Chapter 76

Nathaniel’s POV.

It has been six years since our first honeymoon and honestly, life just keeps getting better. I lay in bed with Selene, she was still very much asleep. I had turned her alarm off because she deserved to sleep in. I mean, who the hell even puts an alarm on their days off?

She had her cheek planted against the pillow, her perfect lashes rested atop her cheekbone, and slow and steady breaths made her body rise up and down. Her long chocolate-colored hair was scattered all over. She looked stunning even when she was asleep.

I carefully pushed her hair out of her face and then leaned down to kiss her cheek. I got out of bed very carefully and tucked her back in. Without making a single noise, I was out of the bedroom and walked down the hall. The first bedroom I stopped at was Roman’s. My firstborn, the first one to have ever captured my heart like he did, the one that made me so damn proud to be a dad despite having many other titles in life already.

I knocked twice on the door before entering. I smiled at the twelve-year-old, I couldn’t believe it. He was almost thirteen and I still couldn’t believe how big he had gotten. Roman’s room was mostly spaced-themed with the expensive telescope my mom and dad had gotten him.

“Good morning, Buddy,” I said sweetly as I went to open up the curtains for him. He was a bit of a gremlin in the morning so I had to be very careful or we’d have a moody teenager all day.

“Five more minutes,” he whined and buried his face into the pillow just like his mother would do. Just look at how adorable he was. I sat down next to him and rubbed his back for what seemed like five minutes, then I knew I had to wake him up and attempted again.

Roman groaned and rolled over to look at me. Over the years he had really started looking a lot more like me, so much so it was a bit freaky. I knew for a fact that if I never met Selene all those years ago, a simple picture of Roman-like this would’ve sent me down a spiral. A spiral of thoughts where I realized what a dream life I’d missed.

Every day when I return from work I come home to our kids running up to me, hugging me, kissing me, telling me about their day– Roman sometimes comes up to me to ask for money despite his mother having plenty. Not that I minded though, everything I did, I did for them. After work, I get lovely kisses from my wife and a melting hug so I truly couldn’t have asked for anything more in life.

“Come on bud, we have to get the others up to remember, we wanted to surprise your mom,” I reminded him and got up from bed.

Theo Jace Sullivan was our almost six-year-old boy, he had his mother’s brown hair and a tanned complexion but had my eyes still. The middle name came from my father and nowadays Theo goes by the name T.J. Within 11 months of Theo being born our third child came along, it most certainly wasn’t planned but we welcomed our baby boy Nicholas Darcy Sullivan who had his mother’s middle name. He looked quite a bit like his mother but still bore my complexion and eye color.

After coaxing Roman out of bed, I headed to Theo's room next. He was already halfway awake, his messy hair sticking out in all directions. I ruffled his hair and he giggled, rubbing his eyes.

"Time to rise and shine, T.J.," I said, using his preferred nickname. He stretched his tiny arms and yawned, then sat up, blinking sleepily.

“I wanna sleep more, Daddy, T.J. said so sweetly it had me laughing and Roman too. Roman looked around his little brother’s room. Theo had more of a hero-themed room from all the movies and comic books he was engrossed in. He was so lucky comic books barely had any text in them because he stared at them from cover to cover though I assume he mostly looks at the pictures.

“We promised each other to surprise, mommy, remember?” I rubbed his back. Theo groaned and began to sit up. Theo then saw Roman and jumped out of bed instantly to show his brother some new toys he had fixed together out of building blocks Roman bought for him.

With Roman and Theo up, it was time to tackle Nicholas's room. He was the youngest, just a little over five years old, and he usually slept like a log. I opened his door slowly, trying not to wake him too abruptly. He was curled up under his blanket, snoring softly. I gently shook his shoulder until he stirred, blinking up at me with sleepy eyes.

"Morning, champ," I whispered, lifting him out of bed. He wrapped his arms around my neck, still half-asleep, and I carried him to the kitchen.

If I attempted to wake him up whilst he was still in bed it would take forever and I didn’t have forever today.

While I made breakfast—a simple spread of pancakes, eggs, and bacon—I couldn't help but marvel at my family. Selene had given me everything I could ever ask for a loving wife and three beautiful boys. Each one of them was a piece of my heart walking around outside my body.

As we shuffled around the kitchen, the familiar rhythm of our morning routine filled the air with a comforting buzz.

Roman expertly cracked eggs into the sizzling pan, his movements fluid and confident. He had been spending too much time with his grandparents because he and his grandma would experiment in the kitchen a lot more. "Hey, Theo, remember that time you tried to make pancakes and ended up burning the whole kitchen?"

