Chapter 94: A fight for your heart

Finally, he looked up at Diana. She did not throw herself into the hug like her brothers, but she stepped in close, letting him wrap his arm around her waist and pull her into the circle.

She looked at him with an intensity that mirrored his own. "Drive safely," she said softly, squeezing him tight. He stood up, his legs feeling heavy, and looked at Selen. She walked him to the front door, the triplets trailing closely behind like a little security detail.

At the foyer, Clancy picked up his coat, his hand lingering on the doorknob. He turned back to Selen, overwhelmed by the grace she had shown him. "Thank you, Selen. For everything today. For letting me be a part of this," he said, his eyes conveying a depth of gratitude words could not reach.

Selen smiled, a soft, genuine expression that reached her eyes. "They love you, Clancy. And they wanted to show you. Have a safe drive back." she responded

With one final wave to the three children standing side-by-side in the hallway behind Selen, Clancy stepped out into the driveway. As the front door clicked shut behind him, the heavy burden of his lonely past felt entirely lifted.

Walking down the path toward his car, he knew the hotel room would not feel nearly as empty tonight, not with the warmth of his family waiting for his return tomorrow.

Clancy pulled his car door open, he stepped into the back of the sedan where his driver was already waiting with the engine humming quietly. Tonight, however, the silence inside the car did not feel heavy. It felt peaceful.

On the seat next to him sat his luggage, and resting safely on top of it was the drawing Daniel had given him. Clancy reached over, his fingers gently tracing the edge of the paper. He smiled, a genuine emotion washing over him.

He was not just a businessman moving seamlessly between appointments anymore. He was a father. "Straight back to the hotel, sir?" the driver asked softly, catching his eye in the rearview mirror. "Yes, please," Clancy replied, his voice still carrying a hint of the heavy emotion from earlier.

Before, this city had felt like a series of transactional locations. Tonight, it felt like the place where his real life had finally begun. He spent the ride in a state of quiet reflection, completely tuned out from the multiple notifications vibrating in his pocket.

When the car finally pulled up to the entrance of the hotel, the driver stepped out to open the door for him. Gathering his briefcase and carefully shielding Daniel’s drawing from the evening breeze, Clancy walked through the marble lobby.

The receptionist offered a polite, practiced greeting, but Clancy barely noticed. He took the elevator up to his floor, unlocked the door to his room, and stepped inside. Before, this room had felt like a lonely cage. Tonight, it was just a temporary pit stop.

Clancy walked straight over to the nightstand. He moved the hotel’s directory and the landline phone out of the way, clearing a prominent space right next to the lamp.

Carefully, he smoothed out the edges of Daniel’s drawing and set it down. It was a vibrant, imaginative landscape, full of color and life a stark contrast to the muted grays and beiges of the hotel decor.

Standing back, Clancy looked at it, his chest tightening with that same profound warmth he had felt during their embrace. It changed the entire energy of the space. He spent the rest of the evening relaxing, but his mind kept drifting back to the triplets.

Every time he remembered Diana looking at him and saying Daddy, his heart skipped a beat. He found himself checking his watch periodically, calculating the hours until the next afternoon.

When he finally turned off the lights and lay down, the drawing was the last thing he saw under the fading glow of the lamp. For the first time in years, he fell asleep easily, anchored by a newfound sense of purpose.

****

The next day dragged on through a series of mandatory morning conference meetings. Clancy sat at the desk in his office, speaking into his company’s land line and reviewing documentation, but his focus was entirely split. He answered questions concisely, eager to clear his schedule.

By the time he was done with all of the important documents, he closed his laptop and pushed it aside and decided to spend the hour he had before his next meeting on a call with the kids.

His phone was already in his hand. He hesitated for a brief second, a sudden wave of nervous anticipation hitting him. Would they be too busy? Would it feel awkward over a screen? Shaking off the doubt, he tapped Selen’s name and initiated the FaceTime call.

The phone rang twice before the screen flashed, and suddenly, the sterile quiet of his hotel room was shattered by a burst of pure, chaotic energy.

"He’s calling! He’s calling!" David’s voice boomed through the speaker. The camera shook violently as the phone was handed off, finally settling on a view of the kitchen table.

All three triplets were crammed into the frame, their faces bright and eager. Behind them, Selen could be seen leaning against the counter, a soft, amused smile on her face as she watched the excitement unfold.

"Hi, Daddy!" Daniel shouted, waving his hand so fast it was a blur. "Look what I did in my sketchbook today!" David interrupted, immediately holding a piece of paper right up to the camera, completely blocking out everything else. It was a rough, energetic sketch of a superhero. "He has a shield, and he can fly!"

Clancy could not help but laugh, all his nervousness evaporated in an instant. "That looks incredible, David. The shield is a great touch. Did you use the charcoal pencils?"

"Yeah! They smudge really cool," David nodded eagerly, pulling the paper back so Clancy could see his face again.

"Show him mine now," Daniel nudged his brother, leaning closer to the screen. "Daddy, did you put my drawing up?" He asked Clancy.