We drive north on Interstate 5, headed into Washington State, caravanning with my parents. Emily and Caleb both arrived yesterday and are already at the campsite waiting for us. I steer our rented SUV across the Columbia River.

"Wow, those ships are huge! How do they fit in the river?" Taehyung asks.

"Uh, it's a big river?" I answer, laughing. From the backseat, almost-four-year-old Sol says, "Big ribber!" and giggles. I glance in the rearview mirror and eye-smile at him, then check on Gyeo-wool, who is snoozing in her car seat, her tiny bread cheeks flushed pink.

Taehyung turns around from the passenger seat and sings, "It's a big, big river!" Sol sings the same words, but with a different melody. Then his daddy sings a more complicated melody, and Sol responds with his own new variation. It's one of their favorite games. 

I smile fondly and shake my head. "You guys are amazing, you know that?" Tae grins at me and warbles a very complicated arpeggio, and Sol tries to match him. I sing it, too, as we head north out of Vancouver, Washington.

"This is so fun." He puts his hand on my shoulder. "We should move here and do this all the time." 

I glance over at him and grin. "Well, I'd be fine with that. We'll have to talk to Hybe." I wink.

_____________________________________

We get the tents set up, and then gather around the campfire. Taehyung picks up Caleb's guitar and starts to strum some chords as Emily and I throw more wood onto the fire, stoking the flames so that we can cook lunch. Caleb is just ambling back from the shower block, picking his way through our mini-village of tents, the sunshine glinting off of his sun-bleached hair. Emily reports that her twin slept in really late despite the early-morning car alarm racket from a nearby campsite.

Mom is cuddling Sol while Dad has a deep philosophical discussion with baby Gyeo-wool. Tae plays the opening bars of Boundless Love, and our eyes meet across the fire. We start to sing the duet off his second solo album, our voices twining together. Mom and Emily join in on the chorus, which is all in English, as I hunker down to set a Dutch oven full of chicken and root veggies among the coals.

After lunch, my parents and Emily make a run into the nearest town to buy shampoo and supplies for s'mores. The rest of us just relax around the campsite. I'm feeding Gyeo-wool while Sol races around sampling pine needles, chasing rabbits, and watching birds flit through the underbrush. Caleb shows Taehyung how to play a twelve-bar blues progression on the guitar.

I am bouncing the baby gently in time to the strumming and enjoying the sunshine on my bare legs when I notice Sol taking off. I tell Tae, "여보, 당신의 아들이 호수를 향해 달려가고 있습니다." He leaps up, shoves the guitar into Caleb's hands, and takes off at a sprint. Caleb looks around confused and asks, "What on Earth did you say, sis?"

"I told him that his son is running toward the lake." Hearing that, my river-guide brother jumps up, too, and whips around to make sure that Sol is OK. Sol and Tae are holding hands and wading into the lake together. "They're fine, Cabe, don't worry!" I say, smiling at him and using his childhood nickname.

He relaxes and sits back down on the log that serves as a bench. "You know, I wasn't sure what to expect from your superstar husband. You guys had that rough patch a while back, and I sort of wrote him off, but then you got back together." He shrugs wryly. "And we didn't get to spend much time together at the wedding. I thought he might be, you know, an obnoxious asshole or too good for us or something, but he's really chill. I like him a lot!"

I grin. "He's amazingly humble for someone so famous, right? All the BTS members are like that, actually. I don't know how they keep their heads on straight and their feet on the ground, but they do. I'm glad you like him, Caleb."

"Yeah, if you guys lived anywhere near me, I think we would be homies!" 

I laugh and nod. "I bet Tae would like that, too. And he paints, did you know? You guys could have painting parties."

"Really? I would love to see his work," Caleb says, looking at me like I should produce some canvases out of my back pocket to show him.

"Well, when they're done swimming, he probably has pics of some on his phone. I'm sure he'd be happy to show you, and see some of your work." Caleb nods and starts strumming Brahms' Lullaby on the guitar; I glance down and see that the baby is sleeping soundly now, her little rosebud mouth gaping open.

Suddenly he stops strumming. "Just one thing, sis. Why does he call you 'Buddy'?"

