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“Hello?” Adam mumbled into his phone, his mind fuzzy from sleep, blinking at the digital clock on his nightstand that read 2:03am
“The baby is coming!” Gansey said on the other line. “We’re in the car, headed to the hospital.”
“Oh my god,” Adam said, the words like a jolt of caffeine through him. He started shaking Ronan awake beside him. “We’ll leave in 2 minutes and meet you there. Blue, can you hear me?”
In response, Blue let out a long, slow moan that seemed a bit angry. Ronan was awake now, squinting at Adam’s phone in confusion. “Blue, we love you so much. You are incredible, fuck…just thank you, we’ll meet you at the hospital,” he said, tearing up a bit. Ronan seemed to catch on, his eyes alight as he squeezed Adam’s shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah, love you too,” Blue grunted, her breathing heavy, but Adam could hear the love underneath it. He hung up and the two men practically flew out of bed, brushing teeth and throwing on the closest clothing they could find. “We’re having a baby,” Adam grinned across from Ronan as he put his socks on.
“Yeah, we are, Parrish,” Ronan grinned back, his voice soft. They quickly finished getting dressed, grabbed the go-bag they’d been keeping by the front door for the past two weeks, and headed to the BMW. Ronan sped down the road, Adam’s hand gripping his thigh the whole ride.
At the hospital, they quickly found Gansey and Blue. She seemed semi-relaxed right now, between contractions, and was munching on a cup of ice chips. Gansey was seated next to her, texting someone (probably Maura) frantically. “How are you?” Adam asked, rushing to her side and taking her hand. He gave it a squeeze and Blue smiled at him through tired eyes.
“Just dandy,” she grinned. “I’m only 3 centimeters dilated as of now, so we have a little bit of time. Hopefully this goes by quicker than with Noah, though.” Their now-two-year-old son, Noah, had taken nearly 10 hours of labor. Maura had been staying with them the past few days for this very reason; a toddler in a delivery room was the last thing they needed.
“Can we get you anything?” Ronan asked, brushing her sticky hair off her forehead. She squirmed as if it bothered her, but they both knew she liked it.
“We were going to try to flag down a nurse to get the TV remote — wanna do that and find something decent to watch?”
“On it,” Ronan said before strolling out of the room.
“You ready to be a Dad, Adam?” Gansey asked.
He shook his head and laughed. “No. God, no, I don’t think I’ll ever really be ready,” he said. “But I can’t wait to meet them. Thank you, Blue. You - you didn’t have to do this and we appreciate you more than you’ll ever know.”
Blue smiled warmly, squeezing Adam’s hand back. “Don’t get too sappy on us. Save that for when the baby’s here.”
“You’re going to be a wonderful father, Adam,” Gansey said.
“Thanks, Gans,” Adam said, trying to hold back tears. He’d been waiting for this day for months now and it was overwhelming now that it was actually here.
Ronan came back in swinging a TV remote. “Apparently the last mom in here was throwing it across the room during contractions, so they took it before it could break. I trust you can behave yourself, Maggot?”
Blue laughed and extended her hand. Ronan handed over the remote. “This isn’t my first rodeo, Lynch.”
—————
Around 6:30 in the morning, Blue was up to 10cm and it was time. Ronan and Adam stood on either side of Blue, holding her hands, and Gansey stood at the end behind the doctors. Adam had never experienced anything quite like it—the utter strength and power Blue exuded with each push. Her nails were digging into the skin of his wrist, but he didn’t care. His baby was coming. That was all he could think of as Blue screamed and moaned and shook with exertion beside him. He wished he could help her bear the pain, but knew there was nothing he could do but stand by her side.
He looked up and met Ronan’s eyes, smiling at him through tears. Ronan’s mouth curved upwards into a smile and then—
He was gone.
Vanished.
Just like that, as if he’d never been here.
“NO!” Adam cried out, unable to help himself. Blue’s eyes went wide as she looked up at him in sympathy. Gansey stepped in to fill the gap behind her side. Lucky the doctor’s were too focused to have even paid them (or the missing person) any attention.
“Adam — I—“ Blue started, but she was overcome by another contraction, her voice dissolving into a grunt of pain.
Adam couldn’t let himself dwell on it, on the cruel, evil masters of time that would take Ronan from him in a moment like this. His gift felt more like a curse in this moment. The moment that mattered. Is this payback for Ronan making it through their entire wedding weekend without traveling? Is this the cost? Adam felt a sudden emptiness in his chest where he knew there should be joy blossoming right now. Gansey was saying something to him, or Blue — he couldn’t tell. It seemed like his good ear had stopped working, and he just heard a wash of white noise.
