The house was loud.Not the kind of loud that made your head hurt, but the kind of loud that made your heart feel full.
"Mom! Dad! Look!" our five-year-old son came running into the living room, his tiny legs stumbling over the carpet as he proudly held up the tallest Lego tower I'd ever seen. Well… tallest for him, anyway. It tilted dangerously to one side, but his grin was so wide, it looked like he'd just built an empire.
Peryn scooped him up before the tower collapsed. "Whoa, buddy! That's not a tower, that's practically a skyscraper."
Our son beamed, resting his head against his father's shoulder. "Daddy, I want a sister. Then we can build it together."
I froze mid-sip of my tea, nearly choking. "Excuse me?"
Peryn's grin widened like the devil himself. He glanced at me, then leaned down to whisper dramatically to our son, loud enough for me to hear. "See, even I told Mommy we should give you a sister. But Mommy said I already act like a big baby."
"Dad!" our son laughed, clapping his little hands. "Nooo, you're not a baby. You're… you're SUPER DAD!"
I tried to glare at them both, but honestly, how could I when my entire world was sitting right there, smiling at me like I was their sun?
"Super Dad, huh?" Peryn ruffled his son's hair. "Guess that means I deserve a promotion… Maybe to Super Husband, too?" He winked at me shamelessly.
I rolled my eyes, but my cheeks warmed anyway. "Don't think you can use our son as an excuse, Peryn."
Our boy leaned forward, looking between us with wide eyes. "So… does that mean yes? I'll get a baby sister?"
Peryn chuckled, kissing the top of his head. "We'll see, champ. For now, you're the boss of the family skyscraper projects."
As our son wriggled out of his arms and ran back to his Legos, I caught Peryn looking at me again—soft, teasing, but also filled with the same love he'd had since the very beginning.
And in that moment, I realized… this was it. The family I never even dreamed I'd have. The boy who once annoyed me with his "gibberish" words, now the man who gave me a home, a partner, and a future.
And maybe, just maybe, a daughter someday, too.