Author's note: You'll had to have read « Birthday kisses » to understand this I think, but if you understood that you should be fine. Of course SuNor, and some more adorable Freja because I love kids.
A different kind of two papas
Freja knows she has a different kind of two papas.
First was that Papa had been married before. His ex-husband (who the big people would refer to his as his ex-wife even though Freja knows he's a man and men are husbands) still comes to events where Freja holds hands with her two papas, or where Papa talks to the short man while Freja is held in Daddy's arms. Peter calls the man Mama, even though mamas are women and papas are men. It all gets very confusing for Freja when Papa's previous family gets involved.
And Daddy has his brother who's like Peter and Papa and Daddy but not like Freja. He smiles for her in secret but she's not allowed to tell anyone that Uncle Emil does that, because it's their secret and if she tells anyone then a spell will be cast permanently and he won't be able to smile with anyone at all, not even Freja! Freja likes it when her Daddy's brother visits; he's much easier to understand than Papa's ex-husband.
Peter isn't always at home but sometimes he stays over and they get to spend time together. He calls Daddy by his first name but Papa is always Papa and Peter is fun to play with, patient with Freja the way Uncle Emil is. Sometimes Olov visits too though he isn't as much fun and fights with Papa a lot, who gets mad at Olov in a way he doesn't get mad at Peter and Freja. Freja feels guilty that she doesn't like Olov but Daddy says that that's fine and when his friend Christen visits he distracts Freja from feeling bad with stories that make her papas blush. Christen has a nice big smile.
During the week Papa works Monday to Thursday, leaving Sunday night and coming home Thursday night. Daddy works Tuesday to Friday but he lives closer so comes home every day and calls Papa on the phone for Freja to talk to. (Well, he talks on the phone too, but mostly he calls for Freja.) And when both Papa and Daddy are at work Freja goes to day care, and that's where she learned she has a different kind of two papas.
Other kids at day care have two papas. Her best friend at day care has two papas. But Freja's are special and Mrs. knows that, Papa and Daddy having come in to explain to her. Freja likes being different but Daddy had told her you can't boast about these sorts of things so she keeps quiet and doesn't tell anyone that her Papa is Sweden and her Daddy is Norway.
When other kids go on vacation, they go to the country side or visit amusement parks. When Freja goes on vacation, her and her two daddies go to far away cities to meet with important people who tell Freja she's very pretty and sometimes give her little gifts. (She likes the ballerina costume Mr. Braginski gave her most, though her papas don't like it as much.) Most of the time she has to sit with Papa's assistant in another room while there's a meeting but one time when she was sick Daddy insisted she stay with him and since she was so good and so quiet, she occasionally gets to sit on a chair between Daddy and Papa when the grown ups talk about things. The big rolly chairs are big; Daddy says they're Papa-sized.
For Daddy's birthday they stayed home and did nothing which they only ever do when someone is sick, and normally Freja is the one that's sick which isn't fun. But for Daddy's birthday Papa made a big breakfast and they went for a walk and then there was a cake. Om nom nom!
Next was Christen's birthday and then the day after Papa's birthday. On Papa's day they went to Stockholm and everyone waved flags and Freja watched the king wish Papa a happy birthday. Freja likes the Swedish king; he calls her a princess.
Today they're visiting somewhere fancy, Papa carrying Freja while Daddy discusses things with the planner. There seems to be a lot of important things going on because Daddy keeps saying that everything has to be perfect, Papa smiling wide at the accented Swedish despite Daddy not looking at him. Freja likes those smiles, her hand touching the corner of her Papa's mouth, because those are smiles of love that only God is meant to see. A big hand takes her little one to hold it to his lips for kisses.
"Papa, I thought you and Daddy were getting married outside."
"We are sweetie but Daddy is convinced it will rain."
"Why does he think that?"
"Because Daddy is crazy, and that's why I love him."
When Daddy and the planner are done looking at table settings (Freja had said she liked the blue ones because Papa's flag and Daddy's flag both have blue, and it was a very pretty kind of blue too), they try food. Daddy and the planner discuss complicated things with each other, about the menu and the options and how to best represent their countries' cultures without overpowering the guests. Papa only listened for a few minutes before winking at Freja and striking up his own discussion.
"Did you like the salad?"
"I don't like that bit." She points at something that tasted funny.
"Kale," he comments and Daddy looks at him for just a moment, silence falling over the table before nodding and resuming his conversation. "How about the meatballs?"
"I liked them!" Freja says excitedly, smiling big for her Papa to see. "The lingonberry isn't as good you make it though."
"Well they can't help that," Papa says smugly, leaning back in his chair.
"Will there be dessert?" Freja had never been to a wedding before, not a real one at least. She had gone with Papa and Daddy to an anniversary dinner for Mr. and Mrs. Edelstein which was very fancy but it hadn't been a wedding because they had already been married. This would be her very first one! "I like dessert."
"Daddy picked a cake out already."
"It's not coffee-flavored is it?" Freja pulls a face because one time Christen and Uncle Emil made Daddy one that tasted like coffee and she did not like it at all.
Papa chuckles. "Don't worry sweetie, it isn't."
Once the tastings are over Freja feels tired, Papa carrying her to the car. On the drive home Daddy asks, "Are you satisfied with all of that Berwald?" Freja begins to nod off, slumping to one side in her car seat.
"Lukas, I told you, we could elope in our swimming trunks and I'd be happy."
"Well that's just nonsense, which is why I'm planning this and you just have to pay for it."
"Freja is excited about the cake," Papa says happily, making a right. Her eye lids are heavy as Daddy turns around to look at her, but she does her best to smile for him and he smiles back. Christen had once told Papa that he'd never seen Daddy smile so much before Freja; Papa had said he'd seen Daddy like this once before, a long time ago.
"And I get a pretty dress," she manages to mumble. Freja quite liked her dress; it was white and had a pretty gold ribbon.
"That's my girl," and Daddy turns back around to face forward, holding Papa's hand and discussing the wedding more.
Freja knows she has a different kind of two papas. One is Swedish, the other is Norwegian. One is Sweden, the other is Norway. They are immortal. But most of all Freja likes how in love they are because none of the other kids' parents are in love the way her parents are. And that's what makes her papas so different.