Chapter 92: The ice is broken

"It is a digital piano," Clancy confessed to Selen, a teasing glint returning to his eyes. "Top of the line. And I explicitly told the shopkeeper it needed a heavy-duty headphone jack.

The headphones stay plugged in, Selen. Pure silence for you, total music education for them. See? I listened to your request." He explained.

Selen let out a short sigh, but the tension completely left her shoulders. "Fine. As long as those headphones stay firmly attached to their heads, you are safe from the pool."

"Thank you!" David yelled from the floor, his attention entirely locked onto the drone’s instruction manual. "Yeah, thank you! This is the best day ever!" Daniel chimed in, already trying to snap the heavy plastic pieces of the racetrack together on his own.

Clancy turned his full attention back to the kids, completely immersing himself in their world. "Alright, let me see that manual, David. We need to calibrate the remote control before you try flying this thing indoors, or your mother will have both of us to time out." he said jokingly.

"Good idea," Selen murmured. She turned and walked back toward her study, completely at ease leaving the chaos in his hands.

For the rest of the morning, Clancy’s focus never drifted from the children. He stayed on the rug, patiently fixing the tiny copper contacts on the bottom of Daniel’s toy cars when they wouldn’t register on the track, while giving Diana tips on how to shade her first sketch in the new book and how to play the piano.

He guided David’s hands on the drone controller, helping him achieve a brief, cautious test hover in the center of the living room while making sure it did not go near the glass chandeliers.

His eyes immediately snapped back to Daniel, who was loudly complaining that David’s car was cheating on the straightaways.

The energy in the living room finally began to wane as the afternoon rolled in. The floor was a field of ripped wrapping paper, open instruction booklets, and plastic track pieces.

Daniel had finally grown tired of racing his slot cars and was currently curled up on the rug, using Clancy’s thigh as a pillow while clutching his new toy vehicles.

David was sitting nearby, completely absorbed in programming his drone on a tablet, while Diana sat on the adjacent armchair, her colored pencils scattered around her as she focused intensely on a sketch of the entire scene.

Clancy had not moved from the floor in nearly four hours. He looked entirely disheveled, his hair was messy from Daniel playfully tugging on it earlier, his shirt was wrinkled, and there was a faint smudge of dust on his sleeve from assembling the racetrack.

Yet, the tired lines on his face had completely smoothed out. He ran a gentle hand through Daniel’s hair, a quiet, content smile on his lips as he looked around at the peaceful chaos.

From the hallway, Selen watched him. She had spent the last few hours managing her work calls from the study, occasionally looking out to see him completely invested in the triplets. He had not checked his phone once.

He did not ask for a break. He had given them his absolute, undivided devotion from the moment he stepped through the door.

She turned back toward the kitchen, where Sarah and Marta were quietly organizing the late afternoon refreshments.

Selen walked over to the counter, where a small, elegantly crafted porcelain plate sat. On it was a single serving, dark chocolate truffle cake, topped with a smooth glaze and a single, unlit gold candle. It was not an extravagant, grand villa cake, but it was refined and personal.

"Is everything ready, Ms. Selen?" Maria asked softly, adjusting a tray of tea and fresh juices. "Yes, thank you, Marta. You can bring the drinks in now," Selen replied, picking up the small plate herself.

She walked back into the living room, her footsteps quiet on the polished floor. Clancy looked up as she approached, assuming she was coming to tell him it was time for the kids to clean up.

Instead, Selen stepped past the coffee table and carefully set the small cake down on a nearby side table right next to his water glass.

Clancy stared at the cake, his brow furrowing in confusion. He looked at the single gold candle, then up at Selen, his voice dropping to a stunned whisper.

"What is this?" He asked her. "Happy birthday, Clancy," Selen said, her voice calm, direct, and completely devoid of her usual professional detachment.

"I remembered you mentioned the date casually before you left. I figured after an hour of toy assembly, this might be the right time since you would want something sweet. It’s what the kids wanted to do anyway since they did not know if you had any friends to celebrate it with" she said.

Clancy sat entirely still, completely caught off guard. For a man who usually had an immediate response for everything, he was completely speechless. A flush of genuine emotion hit his face, his eyes widening slightly as he stared at her.

"You- you remembered? I only mentioned it once, days ago." "I have a good memory," Selen said. "Do not make a big deal out of it. Just blow out the candle before the kids decide to eat it for you."

"It’s your birthday!" David yelled, scrambling closer. Clancy looked at the little boy, surprised. "Mummy told us," David added.

"Why didn’t you tell us?!" Diana chimed in, dropping her pencils and moving to the floor.

Clancy laughed, a bit choked up, rubbing the back of his neck. "I did not want to make the day about me. Today was supposed to be about coming home to you guys." He said.

Daniel rubbed his eyes, looking at the small cake and then up at Clancy’s face and immediately knew what it meant.

Without a shred of hesitation, the youngest triplet threw his small arms around Clancy’s neck, burying his face in his shoulder. "Happy birthday, Daddy," Daniel murmured.

The ice was broken. David did not even hesitate, leaning in to join the hug, throwing his arm over Clancy’s shoulder. "Yeah! Happy birthday, Daddy! Thanks for the drone!" He said.