Page 142 of Chasing River

“I’ll do so tomorrow, today I want to spend it with my favourite girls,” River told her and she rolled her eyes playfully at him.

“You don’t even know if this one’s going to be a girl yet?” She reminded him.

“I know but I can sense it,” River assured her.

“You want to be a girl dad so bad!” She chuckled.

“I was born to be exactly that.” He affirmed, “Don’t you think?”

“True.” Armani smiled as he wrapped his arm around her waist placing his palm over her belly.

“Hi, sweet girl.” He whispered. “I can’t wait to meet you.”

“It’s so odd…” Armani mentioned,

“What is?” River asked,

“It’s like having you living inside of me.” Armani explained to him, “You quite literally breathed life into me.”

“I did, didn't I?” He held her gaze, just then they heard the sound of familiar tiny feet padding across the hallway as the door swung open and a little baby boy with bright blue eyes, a face full of freckles, warm brown skin and long curly hair walked into the room holding a box of beads and string.

“There you are Rain!” Armani chuckled.

“Hi, mommy! Papa, pick colours!” The child asked tugging at River’s sleeve.

“Of course petit lumière.”Little light,River agreed to choose the blue, purple and pink ones, Armani smiled because she knew why he chose those. “These.”

“Pretty, wanna make it now.” Rain told his parents, just as Armani pulled him onto her lap. “Hey!”

“You can make papa’s bracelet while I braid your hair, my sweet,” Armani told him, beginning to knit cornrows as the child frowned adorably.

“Are you excited to be a big brother Rain?” River asked,

“Yes!” Rain answered, he was getting good at talking lately. He was always a quiet baby, very introverted just like his father, he also happened to look a lot more like River than Armani. The blue eyes were a shock to everyone at first, but that unwavering kindness, that smile…it was all hers. “Here daddy!”

“Thank you.” River accepted, allowing Rain to slide the beaded bracelet onto his wrist, and he never once took it off, “It’s very beautiful.”

And it was then that one would realise that that was exactly who they were at their core, and who they were destined to be, a family bursting with colour who turned ashes into beautiful things.