I can’t help but laugh. “Oh yeah, what’d you say?”
Katelyn rolls her eyes and leans into me. She stands on her tippy toes to kiss me. “They were mean to me at that slumber party, Harrison. They teased me until I told them that I was in love with you.”
I rub my hands up and down her arms. “Poor baby,” I say, kissing her nose. “Come on, we have kids waiting for us.” I pull her hand into mine as we walk up the steps and into the house.
Three eager children meet us at the door. Quinn is used to me coming back with new ink all the time, but not Katelyn. We didn’t hide that she was getting a tattoo from them and they all seemed excited. Peyton, mostly. I have a feeling that she’s going to be the hellion of the trio.
“What’d you get?” Quinn asks.
Katelyn lifts her shirt and I pull down the bandage. The girls move closer and I tell them not to touch it because it needs to heal.
“What’d you get, Dad?”
“How do you know I got anything?”
Quinn laughs. “Because I know you, you got something. Come on and show us.”
I take off my shirt, much to the giggles of the girls. They colored on me last night and I didn’t bother scrubbing off their ink. I pull down the bandage and risk a look at Katelyn. She has tears pooling in her eyes. Happy tears.
“Perfect,” Quinn says, making me happy that he approves. The transition for us has been seamless. We fit as a family. He treats the girls as if they’re his sisters and has the utmost respect for Katelyn. In the nine weeks we’ve lived together, I’ve heard him call her mom a few times and she didn’t miss a beat when she answered him. I think the moment I knew she was in this for the long haul was when she introduced Quinn as her son.
The twins step forward, both of them looking at me with awe in their eyes. I kneel down so that we’re eye level. “What do you think, guys?”
“You put our names on your body,” Elle says.
“I did.”
“We’re with Quinn on your heart,” Peyton adds.
“That’s because I love you both.”
Both girls tackle me, knocking me to the ground. I wrap my arms around them and I hold them to me. Quinn finds a spot and wraps his arms around my neck.
“Hey guys, I think we’re missing someone,” I say above their laughter.
“Come on, mom, there’s room,” Quinn says, letting Katelyn know that she’s needed.
She sits in between my legs and the girls hold her in their arms. It’s in this moment that I realize my life can’t get any better than this. Anything that happens to us will just be an added bonus. I have my son, the woman I’m madly in love with, and two beautiful little girls that make my heart sing each time they smile.
What more could a guy like me ask for?