.:Author's Note:.

Please excuse any mistakes. This is unedited.

A portion of the poem, "Cornerstones" by peppercma was used at the near end of this chapter.

***

One Year Later

Jonathan's POV:

I woke up to soft giggling.

Groaning tiredly, I peeked one eye open to find my girls smiling brightly as they hovered over me.

"Good morning, Daddy!" They voiced simultaneously, making me grunt a bit at how energized they sounded. It's too early...

"Good morning, loves," I greeted before realizing that Winston wasn't in bed beside me. "What time is it?"

"It's eleven o'clock," Alyssa answered.

"Bubba said we should wake you up for breakfast," April continued. I groaned lowly before sitting up to stretch out my limbs, honestly not ready to get out of the bed just yet. The sheets beside me were cold, letting me know that Winston, on the other hand, had been up for a while.

"Did you three wake up early this morning?"

"We did," my husband answered from the doorway, drawing my attention to him. "Nine o'clock to be exact."

"Why didn't you wake me then?"

"You came home late from your work party last night," he shrugged before he walked over to our bed and crawled between our girls so that all three of them were staring into my unwashed face. "You didn't need to get up so early on a Sunday."

"And you three did?"

"We did," my husband smirked before leaning in to give me a quick kiss. "Good morning, handsome."

"Good morning, sweetness," I grinned deviously, but then I remembered that we had company. "I hear breakfast is waiting for me."

"It is, Daddy," Alyssa said excitedly. "Bubba let me and Pilly make it."

"Well, I can't wait to try it. Let me brush my teeth and wash my face first."

"Okay, Daddy! We're going to get everything set up."

I chuckled lowly as April and Alyssa hurried out of our room. Winston was going to do the same, but I grabbed him before he could leave, smirking a little when he yelped in surprised as I flipped us over so that he was underneath me.

"Jonathan, your daughters are waiting for you in the kitchen," Winston laughed, having no real fight in his tone for me to stop whatever I was planning.

"Our daughters," I corrected him instinctively before connecting our lips together for a deeper kiss compared to the one he had given me just moments ago. He melted immediately against me and wrapped his arms around my neck, pulling me closer. I grunted lowly in my throat as our hardness pressed together. Moving my hips slightly caused a needy sound from Winston to slip into my mouth that had my pulse quickening.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to slip my hand into the waistband of his sweatpants like I had intended to. One of our girls came bursting back into our room, forcing me to pull away from his lips with a displeased groan.

"Daddy, are you coming?!"

"I was just about to," I muttered lowly, making Winston snort despite slapping my shoulder for being inappropriate. "Yes, April, I'll be out in a second."

"Okay! Bubba, will you take down the plastic flutes for us?"

"Of course, angel," my husband answered with a grin as he gently pressed against my chest so that I would roll off of him. I sighed as I fell at his side before watching as he stood from our bed and took April's outstretched hand. Sparing me a glance, he smirked as his eyes roamed my exposed chest before his gaze locked with mine. "Don't make us wait too long."

"Yeah, Daddy, the food is getting cold," April told me as she cocked her hip. After giving me my warning, they left me behind as they headed towards the kitchen.

Looking down at my tented boxers, I groaned in displeasure again. I just needed ten minutes...

Deciding not to waste too much time on that thought, I quickly stood from the bed and headed to the bathroom in order to do my morning routine. Once I was done, I slipped on a shirt, forgoing a shower for the time being. I grabbed my phone from the bedside table and scanned through my notifications as I headed to the kitchen. When I stopped in the entranceway to respond to a text message, a throat clearing caught my attention.

I looked up, eyes widening in surprise at the layout in front of me.

"Happy Father's Day!" My daughters and husband cheered, causing a wide smile to spread across my face.

Above the island was a large blue banner that had the words, "Best Dad Ever" haphazardly written across it in colorful letters. Spread out on top of the island were various breakfast foods ranging from eggs and fruit covered waffles to tomatoes and diced potatoes.

"Is that mimosa?"

"Virgin mimosas, of course," Winston answered, making me chuckle.

"So, orange juice?"

"Precisely."

