“Good. They’ve slept most of the day.”

Pesh nodded. Noticing how quiet the house was, he asked, “Where’s Mason?”

“Patrick came by and got him, along with Noah and Caroline, a little while ago.” She cocked her head at Pesh and grinned. “Although he swore to me that he wouldn’t ruin their dinner, I have a feeling they’re having ice cream right now.”

Pesh smiled at the mention of his son. Although he wasn’t Mason’s biological father, the love he felt for him was just as strong as if he had been a part of his conception. From the moment he’d been able to adopt him, he had felt an even stronger bond than before, especially whenever he saw “Mason Nadeen” written on his pre-school paperwork.

More than anything, he relished being a father. He had been forced to wait so long, while desiring it so hard, that it made it all the more sweeter. Because Mason adored baseball, Pesh had bought season tickets to the Braves, rather than the opera. Even though Pesh had never been athletically inclined, he signed up to help coach Mason’s Little League team as well. Every time he heard Mason say “Daddy,” it warmed his heart the same as it did to hear Megan say “I love you.”

Pesh eyed the dishes on the stove. “It’s awfully kind of you to come stay with Megan on my first day back. But we certainly didn’t expect for you to cook.”

“It’s my pleasure. Besides, it kills two birds with one stone—I can feed my family and yours. Aidan’s coming by after work.”

“Good. I’ll be glad to see him.”

As his gaze swept toward the living room, Emma laughed. “Go on. You don’t have to stay here with me. I know you want to see your girls.”

He smiled. “Thank you. I have missed them terribly today.” After giving Emma a quick kiss on the cheek, he made his way into the living room. At the sight of Megan sleeping on the couch next to a frilly pink Pack N Play, his chest swelled with so much love and pride he felt like it might explode. Peeking over the side of the Pack N Play, he eyed his dark-haired daughters.

After waiting so long to become a father, he had been doubly blessed when they found out they were having twins. While Aidan liked to claim that his fear of the twin gene in his family had bypassed him, and instead, it had found its way to Megan, that wasn’t entirely true. His girls were identical twins, which had nothing to do with old wives’ tales. The two of them looked so much alike that Megan put different colored socks on them to tell them apart.

Although it had freaked Megan out a little at the prospect of two babies to care for along with Mason, Pesh was thrilled. Every aspect of the pregnancy and birth had been special to him. Thankfully, Megan had been blessed with great health, although she had been advised to take early maternity leave to stay off her feet. After her clinicals, she had accepted a job in the ER at Wellstar, where they sometimes were on similar shifts. The girls arrived only a few weeks short of their due date and were both healthy five pounders. Six weeks later, they were thriving and were the greatest joy in his life.

Sucking relentlessly on her pacifier, Maya’s wide eyes took in her surroundings. She stretched and flailed her arms. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to hit her sister. Since Sara remained sleeping soundly, Pesh bent over and picked Maya up. He kissed her cheek before drawing her close to his chest. As he stared into her tiny face, he couldn’t help the surge of love that overtook him. For all the years of struggle and heartache he had endured, it was moments like these that made him feel as though he was finally complete. His heart was full, and he was so thankful.

Once they learned they were having girls, he and Megan had decided to give them both Indian and Irish names to represent their combined heritages. Maya, which meant princess and honorable in Indian, was coupled with Katherine, to honor Emma, whose middle name was Katherine. Without Emma, he and Megan never would have met. Sara, which meant ‘soul’, was given her mother’s real name, Margaret, as her middle name.

At the sound of Megan’s gentle snores, he smiled. “Did you wear your mommy out today?” he asked Maya. She opened her tiny mouth like she wished she could respond to him. “Let’s wake her up.”

After he swept a strand of Megan’s long blonde hair out of her face, Pesh leaned down to kiss her cheek. She stirred as her eyes fluttered opened. “Hey,” she said with a lazy smile.

“Hello, my love,” he replied.

“How was your first day back?” she asked, as she stretched her arms over her head.

He grimaced. “Absolutely miserable without you and the girls.”

Megan smiled. “We missed you, too.” She jerked her chin up at Maya. “She cried for thirty minutes straight after you left. I think we have a serious Daddy’s girl on our hands.”

“Really?” he asked, gazing down at Maya. He couldn’t help the warm glow that spread through his chest at Megan’s words. At just six weeks old, his girls were already showing distinct and different personalities. Maya was inquisitive and fought sleep to be awake to see what all was going on. He’d ended up holding her more than Sara simply because Maya often exhausted Megan by not going to sleep. Sara, on the other hand, was already very sweet tempered and a natural snuggler. She probably represented his more laid-back, quiet personality where Maya was likely to be a little firecracker, just like her mom.

Maya stared up at him, her dark eyes peering intently at him. “Did you miss me, my little princess?” A fleeting smile appeared on her face.

“Oh my God, she smiled at you!” Megan cried.

“But babies don’t respond with smiling until later. It must be gas or something,” he argued.

Megan nudged his leg with her knee. “She most definitely smiled at you, Pesh.” She rose off the couch to rub Maya’s cheek. “You smiled at your daddy, didn’t you?”

Without taking her eyes off of Pesh, Maya flashed another smile and waved her fist. The sight caused tears to sting his eyes. He blinked fast, trying to clear them. He didn’t like feeling emotionally weak in front of Megan. But he knew he was busted the moment Megan murmured, “Oh baby.”

She slid her arm around his waist, leaning up on her tiptoes to burrow her face in his neck. “Do you know how much my love for you grows because you just got teary over your daughter?”

He glanced down at her in surprise. “Really?”

“Mmm, hmm.” She gave him a brief kiss. “After Davis, all I ever wanted was for my children to have a father who loved and adored them.” She smiled. “You make that dream come true every day.”