I look over at him, confused for a second. "Oh, no, it's Birdie. Short for my working name, Songbird. But the 'r' is almost silent in Korean." I laugh.

______________________________________

Later in the afternoon, I try to oh-so-quietly unzip the tent flap so I can grab my swimsuit and flip flops from my backpack. Inside, Tae is sleeping hard on his back, Sol lying sprawled face down on his daddy's chest, Tae's right arm hugging him close, and Gyeo-wool tucked into the crook of his left arm, wrapped up in her baby snuggy. My heart clenches and I withdraw my head, looking around the campsite. I make eye contact with my dad and use make-shift sign language to ask him for my phone, which is on the picnic table, so I can take a picture. He brings the phone over and peeks into the tent, too, then almost melts from the cuteness.

I quietly take a few shots, gaze at my snoozing family for a long moment, and snag my suit and shoes.

"Mama, Em, look what's happening in my tent right now!" I say quietly, showing them the photos and grinning. They ooh and aah softly over the sweetness, before Emily and I walk up to the shower block to change into our bathing suits.

We head out toward the island in the middle of the lake, careful to keep to the roped-off area so that no maniacs on speed boats or jet skis can run over us. Long plants growing up from the bottom of the lake brush past our legs as we swim, giving me a little jolt of adrenaline each time. I laugh and tell Em, "I always think the Loch Ness Monster is about to get me when one of these weeds snags my foot!"

She grins and nods. "You never know. You think it's just a weed, and then POW! A plesiosaurus has you in its jaws!" I giggle and splash water at her.

We haul ourselves out on a little sandy beach. I absent-mindedly sift sand through my fingers, letting the sun and a slight breeze dry me, as Emily weaves together chunks of reed she plucks from the water's edge. Across the lake, I can see Caleb and Dad starting to prep food for dinner while mom sits in a lounge chair reading, a giant hat and some sunglasses protecting her from the glare off the water.

"Tae and the kiddos must still be napping," I remark, smiling.

She squints across the water and nods, then turns to study me. "It's good to see you so happy, sis. I was really angry with him when he ran off to the army and left you to have Sol alone. I wasn't sure if I should forgive him! But I feel much better seeing you guys together."

I clear my throat. "Well, you know, I actually was the one who ran away. It's not really fair to blame him for that! We both made some unfortunate choices, but in the end, I think they were necessary mistakes..."

Emily searches my face again. "Hmm... If you say so. I have to confess, it's hard to stay mad at him when he so obviously adores you and the babies."

I grin at her. "Of course he does! How could he help himself, when we're so adorable?" I ask, and we both laugh. Our conversation drifts away to the merits of the guzheng versus the gayageum, the Rugby World Cup, climate policy, and a debate about whether ham salad should have dill pickles mixed into it or not.

___________________________________

A bit later, I sit at the picnic table giving Gyeo-wool some milk while Caleb and Dad cut tomatoes, pickles, and onions for burgers. Caleb's phone rings and he excuses himself to go talk to his girlfriend.

Dad looks over at me from under his eyebrows. "Your men-folk are still sleeping, hm?" he asks.

"Yeah, and I feel like I could join them," I say, smiling. "Jetlag is a bitch, you know?"

He laughs. "Circadian rhythms. Who needs them?" He neatly stacks the pickles in a spiral pattern, and I can't help thinking that Tae will approve of the presentation. "I have to tell you, I wasn't sure that you were making a good life-choice when you decided to marry Taehyung after that whole incident." He waves his paring knife vaguely in the air, and I smile. "I'm reserving judgment for now, but I will say that he seems like a good husband and father, and a very decent person. I am relieved!"

I chuckle. "Well, yeah, he's a lovely person. I wouldn't marry an asshole, you know, Dad."

He raises his eyebrows at me. "Sometimes people do, though, honey. They just get carried away by hormones or whatever and wind up marrying assholes." We both laugh and the baby starts to sputter, so I prop her up on my shoulder to burp her.

That evening, as the sun goes down between the tall trees, we gather at the picnic table for dinner. We polish off a big plate of campfire cheeseburgers, green salad, and Caleb's world-famous (or so he claims) Dutch oven potatoes au gratin, chatting and laughing together.

