Laying eyes on Neal's smile, it was beyond the bounds of possibilty that Emma could hold back her own. He was flawlessly happy being with her, and that was something she had never experienced with any other man.
Every now and then Neal would look up at her to blow a kiss or wink her way. It was something he did to restore her confidence; to remind her that he would never abandon her again.
Two little boys occupied the swings; one of Neal's hands on each of their backs.
Henry was on the left. His hair had grown out quite a bit, matching the length of Neal's. Emma's heart melted at the sight of their messy hair, and she knew Henry thought it was strange that unlike Regina, Emma would never ask him to fix it.
He was becoming a teenager sooner than she had anticipated. It all started with how upset he had been when Paige grew taller than him. Then it was the way he had begun talking about Paige; more than usual. He would run Emma and Neal through every little conversation they had, whether it had any meaning or not. And as of lately, Henry's voiced had gotten a little deeper, something Henry himself hadn't noticed, but Emma and Neal certainly had.
But he still liked the swings, he still liked hanging out with his parents, and he still enjoyed having a little brother.
Nolan sat on the other swing, and he was the happiest two year old Emma had ever seen. Blonde strands of hair flew in front of his face as Neal pushed his swing. His chesnut eyes matched his brother's and his father's, and Emma adored it. His smile was definitely hers, and the way he furrowed his eyebrows when he was unhappy was something he had inherited from her, too.
Seeing her three boys together was a sight for sore eyes.
With his arm draped around Henry's shoulders, and Nolan on his hip, Neal headed over to the bench where Emma was seated.
She played with the ring positioned on her forth finger from the left as she watched them approach her. This was something she wanted forever.
"Hey, boys. How were the swings? They looked pretty fun from over here," Emma smiled.
"Oh, you know it, babe," Neal responded, kissing her on the forehead.
"Hey Noley," She cooed, cupping Nolan's face in her hands. She took the little boy, positioning him on her hip.
A giggle escaped him, and although she didn't think so, Neal thought it was as contagious as hers.
"Henry, it's your pick for lunch. And now that the barrier is broken, you can choose anything you want," Emma told him, ruffling his hair.
"I love Cinnabon, but you know I'll always pick Granny's," He smiled, leading them away from the beach and straight to Main Street.
"Cinnabon isn't even lunch food," Neal laughed.
Henry and Neal walked ahead, engaging in conversation that Emma could barely hear. It was something about Paige, she knew.
She followed not too far behind, slowly spinning the ring on her finger, her throughts trailing off.
She was snapped back to realilty when Nolan's little hand grabbed her finger, spinning the ring himself. She watched his face, noticing an expression she'd never seen before. It was almost like he was hypnotized.
Suddenly, he looked up to her with big brown eyes, grinning.
"What is it?" Emma asked, stopping in her tracks.
"You, me, Daddy, and brother.." He paused, taking a deep breath. "We be happy forever and ever."
Emma smiled, knowing it wasn't just an innocent statement he was making.
"How do you know that?" She asked, stroking his head.
"Because I saw it," He replied.
He saw it? He saw it.
Emma's eyes grew wide when she realized what Nolan meant.
Magic. Her baby had used magic. She had never seen Henry use it, or Neal. Only she had done it, and now Nolan had done it, too.
All magic comes with a price, something Emma had memorized by heart. And for a moment she found herself panic striken. But knowing their family, they would train this kid to use his magic for good. With the help of her parents, Neal, and Henry, she knew this kid would learn to use his powers right.
She kissed Nolan on the forhead, squeezing him a little bit tighter.
Emma was a thousand percent certain that she would grow old with Neal. She was in love with him, and that was as simple as that. She was going to give him everything that she had, and nothing less.
He was hers forever, and she was his always.