Page 132 of Ashes

I might not have had somewhere to call home before, but I’d made one for myself with my husband and I planned to make the most of it.

Especially with the new addition that would join our monthly gatherings in nine months.

EXTENDED EPILOGUE

EIGHT YEARS LATER

JAMAL

“Selim,what overalls do you want to wear today? The brown ones or the blue and white striped ones?”

My son sat on his bed in only his diaper and a cream long-sleeved shirt that said “Atlas Racing” in bold black letters with a Formula One car drawing underneath it.

Courtesy of Sienna. She wanted to make sure that our children would follow in her footsteps when it came to her love for the sport.

He watched attentively the two options I was displaying for him, then pointed his chubby finger to the brown one. “Hado.”

“Good choice,zin dyali,” I said, then dropped to one knee.

As he lay on his bed, I slipped his legs through thepants, then helped him up to tuck his shirt inside and fasten the buckles. While he was still cooperative, I took the opportunity to slip on his socks and cream-colored shoes.

Might not be the best outfit for him to sludge around in dirt at the park, but he was a kid, so no matter what clothing I put on him, he would find a way to dirty them.

“Ready?”

My son’s smile widened as he used both of his hands to grab my cheeks and squeeze them, one of his new habits. “Yes!” Then he gave me a kiss on my cheek filled with drool. “Thank you,Baba.”

I lightly tickled him on his belly and kissed his forehead. “You’re welcome, my beautiful boy.”

“Should we go find Selena and see if she’s ready to go?”

I stood from the ground, letting him put his hand in mine.

“Yes, let’s go see Lena,” he answered, looking up at me with wide and excited hazel eyes.

I led him to his older sister, only to find her ready and waiting at her doorstep as we turned the corner of the hallway that led to her room.

“Hey,kbida dyali, you ready?”

“Yes,Baba, I’m all ready to go,” she said, giving me her little smile that melted my heart.

I grabbed her small hand in mine, that wasn’t so small anymore, and headed for the door. How the hell was shealready seven? It felt like it was just yesterday when I held her in my arms for the first time.

Sienna had gotten pregnant a few months after our second wedding. It’d been hard on her at the beginning because of her severe morning sickness, but as soon as her first trimester had ended, she’d felt much better and was able to resume working as she did before, only slowing down when she approached her due date.

We then had Selim five years later and her pregnancy was much smoother the second time around. Whether it was because she was carrying a boy or it was her second time was still to be determined.

We both had wanted more kids, but I knew she wanted to focus on her career and I was already beyond happy with the family we’d created.

I hadn’t had the chance to grow up with a big family and had always hoped that once I was older, I’d get the chance to create my own.

I was eternally grateful that Sienna came into my life. She already made it better, but being graced with being a father at her side made it even better. If that was possible.

“Oh, we forgot to say bye to Mama,” Selim announced, letting go of my hand.

“She’s sleeping,” I tried to say, but he was already beelining for our bedroom at the end of the hall to find his mom before I could stop him.

Selena shook her head and let out a laugh. “He’s so energetic.”