After dinner, Caleb and I take turns playing the guitar for a family campfire sing-along, and I will tell you that we all sound so good that other campers pause on the gravel road next to our campsite to listen for a while before continuing up to the restrooms. Taehyung's voice still sends warm shivers down my spine, and I beam over at him by the light of the fire.

Dad decides that it's an absolute crime that Sol has reached the advanced age of three (almost four) without ever having a s'mores, and insists on roasting a marshmallow for him and squishing it between two graham cracker halves, along with a couple of squares of milk chocolate. I wince, both because I know that we're going to have to hose a bunch of sugar off of the kiddo before we put him in his sleeping bag, and also because I'm afraid he'll be too hyperactive to sleep. But of course, it's practically a law in the US that kids have to eat s'mores when families go camping, so I bite my tongue. About 10 seconds after Dad hands him his treat, I look over at Sol and see that he is coated in sticky sugar all over his face, hands, arms, and legs, and a layer of dirt and pine needles is stuck to the sugar. I snort with laughter and tell Tae in Korean, "Babe, look at your kid!"

His eyes go crescent shaped as he laughs heartily. "He looks like a piece of chicken ready to get fried!" he tells me, guffawing.

I giggle and shake my head. "Galli balli bo for who has to wash him up?" I ask. For once I win, and Tae waits until Sol has chomped down the last bit of his graham cracker, then takes him up to the shower block for a rinse-off.

Once they're back, and Taehyung has settled Sol into his little sleeping bag in the tent, he motions for me to hand him the guitar. He smiles sweetly at me and begins to strum a gentle tune. I cock my head and smile, trying to identify it. In a slow, meditative style, he begins to sing, "Is it wrong to be so much in love with a girl, that you can't tell her voice from the spinning of the world?" 

"Oh my god, when did you arrange that, yeobo?" I ask him, beaming. 

"I want to record it for your birthday, but I can't wait," he says in English. "This is the world premiere!" 

My whole family makes "awwwww!" sounds as Taehyung whisper-sings the first verse. "I'm gone, I can fly, like a comet on the sky..."

When he finishes the song, everyone claps and I lean over to give him a kiss. "That was so beautiful, love. Thank you!" 

_______________________________

It's midnight now, and the rest of the family has gone to bed, but Tae and I are too jetlagged to sleep yet so we're sitting side-by-side on a log, staring at the campfire. Sol doesn't seem to have any problem adjusting; he's sleeping soundly, worn out from travel, excitement, and lots of swimming. Gyeo-wool woke up hungry a little while ago; I feed her while her dad and I chat quietly in Korean.

"Birdie, this is so nice. I love this! And your family is amazing. So welcoming and fun!"

I chuckle. "Both of the twins and my dad took me aside at different points today and told me that they weren't sure about me marrying you before, but now they really like you." I look over and smile fondly at him. "Didn't take you long to charm them, yeobo!"

Taehyung eye-smiles. "It's good to spend time with Emily again, and I really like your parents and Caleb, too. They're all so kind and lovely."

"Yes, I expect mom to tell me tomorrow how much she likes you now, too." I grin as I watch sparks fly up into the darkness.

"It's only fair, considering that my mom loves you more than her actual kids," he says, laughing. I shake my head and roll my eyes. "You know, I've never done real tent camping before, but I like it. It's more comfortable than I thought!" he says. "We should do this when we get home, too."

I nod. "That would be fun! Maybe we could get some of your bros to come along." I gently pull my nursing bra closed, since Gyeo-wool has fallen back asleep.

He smiles at the sleeping baby and then looks at me and winks. "We should get Yoongi-hyung and Jin-hyung and have them do the cooking, so you can just relax and enjoy it!"

I giggle. "You would use your hyungs as personal chefs? Oh, that's cold, love!"

"They like camping! I'm pretty sure..." We both laugh.

"Maybe if there's a lake, like this place, so Jin-shi can make Yoongi-shi go fishing," I say, chuckling. The baby twitches suddenly in her sleep but doesn't wake up. I swaddle her securely in her little snuggy. "I'm going to go put her in the travel crib, love. I'll be right back," I tell him quietly.

"Oh, let me!" he says, reaching out to take her. 

