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“Just breaking the news to Owen that he’s going to be an uncle again.” I tell her.

I scoop Harper out of Gigi’s arms and prop her up on my forearm, she wraps her short little arms around my neck and presses a wet kiss to my cheek.

“Love daddy,” she chirps in her adorable, sweet baby voice. I’m gonna miss that.

“Love you too little doe.”

I press a kiss to her head of red hair that is so much like her mother’s and inhale her scent. I’m gonna miss that too. Ever since she was born Harper has been my little doe, a complete carbon copy of Bambi. Parents always tell their children they don’t have a favorite but secretly we all do.

“This one has been wearing me out. I hope I have enough energy when the third one arrives.” Gigi jokes.

“You’ll have plenty of energy Gigi. And if they tire you out just call Owen, and he’ll run them around the house until they pass out.” Bambi gestures to Owen, frosting stuck to the corner of his mouth.

“Yeah sure. I’ll come play with them whenever you need Gigi,” he instantly agrees. Because although he may not be afraid of Gigi, he definitely respects her and would never tell her no.

“That sounds like a great idea,” Izzy begins. “Maybe we could unload all the kids on him and have a girl’s day. I could use a quiet day with no tantrums.”

“I am all in on that idea,” Bambi agrees. “How about you Gigi?”

Gigi nods. I’m sure she would be more than happy to watch all the kids, but I know spending alone time with the girls is just as special to her. She’s getting older and slowing down more and we all try to spend as much time as possible with her. She basically raised us all with how much time we all spent at her house.

“Ooh, where’s Grace? We should invite her too,” Izzy suggests and Owen groans.

Even after a year, he hates when his sister hangs out with his girlfriend. She always tells her stories about him he doesn’t want Grace to know, and we all find it endlessly amusing.

Bambi and Izzy both turn around to search the yard and spot Grace exiting the front door of the house. Painted with handprints and childlike representations of us all, drawn by the kids. We thought it would be fun to let them paint the front door to keep them from painting anything else in the house.

They wave over the brunette that’s far too sweet for Owen and immediately start making plans for a day they can all get together for a girl’s day.

“Is it always going to be like this?” Owen whispers next to me, hoping his sister doesn’t hear. She doesn’t, they’re all far too excited about planning their day to pay any more attention to us menfolk.

“Yup. Get used to it now.”

“Great. We should find James and see if he wants in on our daddy uncle play date.”

James is off chasing Noah and Ella at the moment. They’re laughing and enjoying themselves, so I don’t bother calling him over. We’ll tell him about it later. Unlike Owen he’s always happy to oblige Izzy.

By the end of the party the kids are practically comatose, Harper passed out in my arms and Noah has fallen asleep on the living room floor in a pile of all his new toys. I lay Harper on the couch next to Gigi and Bambi for them to watch while Owen and I venture outside to clean up the mess.

Years ago, when I first got the idea to buy a boat and leave Homer, the thought of cleaning up after a kid’s birthday party would have been my idea of hell. I wanted nothing to do with children. I wanted nothing to do with a wife and house. In my mind it was tainted, thanks to my own childhood.

How wrong I was.

I still love the ocean, love the feeling of peace and freedom I get when on it. I returned to fishing as soon as Bambi agreed to marry me. Now I own my own boat once again. It’s smellier and filled with guys who come up with the most interesting nautical themed dirty jokes, but it’s all I need. It gets me on the sea, and it makes the money I need to support my family. And at the end of a trip, it brings me back.

Back to this house.

Back to my Bambi.

Back to my kids.

Back to my heart and soul.

Back home.

Ohmage