They sat on a blanket in the park, watching their children play.
Six year old Felix Kesley pushed his younger sister Michelle and Cinder and Kai's little Peony on the swings. Ian, Scarlet and Wolf's youngest, ran around the play structure along with Delilah, Winter and Jacin's toddler. Four year old Luca Thorne sat on Cress's lap, wiping his face. He had just been crying.
"Luca, sweetie, you don't want to go play with the other children yet?" Cress said, tucking some of his hair out of his face.
Luca shook his head.
"Okay, Luca." She kissed the top of his head, and he snuggled closer to her, wiping his nose on the front of her shirt.
"Ooh, nasty," Thorne said, leaning over to muss Luca's hair, baby Esme settled in his lap. "Wiping your nose on Mommy's shirt. Not cool, man."
Luca giggled before he caught himself and put his sad face back on. Cress rubbed his back. Next to her, Cinder leaned against Kai, who was holding baby Rikan. She grinned at Cress. "It's so great to see all our kids together, isn't it?"
"Not mine," Cress said, gesturing at her two children. She smiled. "But yeah."
Winter leaned forward. "They're all so adorable. I just want to hug all of them! Ian's gotten so big, Scarlet."
Scarlet smiled, but Wolf smiled even wider, especially when Scarlet said, "Just like his dad."
"Hey, now, watch what you say, Scarlet," Thorne said. "Don't want anything going to Wolf's head."
"Like you should talk, Thorne," Cinder said, grinning and reaching over Cress and Luca to nudge his arm.
"Watch it, Cinder!" Thorne said, brushing off his sleeve. "This is a good shirt."
"I'm sure," Cinder said.
Jacin sighed loudly before turning to Winter and half-whispering, "Can we leave now?"
"Shush, Delilah's having a good time," Winter said. "And don't pretend you aren't, either."
In Cress's lap, Luca sniffled, and Cress squeezed his hand. "Want to play now, Luca? Felix won't push you anymore. Aunt Scarlet told him not to."
He gave her a pleading look. Scarlet said, "He won't, Luca, promise."
"All right." He stood up, and Cress smiled.
"Good boy."
"He's just like you, Thorne," Cinder said as soon as Luca was out of earshot. "Big scaredy-cat."
"Hey!" Thorne said. "Insulting me and my son in one blow? Low, your empressness. Very low."
Cress rested her head against Thorne's shoulder, and he put his arm around her. Emse crawled into her lap.
After a minute of comfortable silence, Michelle and Peony came over for snacks, settling in their parents' laps. Scarlet got out strawberries, and as she started distributing them, the rest of the children joined, too.
Cress kissed Esme's hair and accepted the strawberries Thorne passed her. She smiled. Life was good.