I notice Tae scanning the campsite as he walks back to the fire. I raise my eyebrows at him, and he grins at me. "What are you looking for? Bears?" I ask, chuckling.

"No..." He bites his lip at me. "I was just thinking that we haven't made love in a forest in a long time! But there are so many people around here. And we might wake the kids up if we did it in our tent."

I blush and shake my head. "There's a good chance we would wake up my whole family if we did it in our tent." I laugh softly. "We're never as quiet as we think we are!"

He does his boxy laugh. "Maybe we just need more practice!" he says, running his tongue out the corner of his mouth. He brushes a thumb across my cheekbone, and then leans in to kiss me. 

I smile as our lips crash together. "You're such a bad man, my love," I tell him, turning on the log to face him and burying my hands in his fluffy hair. Half of his face is bathed in the flickering yellow light of the fire, while the other half is in shadow. His beauty still takes my breath away after all these years. I close my eyes and sigh happily, pulling him closer and kissing him again. His hands sneak between my padded flannel shirt and my t-shirt, and wrap around my waist.

Our kissing grows more urgent, and Taehyung is starting to quietly groan into my mouth, his hands now cupping my breasts. "I need you, sweet girl," he whispers. "Where can we go?" 

I run my hand up his thigh, and say, "Why don't we walk up the road, away from the campsites, and then go into the forest a bit?" 

We walk through the still woods hand in hand, humming Boundless Love in harmony and laughing softly. "We don't have any condoms. Are you going to get pregnant again, like last time, Birdie?" he asks.

I scoff. "Feels like I was just pregnant a minute ago, so I hope not! You make it sound like I decide whether I should get pregnant each time we have sex." I chuckle and nudge him with my shoulder.

He laughs.

"If I do get pregnant this time, it had damn well better be twins. The next one needs to be a one-and-done pregnancy!" 

Tae laughs even harder. "Your mom is a twin, too, right?" I nod. "Two babies at once. That would be so amazing! Birdie, you should decide to be pregnant with twins."

I snort. "They didn't teach you guys any biology at that fancy performing arts high school in Seoul, did they?" I tease. We both laugh.

"We'll name the babies Forest and Lake," he declares. 

I laugh out loud. "Pine tree, Winter, Forest, and Lake. Our kids will have the most hippie names in the history of baby names." We both crack up, and then he squeezes my hand and starts to pull me toward the tree line.

"This is far enough away, right?" he asks. 

"I think so, as long as we don't really scream," I giggle, my pulse quickening. "It would be so embarrassing if the sheriff showed up!"

I slip off my flip flops and stand on top of them as Tae unbuttons my pants and eases them and my underwear down. His mouth devours the side of my neck, and then our tongues are softly flicking together. I unzip his pants, and he reaches down to pull his erection out through the front opening of his underwear. "Stealth penis mode, activated!" he whispers, and we both laugh.

I kick my pants off and he picks me up. "Birdie is this shirt thick enough? Can I put your back on the tree?"

"I think so, babe. Let's try." I hook my feet together behind his ass, feeling his hard dick rubbing against the inside of my thigh. He presses me against the trunk of a cedar tree, panting in anticipation, and I moan as he pushes into me.

"Oh, oh, fuck. Oh fuck, you feel so good!" he groans. I tilt my head back against the tree bark and rock myself forward to meet him, whimpering with pleasure, inhaling the rich cedar smell. The rest of the dark, silent world seems to be holding its breath.

Taehyung thrusts slow and hard, his head thrown back. I can see his jaw clenching, his beautiful lips pulled up in an ecstatic snarl, and the force of him drives the breath out of my lungs. I hook my arms under his, my hands balled into fists, my nails digging into the palms of my hands as my legs start to quiver around him. He pulls almost all the way out and then slides all the way back in, sending sparks shooting up my spine as he hits my cervix. I close my eyes so I can focus on how amazing it feels as he plunges into me, grunting quietly with each impact.

"Please, pleasepleaseplease, please!" I whisper. He begins to move a little faster, and a little faster, and a little faster. I press my scalp back onto the tree trunk and bite down on my lips, muffled moans escaping from me as he accelerates, and then we're both jolting and gasping, fireworks exploding behind my closed eyelids. I inhale shakily and collapse onto his chest, as he pants into my hair.

