Secrets

“LANDON,” I scream as I chase after the little light-haired boy, who’s running straight for the swings. I can hear Molly chuckling behind me, knowing that she’s going to deal with the much calmer Kiley during our day at the playground.

I finally catch up to my son and pull him up into my arms. He’s squirming and forcing loud laughter into my ear to throw me off, but I know better.

“Do come along, little boy,” I say in a pretentious accent, starting for the swings. “Ready to fly to the moon?”

“YES,” Landon squealed. “LET ME DOWN, DADDY.”

“What’s the magic word?” I sing-songed, rocking him back and forth like a little baby, even though he was almost three.

“Puh-leeeeeeeeease,” he whined, turning up his wriggling from the five that it was to a nine-point-five on a ten-point scale.

“Alright, alright.” I appease the kid by putting him down and watching him dart over to the swings, immediately jumping on and waving his legs back and forth, trying to pump to propel himself but ultimately failing.

I walk around him, careful not to get hit, before pulling him back and releasing him. He lets out a laugh of glee, and I flash back to a time when going on the swing was the most exhilarating thing on the planet.

As I make the monotonous movements of pushing the small boy again and again on the swing, I let my mind wander. I know Landon’s talking, so I occasionally make noises of recognition, but I have no idea what the boy is saying.

Really, my life has turned out much better than I ever could have imagined. Not only do I have a beautiful wife that finally took me back after a massive road block, but the rest of the boys turned out really well, too.

Zayn and Tori got married a few months before Molly and I did, and Tori’s currently pregnant with her first kid, whom they’re both sure is going to be a boy. They’ve picked out a few different names, and Zayn’s having a hell of a time putting together the nursery, since he’s never been much of a handyman. But anyone who walks into that house can just sense the love and excitement radiating off the two of them, and I can’t be happier than I am for them.

Louis and Eleanor, although it took them about five hundred years (or at least, it seemed that way), they’re finally engaged, and they’re planning a wedding in the fall. Both of them were incredibly anxious about taking the next stage in their relationship, too cautious to take a leap that could possibly not pan out, but I think they’re finally confident in themselves.

Not long after Molly and I got back together, Danielle and Liam parted ways. They’re still really good mates, but they knew they were no longer happy with each other. Although all of us were sad about the split, we knew that they made the decision that was best for both of them.

At Molly’s and my wedding, Niall met up with Molly’s cousin, and he almost instantly fell for the bird. The two of them are still going strong, and she’s already starting to hint that she wants to take their relationship to the next level, since the two of them are almost in their thirties.

“DADDYYYYY,” Landon screams to get my attention, his voice almost panicked.

“What?” I laugh, figuring that he was being dramatic about something or another, just like every three-year-old.

“KILEY IS MAKING FACES AT ME FROM THE SLIDE. LOOK AT HER.”

I glance up to look at my daughter, and although I have to squint to see her, I can definitely make out the face she’s making, scrunching up her features and sticking out her tongue at the young boy.

“It’s okay,” I reassure him. “I’m pretty sure you’ll live.”

“BUT SHE’S SCARING MEEEEE.” Landon kicks back and forth, making the swing twist around itself. He makes the chains intertwine so much that I’m concerned the swing might flip over.

“Alright, alright. Take deep breaths,” I tell him as I step in front, slowly walking in a circle to untangle the outdoor toy. “If you freak out, you’re just going to hurt yourself.”

His only response is a pout, and he keeps his eyes shut tightly to make sure he doesn’t catch a glimpse of his sister’s face.

“Hey, look at me,” I direct as I kneel down in front of the kid. “It doesn’t matter what face she’s making, Landon. She’s still your sister, and she’s still the one who tucks you into bed every night. Yeah?”

“Fine,” he grumbles. “Can we go on the Jungle Gym now? The swings are dumb.”

Before I can answer in the negative or affirmative, he hurries between my legs, scrambling through the woodchips, and rushes over to the Jungle Gym, where kids are hanging upside down and trying to push each other off.

I sigh and run after him, screaming his name, thankful beyond all reasons that my days of wearing skinny jeans were behind me. Lord knew how much harder it would be to take care of kids if my movement was that restricted.