But then Ronan was back, appearing next to Gansey as if he’d never been. Adam opened his mouth, a sob of relief bursting through him.
Except it wasn’t his Ronan, not exactly.
The Ronan in front of him was a bit older, maybe 5 or 6 years. Adam had gotten very good at identifying the slight differences in his husband throughout their relationship. Most people—including the doctors and nurses at the hospital—probably wouldn’t even notice a change. But Adam (and Blue and Gansey, for that matter) were experts in Ronan’s appearance. Adam knew which laugh lines belonged to which years, which hair length fit which times.
“Sorry I’m late,” Ronan whispered, a sad smile on his face.
“What—when—“
“Later, yeah? Right now let’s focus on our baby girl,” Ronan said with the warmest smile, looking down to where Blue’s legs were spread apart.
“Girl?” Adam gasped. Blue let out what sounded like a hiccup. Gansey’s eyes went wide, his hand clapping Ronan’s shoulder.
“Fuck,” Ronan cursed, “Sorry, force of habit.”
Adam was crying now, tears, of joy, as the doctors instructed Blue to keep pushing, that this was it.
Blue roared—a valiant, powerful, aching cry that cut through the room, and the doctor applauded her. “Great job! We’ve got the head— Blue, just a few more pushes for us. Almost there.”
Another push. Ronan reached across and grabbed Adam’s hand. He was shaking from the overwhelming amount of emotions rushing through him. He had never been so scared and so elated at once.
“One last push, Blue!” the doctor instructed.
“AGHH!” Blue cried.
There was a moment of silence, the only sound Blue’s heaving breaths of recovery, and then there it was, cutting through the quiet like a knife: their baby’s cries. Their daughter’s cries.
“Dads?” The doctor said and Ronan nodded his head to Adam, who stepped towards the doctor. “Congratulations, everyone,” he said, handing the squirming, wet, pink bundle over to Adam. His heart stopped—or at least it felt like it did—as he took his baby girl into his arms and cradled her. He let out an involuntary sob.
“She’s beautiful,” Adam whispered, in complete awe. That she was his. That Blue had been willing to help bring her into this world. That he and Ronan were going to be parents.
“Would you like to cut the cord?” The doctor asked Ronan, who was clearly trying to keep it together. His blue eyes were rimmed red and teary. He nodded and stepped over, cutting the cord and then stepping behind Adam to look at their daughter.
“She’s perfect,” Ronan whispered, kissing the tip of Adam’s ear. He tilted his head towards Ronan so it was slotted against his shoulder. Ronan reached out a finger—which looked so big in this moment—to gently touch their daughter’s forehead. She scrunched her nose at the movement, then settled. She was miraculous. “God, I forgot how little she was.”
Adam laughed, a snotty, teary and gross laugh. “Ronan is going to be so mad about this.”
Ronan snorts. “You don’t even know. I’ve been waiting to see this for years.”
“Yeah?” Adam says, turning to look at his husband.
A tear dripped down Ronan’s face, which was covered in an unfamiliar layer of stubble. His Ronan was always clean-shaven. “Yeah,” he breathed, kissing Adam’s forehead and then looking back down at their daughter. “Best day of my life and I don’t get to experience till 6 years later.”
Adam chuckled at the absurdity of it all—Ronan’s strange and beautiful and horrifying gift. “I’m so glad you’re here, Ro. Even if it’s a little late. I thought—when you, when he disappeared—“
“I know,” Ronan said. “I know, love.”
They stood there for a moment longer, just quietly taking in their sweet little girl. The doctors were cleaning up, moving equipment around, and talking to Blue about her recovery. But Adam and Ronan heard none of it—they were completely enamored.
“What should we name her?” Adam asked, then realized his question was a bit silly; this older Ronan obviously already knew his daughter’s name.
“Jackhammer, obviously,” Ronan teases. “You choose, Adam. You’ll pick well.”
“But what if it’s wrong?”
“It can’t be,” Ronan said, so casually. Adam didn’t understand how he could be so sure—how he never worried his future self would change something by coming to the past. There were no rules for Ronan’s time travel, and certainly no one to really guide him. It just was.