"Uh, fuck, that was amazing!" he says, breathing hard. I straighten up and smile at him, lounging back on the tree again as I catch my breath. He exhales a few times, grinning at me, and then leans in to kiss the side of my neck. 

I shiver and smile softly. "So far, this is the best camping trip ever, love!" I say, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "I love you so much, Kim Taehyung. I love you the most in the whole wide world, although your kids are pretty cool, too."

Taehyung laughs. "I love you and your kids the best in the world, too, Birdie. You are my universe."

I laugh harder. "I think that's a Coldplay song," I giggle as he pulls out of me and gently sets me down.

He presses his body up against me, sandwiching me against the tree, and smiling down at me. "I wish we could stay here for a few minutes and go again, but I guess we should go check on our babies..."

I wrap my arms around his waist and squeeze. "Yeah, we should probably be responsible parents." I sigh, and pull his face down for one more sweet kiss, my toes digging into the forest floor.

The campsite is silent and both of the kids are sleeping soundly when we get back. We zip the tent flap closed again and I raise my eyebrows at Tae, then nod my head toward the shower block. 

He bites his lip and raises one eyebrow at me, then hums quietly in agreement.

Luckily for us, nobody else comes in as we enjoy a second round in the shower stall.

_______________________________________

Three days later, Mom and I are standing in my parents' kitchen in Oregon. Tae is sitting at the table, making funny faces at the baby, while Sol runs around like a little maniac.

"Kim Sol, watch where you're going, buddy!" I scold as he rockets around the room, chasing my mom's new puppy. He ignores me. In my strict mama voice, I sing, "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sooooool," and my son stops to look at me. "Thank you, bub. Watch where you're going, OK? Don't run in here. You can go run out in the back yard with the puppy, if you can't go slowly."

Sol nods and gives me a heart-melting boxy smile, then proceeds to race around the room some more. Taehyung laughs as our son trips on the kitchen mat and sits down suddenly. "Gwancheonah, little man?" he asks. "Are you OK?" Sol nods and says, "Gwancheoneyo, appa," before he jumps up again to sprint into the living room.

I shake my head fondly and remark to my mom, "I'm sure that we were never so stubborn or hyper. That must be from the Kim side of the family." Tae rewards me with a throaty chuckle.

My mom laughs and gives me a side hug, watching Tae as he dandles Gyeo-wool on his knee. He is cooing to her in Korean: "Do you want to run, my little winter girl? Soon you'll be running with your brother!" She waves her tiny arms, beaming into her daddy's face and gurgling in agreement. I always think that she looks like a Disney character, with my narrower face shape but her daddy's huge brown eyes. Mom catches me tilting my head and smiling at them.

"You have such a beautiful family, honey," she says. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Yes, the kiddos are lucky that they take after their beautiful daddy," I reply, laughing.

Tae looks up and says to my mom in English, "Their mother is more beautiful. I can't wait until she is your age and still beautiful, like you, eomanim."

I look at my husband quizzically, and ask in Korean, "You are impatient for me to be older? What do you mean?"

"No," he responds in English. "I mean, I want us to grow older together and I will see your beauty every day, like your parents." He switches into Korean, "Anticipating, but not impatient."

I eye-smile at him and blow him a kiss. "OK, that makes sense. I'm looking forward to that too, sweet man," I reply.

My mom chimes in, "That came out a little strange in English, but it was a very nice compliment to me. Thank you, Taehyung."

Tae flashes her a boxy grin and bows his head slightly, then stands up to fly Gyeo-wool around the room. "She looks like a blue parrot, would you come fly to me!" he sings. The baby giggles in her tiny voice. Out in the living room, I can hear my dad starting to read Sol's favorite English language book, and I picture them snuggled together on the sofa.

I smile at my mom, and say, "You know, I do think that we have done well."

Mom raises her eyebrows meaningfully but smiles back. "I was worried for a while there, but you two are making it work." She gives me another quick hug, and then walks over to hug Taehyung and the baby, too. He is surprised by the gesture, but quickly pulls her in for a long hug with his free arm, aiming a delighted smile at me over her head.

"Yes, we're going to be just fine," I respond, looking straight into Taehyung's eyes. "We're going to live happily ever after."