“This was a good idea,” I tell Nadia.
“I have them occasionally.”
“Occasionally,” Julian echoes with a smile.
We walk back through the park as the sun starts setting. The boys are finally quiet, tired from running around all afternoon. Finn reaches for Cassian’s hand without asking. Just slips his small hand into his father’s and keeps walking like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Liam does the same on the other side.
Cassian looks down at them, then at me. His expression shifts into pure vulnerability. Raw emotion he’s not bothering to hide.
This is what he wanted. What he fought for. What he tried to take by force because he couldn’t imagine waiting any longer.
And now he has it—two boys walking beside him, holding his hands, trusting him completely.
I take a mental picture. I want to remember this exact moment. The four of us walking together while Julian and Nadia follow behind. Looking like a real family.Beinga real family.
Back at the estate, the boys are exhausted. Bath time is quick because they’re too tired to argue about getting clean. Bedtime is earlier than usual.
I tuck Finn in first and he’s asleep before I finish pulling up his blanket. His face is relaxed, mouth slightly open, one hand curled under his cheek.
Liam lasts slightly longer. “Can we go to the park again next week?”
“Maybe.”
“With Da?”
“If he’s free.”
“He’s always free for us. He said so.”
My chest tightens. “Then yes. We’ll go again.”
“Good.” He closes his eyes. “I like when we’re all together. It feels right.”
The words hit me harder than they should.
He’s five years old and he already knows what family is supposed to feel like. Already recognizes that this, all of us together, is what’s been missing.
“Me too, baby. Me too.”
He’s asleep within seconds.
I head downstairs. Cassian’s still here, in the sitting room with Julian and Nadia. They’re all laughing about the park, replaying moments from the afternoon.
“Remember when Finn asked if we could take the ducks home?” Nadia’s wiping tears from laughing so hard. “Just casually. Like it was a reasonable request.”
“He was very serious about it,” Cassian says. “Had a whole plan for where they’d sleep.”
“In his room. Obviously. Where else would you keep ducks?”
Julian pours drinks. Hands them around. We sit together in comfortable silence, still smiling about the day.
This is what I wanted for my boys. What I’ve always wanted since I found out I was pregnant. A family. A real one. Not secrets and supervised visits and lies about who their father is. Just this. Normal days where everyone’s happy and the boys are loved by both parents.
Cassian catches my eye across the room. Smiles.
I smile back.
And for the first time in six years, everything feels right. Like all the pain and fear and separation led to this moment. To us sitting in this room together while our sons sleep upstairs, safe and happy.
