Confidence

.~.~.~.~.

Kyle straightened up, stretching backwards and slinging his hoe over his shoulder when he heard the light sound of giggling behind him. He turned around, spotting his young children, Aria and Aaron, running towards him—his wife, Dorothy, chasing after them frantically.

"Daddy!" Aria shouted with glee, launching herself at him and attaching herself around his waist. Aaron did something similar around his leg, and the combination nearly knocked him over.

"Woah! Hi there, kiddos, what are you two up to?" He laughed, ruffling Aria's hair with his free hand.

"We were playing with Mommy, but we want to play with you too!" Aaron said, beaming up at him.

"Yeah, play with us, Daddy! Play with us!" Aria chimed in, letting go to jump up and down in front of him. "Please please please! It'll be lots of fun!"

Kyle chuckled, smiling down at his children. "Sounds like fun, but I'm working right now—hi, honey," he replied, greeting her as Dorothy finally caught up, breathing heavily.

"Aria, Aaron! Your father is working now, don't bother him…" she scolded breathlessly, to which the twins responded with a collective groan.

"But—!"

"No buts! Come on, you two," Dorothy rebuked, but the twins stayed put, turning back to their father.

"Please Daddy, we wanna play with you!" Aaron protested, but Kyle shook his head.

"Listen to your mother. I promise I can play with you when I'm done," he said, and the twins nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"Alright, as long as you promise!" Aria yelled and quickly ran back to her mother, Aaron hot on her heels. Kyle watched with an amused chuckle as she grabbed their hands and practically dragged them back into the house against their will, saying something about them helping her clean.

"Dorothy sure has changed, hasn't she?" Kyle spun around to find Douglas walking up the path with a smile on his face, headed for the shipping box. "She sure handles those kids well."

"You think?" Kyle mused, resuming his work. Douglas nodded, although he didn't see it.

"You know what she used to be like. She used to be so shy she could barely get a word out before stuttering to a stop or getting scared and running away. But she just told those kids off and dragged them away no problem."

Kyle paused for a second, glancing back at the house where he was sure he heard something crash and clatter and the sound of the twins shouting and giggling. "You're right. She has gotten a lot more confident than she used to be." He smiled, thinking back. The shy, timid Dorothy was the woman he had fallen in love with and married, but he thought he liked this version of her too.

.~.~.~.~.

A/N: …Well, it fits the theme, anyway. XD I'm not sure how I feel about it, honestly, but here it is! This is my contest entry for Rune Haven's February contest, the theme being "reminiscence." Obviously, it was all very last minute, lol. I wish it could have been longer than what it is, but I honestly had no ideas, and I wanted to participate, so. :P Thank you for reading~

If you're interested, there are links and more information about the contest on my profile. Once voting opens March 3rd (it ends the night of March 10th, midnight EST), feel free to drop by to read the entries and cast your vote!