I shook my head in amusement as I placed my phone down and took a seat in front of the breakfast spread made for me.

"Thank you, loves. This looks amazing," I said as I took in everything up close. "And you did it all by yourselves?!"

"Bubba made the potatoes," Alyssa grinned as she handed me a plate. "But we used the waffle maker all on our own, Daddy!"

"I can't believe you two are cooking already. Soon you won't even need us at all," I said in playful sadness despite how true my words were. At only eight-years-old, I was already starting to believe that my girls were growing too fast, and I fiercely began to miss the times when they were two and relied on me for almost everything.

"Don't be silly, Daddy," April laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, Daddy, don't be silly," Winston mocked.

"Bubba, Daddy isn't your daddy!" Alyssa laughed heartily, making me smirk.

"I mean..."

"Jonathan!"

"I'm just saying, sweetness," I grinned with a wink.

"Say nothing more," he gritted in clear embarrassment if the blush on his face was any indication.

I decided not to tease him any further as I started sharing some food for our girls before sharing any for myself. Once we had everything we wanted on our plate, Winston made space on the island so that we could all sit together and eat.

"Where's Macy?" I asked after some time, just noticing that my sister was M.I.A.

"She spent the night at Blaine's," Winston answered. "Sent me a text this morning of just the eggplant and water droplet emojis. I put two and two together."

"That's Macy for you," I chuckled. "What time is Andrew's plane supposed to land today?"

"Six o'clock tonight. I'll start dinner in the next hour or so, so that everything is still warm when I go pick him up."

"You need five hours to cook?"

"It's a special day," my husband replied as he nodded. "I need to make a proper feast. I even invited your parents over."

"Now that, I didn't know. When were you going to tell me?"

"Today – right now," he stated cheekily. I playfully rolled my eyes at him while taking a sip of my orange juice. With the drink being in a plastic flute, I didn't hate to admit that I felt sort of like a classy bitch. That's what the young kids are saying today, right?

"You mean we get to see Momma Joyce, Papa Chris, Papa August, and Papa Andy?!" April questioned in excitement, making Winston chuckle as he nodded. I understood our daughter's elation. Our parents absolutely adored our girls and the feelings were evidently returned. The lot of grandparents hadn't all been together simultaneously since our wedding a bit over a month ago. "I can't even."

God, please don't let that be a thing again.

"We're celebrating all the daddies today," Winston said with a small laugh, causing our girls to do the same. "Will you both be my sous-chefs today?"

"Bubba, what's a sous-chef?"

"Basically, my second in command."

"Does that mean that Daddy is third in command and we get to boss him around?"

They are definitely Macy's nieces.

"That's what it usually would mean. But today, we don't want to have your dad in the kitchen at all. It's his day of relaxation."

"I want to be your sous-chef all the time, Bubba," Alyssa giggled.

"Me too! I want to be a sous-chef," April followed.

"Thank you, angels. Your first order of business – after we finish breakfast – is to lock your father in his room."

***

"Some sous-chefs you have there," I joked as I passed by the living room to find April and Alyssa fast asleep on the sofas. Winston laughed and shook his head at me as I returned to my seat at the island.

"I'll have you know that they were very helpful during the hours that they were awake," he told me with playful defiance. "They did manage to keep you away for a few hours."

"Touché, sweetness," I grinned.

"Anyway, Macy and your parents should be pulling up in the next ten minutes," he continued as he took a Shepherd's pie from the oven. "Dad's plane is expected to land in approximately thirty to forty minutes. So, I'm going to put the chicken in the oven, and it should be done by the time I need to leave and pick him up."

"Do you need me to do anything?"

"Yes, get out of the kitchen," my husband grinned. "Go back to watching Netflix or whatever you were doing in our room. I've told you that today is your day of relaxation."

"It's our first Father's Day together."

"It's your first time actually celebrating Father's Day and I wanted to make it special."

"And how am I supposed to make it special for you when you won't let me help?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I feel special enough being a part of this family."

I hated it when he used his cuteness against me.

