EPILOGUE

"Fuck you, Harry!"

My younger son's voice fills my ears and, confused, I toss my keys on the dresser before heading towards the kitchen.

"Mum, did you hear that!" my eldest yells now and I look into my wife's brown eyes, still totally confused.

"Arrow, pay attention to your language.", Sophia admonishes the younger of the boys while she finishes cutting the fruit totally relaxed.

"Because of him, the essay for my French course is in the ass! You bloody bum! I hope you-", "Arrow Damian Vance. I forbid myself to use that tone. Come here.", I interject and immediately the whole house goes quiet .

I hear Sophia giggling next to me and look at her lovingly, can't believe that after all these years of so much changing, my love for her is still the same; if not more intense.

"Hi, Dad," my second son murmurs softly, running his hands through his dark hair, which he definitely got from his mother, while fiddling with the sleeves of his sweater.

I let my eyes slide over his appearance and can't believe it.

As if it were just yesterday I remember him learning to walk and now he's standing in front of me, thinking he's already a full man at sixteen.

The resemblance to his uncles is fascinating.

It's like mixing Roven and Noah's face together and making Arrow.

No wonder his behavior is almost the same.

"Look at me." I demand calmly, trying not to sound too harsh.

He immediately lifts his head and hits me with those green eyes.

If there is anything of me it is my eye color and combined with the dark hair color inherited from their mother, all our children look like they stepped out of a fairy tale.

"What's the matter, big guy?" I ask and sit down at the cooking island, briefly thank Sophia for the coffee and then free myself from my jacket.

"Harrison asked me if he could use my laptop because like usual his broke again and I'm a good brother so I loaned it to him and asked him not to click away my stuff and he got it just did it. Dad, I've been working on this essay for a freaking two hours and it's just - gone," Arrow tells me, reminding me far too much of his mother with the determination in his bright eyes.

"Calm down, son. Harrison, please come down," I call, smiling broadly as my wife wraps her hand around mine and sighs, kissing my knuckles.

"Please take your brother with you!", Sophia adds and at that moment I hear the door being unlocked.

Immediately my chest fills with excitement.

"What's going on here?"

I smile as I watch my only daughter hang up her jacket and then walk towards us.

"Dad, what are you doing here so early?" she calls with a grin and comes over to me, wrapping her arms around my neck and hugging me tightly.

I know parents are supposed to love all their children equally, and it's not like I won't die for my sons, but my little one just has a special place in my heart all her own.

Sighing, I stroke her long, dark hair and then give her a kiss on the forehead before she sits down next to me and then my eldest son, together with my youngest son, joins us in my arms.

If I didn't know and Harry didn't have a beard, I'd think he and Arrow were twins, that's how they look.

His green eyes are exactly the same as his siblings and while he really pushes me to the limit at times, I'm beyond proud of my boy.

"Hey, Dad.", he begins and hands me Cruz, the youngest of the group, who with his dark curls and light eyes, round cheeks and red lips looks exactly like his brothers.

"Hey, little one," he continues, jabbing his little sister's cheek with his index finger.

"Stop it, Harry." She mumbles, but then hugs him shortly afterwards.

"Apologize to your brother and as punishment you have to pay for your laptop with your own money." I say sternly and hand my youngest son a piece of fruit.

"But Dad, I'm already saving up for my own car!" the eldest calls out annoyed and runs his fingers through his hair.

"Well, it's your own fault, you fucking bum." Arrow hisses and I immediately give him a warning look.

"Oh fuck your knees as deep as you can, Arrow!" Harry snaps, pushing his brother away before running upstairs.

"Dad!" Arrow says indignantly and I rub my temple exhaustedly.

"Go to your room, Row, and neither of you will come down until you've calmed down, got it! Otherwise I swear to god I-" "Nathaniel." I immediately shut up at the sound of her voice and my head yells in her direction.

"These guys..." I sigh and take a sip of my coffee.

"No wonder I'm your favorite kid. I'm an angel compared to these freaks." Aaliyah grins broadly and wraps her arms around my chest again.

"You really are, my heart, but you are all my angels. If it weren't for you, your mother and I wouldn't be together," I say, sighing, inhaling the wonderful scent of my beautiful daughter.

"How did you two actually meet?" she asks with a grin and sits next to me on the chair, looking at me with wide eyes.

I grin at my wife before she starts laughing.

"I was 22 and just arrived in New York..." she begins, telling our daughter our love story.

END