Both Sides Now
Epilogue
"Mommy, push
me higher!"
"If I push
you any higher, you'll fall out, sweetie," Dawn called to her daughter as
"No I
won't!" Summer insisted, though she still laughed as the swing brought her
back into the air.
Around them,
Dawn's son—Summer's twin—A.J., ran in circles, doing
what Dawn hoped was something that would wear him out by the time they got
home. Being the mother of overactive, super-powered twins had proved itself to
be something other than an easy task.
Not that she
would trade them for all the peace and quiet in the world, no matter how
tempting it was some days.
Summer's yell of
"Daddy!" brought Dawn's head around as she turned and saw her husband
approaching. Summer jumped from the swing and ran to him, A.J. not far behind.
"You're off
early today," Dawn said as she walked over to where Andrew had knelt down,
a child hanging off either side of him.
He looked up at
Dawn, a smile on his face. "Well, these two are only turning six once. No
point in missing
twins so he could give Dawn a kiss.
"Ew!"
A.J. yelled. "Now you've got girl cooties, Daddy!"
"Nu-uh!"
Summer replied. "They're kissing 'cause they're in love! Just like Han
Solo and Princess Leia!"
Dawn pulled back
from her husband, her eyebrow arched. "Have you been showing the kids
Andrew shrugged.
"They asked to watch it."
"I still say
kissing's gross," A.J. muttered, his arms crossed over his chest.
Andrew ruffled
his son's dark brown curls. "That's because you're six." From beside
him, Andrew felt Summer tug on the leg of his trousers,
and he looked down at her. "What is it, sweetheart?"
"Will you
push me on the swings? Mommy doesn't go high enough."
"Sure thing,
princess," Andrew said, lifting Summer up and putting her on his
shoulders. "Let's go."
Dawn watched as
Andrew carried Summer off, A.J. following close behind
again, and remembered ten years before, when she'd dreamt of this. She could
still remember the dream when she'd first seen Summer,
and knew without a doubt that this is what the little girl had shown her.
This is what
she'd had to fight for, and she had. A decade ago Dawn had fought to bring
Andrew back into her life—to bring him home—and she couldn't say for a moment that she
regretted it. Their relationship had had its ups and downs, but it had turned
out to be truly something
"Mommy! Look
at me! I'm not falling!" Summer called out as her father pushed her into
the air.
"I see
that!" Dawn called back, a smile on her lips as she went over to join her
family.
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