“I think,” Adam said, taking in a deep breath. He looked down at her beautiful, blue eyes and felt a strange sense of knowing. “Opal.” From the way Ronan breathed in sharply, Adam knew he was right. Of course I’m right, his logical brain told him. This Ronan only has a daughter named Opal because I named her Opal in this moment. Still, the relief felt overwhelming. Like he’d done his first thing right as a parent. “Opal Aurora Lynch.”
Ronan kissed the side of his head in response. “Mmm,” he hummed. “Perfect.”
Adam took one more look at her, at Opal, and then offered her to Ronan. He took her into his arms with the assured movements of someone who’s held a baby many times. It was strange, the confidence in which he cradled her to his chest and rocked on his feet slightly. “Hi, O,” he said in the softest voice. Adam could barely hear it. “I’m your Daddy and I love you so much.” Adam sniffed at that, his heart swelling more than he thought it could.
Opal gurgled in response and Ronan lit up, his eyes bright and wide. But the expression only lasted a moment before something shifted, his eyes dimming. “I — I don’t think I have much longer left,” he said, looking up at Adam. “I can feel it.”
Adam nodded in understanding. While Ronan couldn’t control his time travel, he could sometimes sense when it was happening. A tightening in his chest moments before he was ripped from his current reality.
“Blue? You want hold her?” Adam said, swallowing down the tears threatening to spill over, and turning towards her.
She was breathing heavily, but calm, her eyes drooping a little. Ronan handed Opal over to Blue, who smiled at her with all the love in the world. Adam had never loved her more than in that moment.
“Is my—is he coming back soon?” Adam asked Ronan. Sometimes he was only gone for minutes, but on the long end, his absences could last for a few days.
“Yeah, don’t worry, Parrish,” Ronan said, attempting a light tone but failing due to the redness of his cheeks and the tears in his eyes. “He’ll be back soon.”
“I’m so happy for you,” Gansey told Ronan, his oldest friend, the first person he ever told about his ability. He wasn’t even trying to hide his tears, the sap that he was.
“Thanks, Gans,” he said, embracing him.
When they pulled apart, Adam stole him into his own arms, wrapping them around his neck tightly. “She’s okay, yeah? In the future? We’re good parents?” he asked into Adam’s ear. One of their rules was to not say too much about the future — it just made things messy and complicated. But Adam felt like this was an exception; this was their daughter they were talking about.
He could feel Ronan grinning against him. “She’s incredible, Adam. She’s everything,” Ronan said into the crook of his neck, and Adam felt a rush of relief. "And you’re the best dad a kid could hope for.” The knowledge that he wouldn’t fuck this up—that he wouldn’t end up like him—was what he needed to hear.
Adam opened his mouth to thank him, but he was gone. Adam was grasping at air. He dropped his extended arms, and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself.
It’s okay. You’re okay. He said my Ronan will be back soon.
“Adam?” Blue asked softly. She looked so perfect sitting there with Opal in her arms. “Are you okay?”
Adam laughed. “I should be asking you that, considering you just gave birth.”
Blue shook her head like it was nothing. Gansey was rubbing her arm gently. “He’ll be back soon, I’m sure. He . . . he’s probably beating himself up right now.”
“I know,” Adam said, pulling up a chair to sit beside them. “Daddy will be back soon,” Adam added in a soft voice, looking right at Opal. Blue handed her over silently, and Adam was grateful for her quiet support. He clutched her agains him, the delicate and beautiful thing that she was. “Daddy sometimes has to go away but he always comes back, right, O? Always.”
————
It was 9am and Blue was fast asleep, having just fed Opal, who was down in the small bassinet beside her. Gansey had gone home to pick Noah and Maura up, and Adam was taking the rare quiet moment to read.
Well, attempting to read. It’d been over two hours since Opal had been born and Ronan still wasn’t back yet. He kept rereading the same sentences over and over, the words not actually sticking. He checked his phone, but didn’t have the energy to respond to the onslaught of texts from friends and family. Declan had tried calling twice, likely wondering why Ronan hasn’t responded to him, but Adam didn’t want to explain. He didn’t want to have to face the fact that Ronan wasn’t here on the day their child was born.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and peaked over at Opal. She was so tiny. Her little hands weren’t even the size of his thumb. He was so scared, in that moment, that he was going to hurt her. That his father’s anger was burned into his blood, just waiting to come out and show itself.
But no — it wasn’t true. Ronan had assured him of that. A small break from their rule about future knowledge, for which he was immensely grateful.
He was going to be a good dad. She was going to be okay.
The thought calmed him, and he reached over to press his hand against her stomach and feel her breath.