I tried not to think of the incident Roman referred to, it was a very stressful day.

Theo chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah, I remember. At least I didn't set off the fire alarm like you did last week."

I grinned at their banter, flipping a few slices of bacon on the griddle. "Come on, guys, let's keep the kitchen intact today. Mom would appreciate it."

"Can I help, too?" Nicholas, perched on a stool at the counter, watched us with wide eyes, eager to join in on the fun.

I ruffled his hair affectionately. "Of course, buddy. You can be our official taste tester."

"Yay! I'm the best taste tester ever!" Nicholas beamed, his dimples deepening as he eagerly grabbed a pancake from the stack.

"Careful there, Nicky, don't eat all the pancakes before mommy even gets down here," Theo chuckled, nudging him playfully.

As the smell of breakfast filled the air, the boys chatted excitedly about their plans for the day. Roman wanted to go to the park to test out his new drone, Theo was eager to play soccer with his friends, and Nicholas just wanted to spend time with his uncle, cousins, and grandpa. They had some sort of fishing plans.

When everything was ready, we gathered around the table and made sure everything was perfect. The boys chattered and laughed, filling the room with warmth and joy. I looked at them, my heart swelling with love and pride.

Just as the boys finished bickering, Selene walked into the kitchen, her hair tousled and a soft smile on her lips. Her swollen belly peeked from under her shirt a little. Oh yes, she’s pregnant and this time it was officially our last baby. We were extremely blessed this time, it was a baby girl. Vitoria Josephine Sullivan, her name was all picked out, her room was already decorated, now we had to wait the last three months until her arrival.

“What’s all this?” Selene asked in awe, walking over to me. I got up to pull the chair for her and kissed her cheek. She sat down and I tucked her under the table.

“We made you breakfast, mommy,” Nicholas said with a huge grin.

“I love it! I love you guys so much,” Selene gushed happily.

As Selene sat down, the boys eagerly piled their creations onto her plate, each competing for her attention as they described their morning adventures and plans for the day. I watched her, a swell of pride and gratitude filling my chest. She was the heart of our family, the glue that held us all together, and seeing her surrounded by our children filled me with an overwhelming sense of love and contentment.

As we ate, the boys regaled Selene with tales of their latest escapades, each story punctuated by laughter and animated gestures. These boys were so damn wild. Selene listened with full attention, her eyes sparkling with delight as she soaked in every detail. It was moments like these that made all the chaos and challenges of parenthood worth it—the simple joy of sharing a meal with the ones we loved most in the world.

After breakfast, we cleaned up together, each of us pitching in to make sure the kitchen was spotless. Selene insisted on helping, despite her growing belly, and we worked side by side, laughing and joking as we wiped down counters and washed dishes.

Once everything was tidied away, we all had our separate plans. Selene and I got ready to head out. Nicholas was picked up by Kai. Kai had his two boys in the back who were also the sweetest kids ever but I am slightly scared they’ll get Nicholas into surfing.

We first dropped Roman off to spend time with his friends, heading to the park and getting ice cream was their plan but I’m sure that also meant going back home with one of their friends, Trist, to go play a game but it was all ok because it was summer break.

T.J. had his exciting soccer game. We stayed for that then T.J. I went to spend some time with a friend too so Selene and I made the most of our time. Until of course, the time had come for us to pick each of our kids up again.

Once our house was filled with all the members the doors were locked. All of us were ordered to go shower and get ready for the night per Mrs. Sullivan's orders.

After we were all clean and dressed in our PJS, we gathered in the living room and snuggled up on the couch as we watched a movie together. Selene leaned against me, her head resting on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her close. The boys sprawled out around us, each claiming their favorite spot on the couch, and we settled in for a cozy afternoon together.

As the movie played on, I couldn't help but steal glances at Selene, marveling at the way she glowed with happiness and anticipation. She caught my eye and smiled, reaching out to squeeze my hand, and I felt a rush of love wash over me. At that moment, surrounded by my family, I knew that I was the luckiest man in the world.

As the credits rolled, Selene shifted slightly, her hand drifting down to rest on her stomach. I followed her gaze, my heart swelling with emotion as I felt a flutter of movement beneath her palm. Our baby girl was growing inside her, a tiny miracle waiting to join our family, and I couldn't wait to meet her.

With a contented sigh, I leaned down to press a kiss to Selene's forehead, whispering words of love and gratitude against her skin. She smiled up at me.

As the afternoon stretched into the evening, we curled up together, savoring the warmth and comfort of our little slice of paradise. As I looked around at the faces of my beloved family, I knew that no matter what the future held, as long as we were together, we would always find our way back to each other.