Larissa cried out, jiggling around in Hanna's gentle grip, waving her pudgy arms and making gripping motions with her hands. Caleb grinned at his youngest daughter, walking up the steps until he was on the same level as Hanna.
"Hey," Hanna told him, biting down on her lower lip and her eyes sparkling.
"Baby," Caleb greeted her, his face soft and warm, just like it always was when he was with the three most important people in his life, his girls. He leaned forward to kiss her on the mouth, although it was interrupted when Larissa leaned forward and smushed a slobbery kiss against their joined faces. Hanna laughed and Tansy laughed with her, Larissa gurgling along with Caleb's face was split in half with a smile as he looked around at all three of them.
This was their life, and neither of them could imagine anything better.
Let me know what you think x