A/N: I'm back! I haven't written anything for a while now, I know. I've been suffering a serious case of writer's block and on top of that, my personal life hasn't exactly been a fairytale. Anyway, I'm glad to be back. This short story is a sequel to my fic The Same Blue Eyes. If you have not read it, I would reccommend doing so, just so you aren't completely confused while reading this one.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
They are so beautiful.
No, not beautiful.
Radiant.
Every single one of them.
This thought crosses my mind and instantly warms my heart as I watch them prance and play around our backyard. My wife throws her head back and laughs, sending her ebony curls flying in all directions, as my daughter scoops up her little brother and plants a kiss on his forehead, causing him to squeal in delight. I smile at the joyful sound. I can't help it.
Teresa crosses the yard and takes a seat next to me on the grass, sliding an arm around my shoulders and kissing me on the cheek. "What's on your mind?" she asks.
I turn my head and brush my lips against hers. "I was just thinking about how much I love you," I tell her honestly, and watch in amusement as a rosy blush highlights her cheekbones. I grin, delighted that I can still make her turn that pretty color.
"I love you, too," she whispers, leaning her head against my shoulder.
"Incoming!" I hear Charlotte's voice ring and I glance up to see my two-year-old son, Beckett, running toward us, as fast as his little legs will carry him. Teresa holds her arms open wide and our boy launches himself into them.
"Whoa!" Teresa and I muse at the same time.
Beckett giggles. "I wun weally fast, huh?"
"You're the fastest runner I've ever seen!" Teresa says as she tousles his hair and smiles.
"How'd you get to be so fast, Beck?" I ask him.
"Sissy teach me!" he explains, pointing as his sister. "Chawlie always play tag with me!"
I look up at my daughter and smile. She's eighteen now, and beautiful. So beautiful, just like her mother. Angela would be so incredibly proud of her. Charlie is in college now, which is crazy. It seems like just yesterday I was holding her tiny little body, swaddled in a pink blanket, in my arms. Now, she's a gorgeous, smart young woman attending a university, majoring in psychology.
I look between my two kids and notice the way they look at each other. Charlotte's eyes hold fierce protectiveness and gentle admiration at the same time. She loves that little boy with everything she has. My son feels the same way. I can see that as he plays with her thick blond curls and grins up at her. He loves his sister.
Then, I look at my wife.
I don't deserve her. I've known this since the beginning. But she loves me. I don't understand, and I'm not sure that I ever will, but I am so grateful that she does. She is my exact definition of perfection. An amazing mother. A kind, loving person. My best friend. Mine.
Thirteen years ago, I never thought my heart could ever be fixed. These three wonderful people slowly put it back together, and re-created an emotion I had almost completely forgotten.
Happiness.