But something moved to his left, startling him, and he pulled his hand away. “Ro?” Adam asked, eyes wide with relief as the other man poofed back into this timeline. His eyes were red and his face was set into a deep scowl, but upon seeing Adam and seeing the hospital room, he sagged with relief.
“Oh, thank fucking god,” he sighed, sounding more deflated than Adam had ever heard him. He wrapped his arms around his husband, letting Ronan cry into his neck. “I’m sorry, Adam, I’m so so sorry,” he wept. Adam had never seen him like this before, so overcome with despair.
“Shhh, it’s okay, darling,” Adam comforted, tracing circles in his back. He couldn’t imagine what Ronan was feeling right now. If he had just disappeared from this hospital room as their daughter was being born….he would not be handling it well, either. “You’re here, now, okay. Come meet our daughter.”
Ronan gasped against him then pulled back, his eyes wide as the tears start to subside. “It’s a girl?”
“Yeah, Ro. We have a baby girl,” Adam said, gesturing for him to walk the few steps over to the bassinet. He was shocked to find both girls in the room still asleep, despite all the noise.
Ronan took a shaky breath as he looked over the bassinet at her. Adam loved watching Ronan watch her. The way his face immediately softened upon gazing down, the harsh lines of his face melting away into warmth. Ronan hesitantly reached out to touch her, his fingers gently feeling the soft skin of her forehead, the tuft of blond hair on her head. He swallowed hard and Adam came around to hold him from behind. “She’s beautiful,” Ronan whispered in awe.
“She is,” Adam agreed, kissing the crook of his neck. Adam watched as Ronan oh-so-gently lifted her up. She barely stirred as Ronan held her against his chest, his face a mix of wonder and relief.
“Jesus Christ,” Ronan mumbled as he held her. Adam understood what he’d meant: they both had held plenty of newborns before—Noah, as well as Declan’s two kids—but this wasn’t the same. This was so much more, even though he had not thought it possible. But someone, knowing that this little girl was theirs made it all the more precious.
Ronan was looking at her more quizzically now, as if trying to see through her. “Is she okay? Any problems? And Blue--“ he asked rapid-fire, and Adam just breathed against him, rubbing his arms.
“They’re both great. Blue did great, Gansey is on his way back with Noah and Maura. Everyone’s okay, Ronan. I’m just so glad you’re back.”
Ronan took a shaky breath and turned back to Adam, away from Opal. The calmness upon seeing her had finished a bit, his jaw sharp and brow bent.
“Adam . . . I can’t—How can I be a dad if I can’t—if I disappear like that? What if I travel while I’m rocking her or driving or—“
“Lynch, listen to me,” Adam said, grabbing his shoulders. He needed to reassure his Ronan that everything would be okay, the way Future Ronan had just done for him. “We talked about all of that. We have precautions in place. She’s going to be okay.”
“But I missed this, Adam! I missed her birth and I’m supposed to just . . . not worry?”
Adam hated seeing him like this, so stressed and guilty. He cupped his cheek, wiping at a stray tear. “No, we’re always going to worry now. That’s what parenting is, I think. But you didn’t miss this, not completely.”
“What do you mean?”
Adam smiled at him a little cryptically. “I mean, you missed it now, but you come back for it in a few years.”
Ronan’s face contorted into a look of confusion and then understanding, mixed with shock. “I’m . . . I was here? For the birth?”
Adam nodded. “Just after you disappeared, Future You stepped in. He . . . he was so excited to finally be here.”
Ronan let out a long breath, stepping away Adam for a second and processing. He looked towards the bassinet, a conflicted expression on his face, and and ran his hands over his buzzed head. “How long do I have to wait?”
Adam shrugged. “I didn’t ask, but he looked maybe five years older? A little more?” Ronan inhaled sharply, nodding as he accepted that. “Look, I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now but the important thing, the thing that he wanted us to know, is our daughter is okay. She’s . . . she’s perfect in the future, okay? You’re a great dad even when you can’t be here.”
Ronan closed his eyes to steady himself. Adam waited patiently, knowing this was a lot to process. He was still processing it himself. “He really said that? You’re not just lying to make me feel better? Cause sometimes he can be—“
“He said it, Ro. Very clearly. Our future, our family, is going to be okay.” Adam was cupping his face in his hands now, making sure Ronan saw the truth there.
“Okay,” he said, pressing their foreheads together. “That’s . . . good. Fucking cruel and unusual punishment from the universe, but it’s okay. We’re okay.”