"You can't just say things like that and expect me to stay mad at you," I grumbled childishly. Winston walked around the island and pulled my slouching form into a hug as he chuckled.

"That's kind of the point, handsome," he replied before placing a kiss on my temple. "Now, get going. You finally have some free time to watch the latest season of SVU. I'll take care of everything else."

"I've already started it, but fine. You can get rid of me for now, sweetness, but later I'm trying to drop some babies in you," I flirted with a wink.

"Oh my gosh, Jonathan! Get out right now!" He blushed while swatting me away with the nearby dishcloth. I raised my arms in self-defense while quickly running away so that I didn't feel the sting of his choice of weapon.

"When did you become so abusive?!"

"When you became a pervert!"

"You love me for it."

"No, I hate you," Winston stated with finality, making me laugh.

As I returned to our bedroom, my phone began to ring. Quickly, I went to go answer the device, eyebrows raising a bit in confusion when I saw that it was Marilyn calling.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jonathan. It's Marilyn," she said, sounding a bit out of breath.

"I know it's you, Marilyn," I chuckled. "I have caller ID."

"Oh. Yeah. Right."

"Are you running?"

"Yeah, I'm on the treadmill as we speak."

"Oh. What do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"I just wanted to wish you and Winston a happy Father's Day," she replied, causing a grin to cross my face. "I would've called earlier, but I was at a photo shoot all day."

"It's okay. Your call has been received and appreciated. Winston is cooking up a storm in the kitchen at the moment, but I'll make sure he gets your well wishes. How are you?"

"I'm doing good, actually. Much better than I was before."

After the whole show a year ago between Amanda and Miranda, it didn't take long for things between Marilyn and Amanda to go south. Although hellbent on trying to make their relationship work despite the lies her wife told, Marilyn found out the hard way that Amanda was more of a runner than a confronter. Much like she had done to Miranda, she simply up and left Marilyn one day without so much as a letter.

Marilyn was heartbroken, but a part of me saw it coming due to their constant spats and lack of visitations throughout the following month. It was hard enough giving second chances and blindly believing that people could change; this stunt, however, that Amanda pulled yet again was my final straw with her.

Macy and Winston were livid. Alyssa and April were disappointed. I – though mostly influenced by rage – made sure to do everything I could so that she wouldn't be within one-hundred feet of my girls if she ever decided to return again.

Now, it was just Marilyn who kept in constant contact because she really hit it off with the girls and was actually super cool to have as a friend.

"I'm glad to hear that. You know we always worry about you."

"I know, and I appreciate you guys so much – you don't even understand."

"I think I understand a little," I joked, making her laugh on the other end of the receiver. "Are you celebrating today with your parents or something?"

"No, I was actually just going to cook for myself tonight. Maybe catch up on some shows."

"Sounds lonely. If you're up for it, we'd love to have you over for dinner tonight. Alyssa and April have a bit of a surprise for Winston later on, and I know how much you love surprises."

"Are you kidding me?! It's not even a question of whether I'll be there or not!"

"Should've just saved my energy and just demanded you come over then," I chuckled. "Dinner starts in an hour so take your time."

"Hell no, I'm coming over now," she scoffed, causing my laughter to increase since the sound of her treadmill seized. "I don't want to miss a second. Gotta go shower first though. See you soon!"

The line went dead before I could respond.

***

"Mom! Dads!"

"Look at my baby," my mother swooned as she pulled me into a hug. "That husband of yours is fattening you up I see. As he should be!"

"Leave that boy alone," Daddy Augustus stated with a rich laugh before he pulled me away from my mom's embrace and wrapped his arms around me for a hug of his own. "It's muscle."

"No, she's right, Dad," I laughed as I squeezed him back tightly. "I can't get enough of Winston's cooking."

"Rightfully so," Daddy Christopher piped up. "That boy is a wizard in the kitchen."

More of a hand-shaker than a hugger, he patted me affectionately on the back in greeting once Augustus had let me go.

"Happy Father's Day!" I told my dads as I stepped aside so that they could enter the house, receiving the same mantra in response.

