After nearly half an hour of laughter, cheering and missed catches, the game finally came to an end.
Kevin flopped onto the grass dramatically with his arms spread wide. "I'm tired," he announced.
Juliana giggled. "You only ran twice."
"That's a lot!" Kevin protested.
Damien chuckled, lowering himself onto the bench beside Angella again. "You have got quite the team there," he said. His tone was light but his eyes followed the twins with a quiet fondness.
Angella smiled softly. "They are a handful."
"Looks like it," he murmured, still watching them. Then, after a pause, "You are doing a great job, you know."
Angella turned to him, slightly taken aback. "What makes you say that?"
Damien shrugged. "They are happy and confident. They look at you like you hung the moon for them."
Her heart squeezed. Compliments from anyone else would have rolled off easily but something about the calm certainty in Damien's voice made her chest ache in the best way.