“Yeah, we are, darlin’,” Adam said, kissing him quickly.
“Wait,” Ronan said, pulling back, eyes shifting towards the bassinet. “Her name! Did he tell you?”
“No, but he let me choose and confirmed what I said was right? Kind of a brain fuck.” The two of them had had their fair share of moments like this, constantly wondering how this forever-looping timeline seemed to work. Adam looked over at his daughter with such love as he introduced her properly to Ronan. “It’s Opal. Opal Aurora Lynch. If that’s okay with you?”
Ronan just started tearing up again. Adam had felt weird about choosing the name by himself, but clearly if Future Ronan liked it, current Ronan would too. He smiled a tight smile and nodded. “Yeah. Opal Aurora. That’s perfect.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Ronan said, kissing his forehead. “Good job, Harvard.”
Adam laughed, some of the tension finally releasing from his shoulders. “Finally put my degree to good use.”
Ronan grinned, a wicked grin that was a figment of his usual personality, before the events of today. “Tamquam,” he said, bringing Adam back against him, his arms looping around his neck.
“Alter idem,” Adam replied, feeling so flushed with warmth and love.
They hugged for a moment longer, savoring the calm and quiet, before they were interrupted by the door opening. Gansey, Maura, and little Noah had appeared, and the two men pulled apart. “Mommy!” Noah called as he tottered towards the bed.
Blue had shockingly stayed asleep throughout all of this (probably due to some drugs) but at the sound of her kid, she snapped awake. “Hi, baby!” she said as Noah attempted to climb onto the hospital bed, getting confused by all the cords. Blue reached over to help him up. “Careful, okay, Mommy still doesn’t feel too good.”
“Congratulations, boys,” Maura said, wrapping Adam in a tight hug first and then Ronan. “I’m so proud of you both.”
“It was Blue who did all the work,” Adam said, and Maura smiled at her daughter.
“Hey, Mom,” Blue said, lifting her free arm (the other one completely covered by Noah) and gesturing for her to come over. Maura went to her daughter and the two of them talked while Gansey came to join the men.
“Ronan!” Gansey said, hugging him tightly. “Are you alright?”
Ronan nodded. “Yeah, thanks Gans.”
“Adam filled you in, I presume?”
Ronan just laughed. “Yeah. Old Me always gets fucking everything.”
Gansey just rubbed his shoulder in support. “Your time will come. Quite literally!”
“Nice one, Gans,” Adam said, shaking his head.
Just then, Opal started crying. It wasn’t a wail, but a cranky, shrill whine. “She’s probably hungry,” Blue said. “Ronan? You want to bring her over?”
Ronan nodded, looking at Blue with gratitude. Adam was sure he’d talk to her more later—thank her properly, like Adam had already had the time to do—but that could wait. Their daughter was hungry, so she would be fed.
Ronan lifted Opal with ease out of the bassinet, and she immediately calmed in his arms. “Noah, buddy come over here and stand with Dad for a minute, okay?” Ronan said, and the little boy happily obliged, clinging onto Gansey’s leg. Ronan passed his daughter over to Blue, who smiled down at her with all the love in the world. “Hi, sweet Opal.” She parted her hospital gown to reveal her chest, and both Adam and Ronan watched in awe as the baby latched onto her.
“Let’s give Mommy some privacy, boys? Maybe grab some coffee and donuts upstairs?” Maura suggested to Gansey and Noah.
“Donut, donut!!” Noah chirped, hearing his favorite word. Adam laughed — soon enough that would be Opal, getting excited over sugar and clinging to his leg.
They shuffled out of the room, leaving Blue and Opal with Ronan and Adam. They just stood there, watching for a minute, as Opal drank. “Come here, you two,” Blue said, nodding at them to get closer.
Ronan sat down on the end of the bed, and Adam took the chair beside it, dragging it up to the railing. “Thank you, Blue,” Ronan whispered, reverent.
“I’m just so happy for you two,” she grinned, meeting both of their eyes. “You’re going to be wonderful dads.”
“Yeah,” Adam said, reaching out to grab Ronan’s hand. He placed the other on top of Opal’s small head. He felt so complete, so whole. “We are.”
And for the first time since deciding to have children, he fully believed it.
———
6 years later
Ronan had disappeared a few minutes ago, yet Adam and Opal were completely unfazed.
Adam was making dinner while Opal worked on an animal puzzle at the kitchen table, music playing softly on the kitchen’s speakers.
