Colin's pov
I inhaled the fresh air deep into my lungs as we walked out of the airport with the four of us.
'Daddy, where are we?' Ivy asked as she held up her arms as a sign for me to lift her up. I knelt beside her and lifted her in my arms.
'Ireland. I was born and raised here'
'Why?'
I laughed at her typical children's logic. 'Because my mom and dad live here'
'Can I finally see my other grandpa and grandma again?' she asked enthusiastically
I nodded as I turned to Jennifer who was holding Mason in her arms. We decided to spend a long vacation in Ireland to spend time together, but also to see my family again and to relax a bit. My family had only seen Mason on pictures, so I could not wait to show him to everyone. 'Ready?' I asked as I wrapped an arm around her.
She smiled. 'I'm always a bit nervous when we're here'
'Why?'
She shrugged her shoulders. 'Your family is perfect, Ireland is perfect and I'm just a boring American'
'You're not boring' Ivy interrupted
I gently wiped some hairs from Ivy's beautiful, sleepy face. Her bright blue eyes absorbing the surroundings with admiration.
'Am I Irish too?'
'You are half Irish, little one'
She stared at me with a confused look on her face. 'Are you completely Irish?'
'Yes, but because your mother is American, you are half American and half Irish'
She nodded understandingly. 'I have the best of both' she said proudly
I pressed a kiss to her forehead before I put her on down again. She looked at me with displeasure and put her arms back in the air. 'Daddy, you have to carry me'
I grabbed her by her waist and swung her over my head. She screamed and laughed with enthusiasm. I put her on my shoulders. 'Hold on tightly'
'Yes daddy, I will'
I felt her little hands resting on my head, while her legs were gently clamping around my neck and shoulders. 'Are you good there?'
'Yes!'
I turned back to Jennifer, who had looked at us with a big smile. 'Shall we, love?'
She nodded but kept staring at me.
I quirked my eyebrow as I stooped to pick up our things. 'What?'
'It's just so nice to see you with kids. I think a lot of children would want you as a father "
'But he is mine' Ivy said as she pouted her lip
'And Mason's' Jennifer added
'But he was mine first'
She stood beside me, put her hand on my ass and squeezed softly. 'I saw him first, so actually, he is mine'
'Ladies, ladies... there is enough room in my heart for the three of you' I said laughing
After a ride of half an hour, we arrived at my house in Ireland. I had once thought of selling the house, but I could not do it. Renting out the house felt like a better option, in case we would ever move to Ireland or simply go on vacation there. The houses and surroundings in Ireland are very different from those in the United States and that was, besides my family, what I missed the most about living there.
'Why don't you live here anymore?' Ivy asked when she removed her backpack and handed it to me.
'I lived here before I started working with your mother'
'Why did you leave it?'
Ivy had clearly arrived in the 'why'-phase of her life. She could fill days with the question why something was like that or why a goat was a goat and not a sheep. I knew that it's just out of curiosity and that in this way toddlers try to discover the world bit by bit, but sometimes it was very annoying.
'Your mother and I began to love each other and when we married we decided to live together in the United States.'
'Why not here?'
'Ivy... it's just the way it is'
'But I want to know why daddy'
'I know, you always want to know why. I fell in love with your mother and I stayed there. End of story' I said more irritated than I intended.
Her eyes were full of tears. She looked at me for a moment and then climbed her way up the stairs. 'Ivy...' I tried, but she kept going. She was not allowed to go up the stairs all by herself, but with the ease she climbed it, it became clear that she had done it more often.
I turned around and saw Jennifer's angry face. 'Well done, buddy' she said sarcastically. She gave me another angry look before she walked past me.
A sense of guilt crept over me. I decided to go upstairs and see where she had gone. The further I got up, the louder I heard her sob. She sat with her back against one of the doors in the hall, her legs pulled up and her face buried in her arms.
'Why are you here?'
'I ran upstairs, but I don't know where my bedroom is' she sobbed loudly
I sat on the floor next to her and wrapped my arm around her. She tried to push me away at first but admitted my embrace eventually. 'I'm sorry, little one' I whispered in her hair.
'I thought you didn't like me anymore'
I lifted her up and put her on my lap so that I could look at her. 'Fathers always love their little girls, whatever they do'
She bit her bottom lip while a tear rolled down her cheek. 'But I didn't do anything wrong...'
I wiped the tears gently from her cheek and caressed her little face with my thumb. 'You did nothing wrong, love. I was a little grumpy, but I should never have commented like this.'
She leaned forward and rested her head on my shoulder. 'Are we best friends again?' she whispered in my ear.
I saw that her eyes were heavy and that she had trouble staying awake. 'Are you still angry with me, Ivy?'
She tried to shake her head. 'I'm not angry. Will you be my best friend again?'
'Always, little one. Always'
I rocked her gently back and forth in my arms until she fell asleep. Eventually, my eyes became heavy as well. After a short power nap, I woke up from the sound of Jennifer who walked up the stairs. She smiled when she saw me sitting against the door with a sleeping Ivy on my lap. She sat down at the top of the stairs and looked at me for a while. 'What happened? You never react this way and certainly not to her'
I shrugged my shoulders. 'I don't know what got into me. I was a bit grumpy because of the long flight and her eternal why-questions were too much for me.'
She quirked her eyebrow. 'A little grumpy?'
I rolled my eyes. 'Just grumpy'
'Did you talk it out with her?'
'Yes, she thought I didn't like her anymore'
'Just be a little extra kind to her then' she pushed herself up. 'Can you wake her up? We still need to eat something'
I nodded, then she walked downstairs. 'Ivy...' No reaction.
'Ivy...' She muttered irritably.
'Ivy, wake up sweetheart'
'Why?'
I grinned at the irony in that question. 'We are going to eat something'
She looked at me, confused and with her sleepy eyes. 'Daddy...' she said questioningly
'What is it?'
'I love you'
My heart melted and I pressed her even more firmly against me. 'I love you too, princess'
♥♥♥
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