Safe haven | Rick Grimes

081. YOU WERE RIGHT, I SHOULDN'T HAVE COME

Chapter eighty one

"You were right, I shouldn't have come."

A year and a half had passed since the end of the war, bringing beautiful new beginnings to their lives. Judith was now a vibrant two-year-old, and in that time, Scarlett and Rick had welcomed twins—a baby girl and a boy. Honoring Carl's final wishes, they named the girl Caroline after him, and the boy Daryl after his godfather. The twins were already a year old now.

Scarlett sat happily on the front porch surrounded by all three children. Caroline clutched a plush bunny close to her chest, while little Daryl happily played with a wooden horse that Judith used to love. Through the double doors of the house, Rick stood quietly, watching them with a warm smile.

"It was very drippy before," Judith pointed out, holding up her paintbrush and looking at her work.

"That's okay, little duck," Scarlett reassured her gently.

"It's a... I'm going to make it into a heart," Judith declared, focusing intently on the paper.

"You can make it whatever you want. This is all yours," Scarlett told her.

Judith frowned slightly at the page. "It's dripping from the heart."

"Yeah. You know why?" Scarlett asked, leaning in close.

"Why?"

"Because that's how much we love you, your sister, your brother, and your daddy," Scarlett shared softly. She leaned over and began peppering Judith's face with kisses, making the little girl dissolve into bright, bubbly giggles.

"Mommy!" Judith squealed, laughing.

"All right, all right," Scarlett chuckled, pulling back to look at the other pages. "Tell me who's in this one. You drew you and Carl in that first one, so who's this?"

"That's our house. And Aunt Maggie. And the King. And all our friends," Judith explained, pointing to the colorful shapes.

"Yeah, I see that. Especially him," Scarlett shared, tapping a particularly round, scribbled figure meant to be Rick. She let out a laugh.

"Who is that grumpy face?" Rick asked, finally stepping through the doors and out onto the porch.

Judith and Scarlett both looked up at him. "Oh, I thought it was obvious," Scarlett teased.

"You get a grumpy little face," Judith informed her dad solemnly.

"I'm doing a grumpy face?" Rick asked, raising his brows playfully.

Scarlett smirked, nudging her daughter. "Little duck, give him the look you showed me earlier."

Judith tried her absolute best to glare at her father, but it came out as a hilariously adorable scowl. Scarlett chuckled, brushing a stray hair out of Judith's face.

Turning her attention back to the painting, Judith dragged her brush across the paper again. "And there's going to be his big tummy. And then there's baby sister and baby brother."

Scarlett burst out laughing again, holding onto the twins.

"That's Daddy's big tummy?" Rick countered with an amused grin, walking over to join his family on the porch steps.

A little later, the family headed out together for a walk through the open fields just beyond the community gates. The afternoon sun warmed the grass as they moved together at a relaxed, easy pace. Scarlett carried Judith cradled securely in her arms, while Rick walked beside her, carefully balancing both babg Caroline and baby Daryl on either hip.