“Sweetheart, do you want spaghetti or penne?” Adam asked, holding up two different boxes of pasta.
She looked up from the piece in her hands—an ear of an elephant—and squinted at Adam. “Penne!” she decided, turning promptly back to her puzzle. Adam poured the box into the boiling pot of water, then grabbed a cutting board to chop some broccoli.
“OOH!” Opal exclaimed as she connected two chunks together. “Got the lion and zebra, Dad!”
“Great job, O!” Adam said, peaking over. “Looks like you’re almost done.”
Opal beamed as she looked at the last couple pieces in front of her. A minute later, as Adam was opening up a jar of marinara sauce, she finished, exclaiming, “Done!” proudly.
“Very nice, honey. Why don’t you go take a quick shower and get into your pajamas? I still need 10 more minutes before dinner’s ready.”
“Ughhhh, I don’t want to take a shower now!” she groaned.
“Well you know you have to sometime tonight. Maybe if you shower now we’ll have time for a movie after dinner?” That got her to listen; she practically sped up the stairs.
Adam laughed at the predictability of his child. He carefully pushed the finished puzzle to the corner of the table, then set out plates and silverware. The table set, he moved to strain the pasta. He dumped the pot over the strainer, steam billowing up, and turned around to find Ronan sitting at the table, staring ahead as if frozen.
“That was fast,” Adam noted, coming over to him and sitting beside him. Ronan turned to him and Adam could not see his eyes were red and damp. “Ro? What was it?” he asked, suddenly scared. What if he had seen something horrible in their future, some sort of tragedy . . .
But Ronan just shook his head slightly, as if reading Adam’s mind, and the smallest hint of a smile appeared on his face. He met Adam’s eyes, awakening from his stupor, and Adam watched as a tear rolled down his cheek. “This was it, Adam. I got — I got to see it.”
Adam didn’t have to ask what it was. “Oh, baby,” Adam said, enveloping him in a hug. Ronan’s strong arms wrapped around him, memories of Opal’s birth flashed before him. He remembers being so scared when Ronan disappeared, but so relieved when another version of him arrived. The dread he felt when his Ronan came back to find out he’d missed their daughter’s birth. “How was it?”
Ronan pulled out of the hug, but took Adam’s hand in his and squeezed it in comfort. “Fucking weird,” he laughed. “I know what she looked like as a newborn. I mean, we have pictures all over this house. But going from sitting across our Opal to seeing her be born was . . . wild.” Adam couldn’t even imagine. “And Blue? God, we really owe her everything.”
Adam laughed. “Yeah, we do. She was amazing that day.”
Ronan nodded in agreement. It was clear he was still processing everything, that short span of time 6 years ago that was only seconds ago for him. Adam didn’t push, just let him be.
“You were so scared, Parrish,” Ronan teased, a smile breaking across his face.
“Oh, shut up,” Adam said, standing up to finish putting dinner together. Opal would be down soon. “You were scared too - 30 year old you, I mean. We had no clue what we were doing, having a baby.”
“Yeah . . . but she turned out pretty damn perfect, didn’t she?” Ronan said, coming up behind Adam and pulling him against his chest. Adam leaned back against Ronan, soaking in his warmth.
“Yeah, she did.”
Ronan kissed the top of his head and they just stayed their for a minute, the pasta now simmering on the stove.
Opal came bounding down the stairs, and Ronan pulled away from Adam to turn towards the noise. “Daddy! You’re back!” she said, jumping up into his arms like a koala bear. Ronan held her, burying kisses into her wet, blonde hair. The sight made Adam’s heart thump.
“Of course, sweet girl,” Ronan said, setting her down and getting a good look at her. Reconciling the newborn he saw moments ago with the 6 year old in front of him. “Daddy always comes back, O.”
“I know, Daddy,” she smiles. The mantra had been drilled into her since birth. “I just didn’t want you to miss movie night!”
“Movie night? Is that so?” Ronan said, raising his eyebrows.
Adam just shrugged as he plated the food. “Didn’t know how long you’d be gone and I needed some motivation for showering.”
Ronan chuckled. “Alright, fair enough. Let’s eat and then watch something—it’s Dad’s turn to pick.”
The three of them at down and listened as Opal explained why she should actually get to pick the movie again, listing off points like a proper debater. It was adorable, and Adam couldn’t help but be proud of the girl they’d raised. He looked at Ronan, who he knew must be thinking the same thing.