"Happy Father's Day to you, Bugsy," Macy said as she followed in behind them with Blaine at her side. I kissed her forehead in greeting before her partner signed the same phrase to me, causing me to sign back my appreciation before closing the door.

"Winston, it's so great to see you again," my mother said as she entered the kitchen. Taking a moment to close the oven, my husband wasted no time after that to hurry into her open arms.

"Joyce, I've missed you so much!"

"Is my son keeping you from calling me? Because I'll have you know that he's not too old to be grounded."

"Mom!"

"Shut it, Bugsy," she quipped, causing everyone to laugh.

"No, he's not, I promise," Winston vouched for me. "We've just been so busy. I'm sorry I haven't picked up the phone to call you."

"I understand. It's okay. Where are my grandbabies?"

"We're right here, Momma Joyce!" April and Alyssa answered as they ran into the kitchen.

"No running, girls," Winston and I spoke at the same time.

"Sorry, Daddy."

"Sorry, Bubba."

"Look how big you two have gotten! How old are you now?" Dad questioned teasingly.

"We're eight years old, Papa Chris." Alyssa laughed. "You know that!"

"I don't believe it," my second dad joined in just as playfully. "You're only five years old."

"Five?!" April gasped. "How dare you? That's insulting."

I – nor anyone else – could resist another snort of amusement.

***

"And thank you, Lord, for allowing us to spend this Father's Day with family. Of all the travels I've been on, I couldn't imagine being anywhere but here with a portion of my family on this special day. I ask that you continue to bless those who are here and those who had to be elsewhere. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen."

"Amen."

After Andrew had finished his prayer, everyone who sat around the makeshift dining table dug in for some food.

"Don't even think about feeding your vegetables to Snowflake under the table, angels," Winston stated once he finished sharing their plates.

"We weren't going to do that, Bubba!" Alyssa replied incredulously, letting us all know that that's exactly what they were planning to do.

"Mhm, sure," my husband responded, for obvious reasons, not believing a word she said.

I grinned.

Dinner passed with animated conversations between everyone. There was not a single dull moment as we ate, and joked, and talked about anything that came to mind. By the time all of our bellies were stuffed, it was dark outside, and the atmosphere of the house had gone from energetic and lively to calm and peaceful.

I was sitting in one of the emptier corners of the living room, watching as the family engaged in a series of board games, when Alyssa and April approached me.

"Can we give Bubba his gift now, Daddy?" They asked lowly, as to not draw any attention to us.

"Sure, loves. Want me to gather everyone?"

"Yes, please," they nodded before they headed to my room. I stood from my seat while calling out to the others. Their eyes were on me in an instant as I quickly went for one of the stools by the kitchen island before returning to the living room.

"As this Father's Day comes to an end and before everyone decides that it's time to head out, April and Alyssa have a present they'd like to give to a very special someone," I smirked. "Winston, will you please come sit in this stool?"

"Me?" my husband asked half mindedly.

"No, the other Winston in the room," Macy teased, making everyone laugh.

"I hate you," he replied to her with an embarrassed blush as he took his new seat.

"No, you don't."

Our girls returned to the living room with a moderately sized box that contained Winston's Father's Day gift.

"This is for you, Bubba," April said as she carefully handed it to him.

"To show you how much we love you," Alyssa continued.

Everyone swooned. I didn't hate to admit that I was already on the verge of crying, and my husband was in no better position.

"Thank you, angels," he said as he placed the box in his lap before pulling them both in for hugs. "I love you both, so much more."

"Impossible," they teased simultaneously as they pulled away after having their fill. "Open it."

"Okay! Okay," Winston smiled as he carefully undid the bow that held the box closed before lifting up the top. "You didn't!"

He pulled out a plush throw pillow that was decorated with various pictures of him and our girls together and the word, "Bubba," written down the middle.

"I love it!"

"It's super cute."

"I'm jealous."

"I want one!"

"This is beautiful, angels," Winston said gently.

"There's more," April grinned. After carefully setting the pillow aside, my husband pulled out a card and a folded stack of papers. "You have to read the card first."

"Out loud."

"Okay," Winston laughed before opening said card and reading. "You weren't there for our first tears, but you're here to