Twins.
Two cribs. Two car seats. Two college funds. Two tiny humans who would never know a world where their mother had to fight alone for anything.
I was going to build them the safest nursery known to man. Bulletproof glass. Biometric locks. Henry on permanent rotation.
Chrissy squeezed my hand, reading my mind like always. “Easy, caveman. We’ve got time.”
“Not enough,” I muttered.
Maria handed us a strip of ultrasound photos, four grainy black-and-white images featuring two tiny beans labeled A and B. I stared at them like they were the most valuable thing I’d ever touched.
We walked out in a haze. The waiting room felt too bright now, the love song too cheerful. I kept one arm locked around Chrissy’s waist, the ultrasound strip clutched in my free hand like contraband.
Outside, the February air was crisp, the sky a hard, perfect blue. Fairhope’s downtown bustled with red hearts in shop windows and couples carrying roses. Valentine’s Day. I’d forgotten entirely.
Chrissy stopped on the sidewalk, tilting her face up to mine.
“Hey.” I looked down at her.
“Two babies,” she said, wonder in her voice. “We made two.”
“Yeah.” My throat worked. “You did.”
She rolled her eyes, but they were glassy again.
“We did.”
I cupped her face, thumbs brushing her cheeks.
“You’re okay with this? Two at once? It’s… a lot.”
She laughed softly.
“I’m terrified. And thrilled. And already exhausted thinking about it. But yeah, Ben. I’m okay with it. More than okay.”
I kissed her again, slower this time, right there on the sidewalk like we were the only two people in the world. A guy in a courier uniform whistled as he passed. I didn’t care.
When we broke apart, she grinned.
“You know Henry’s going to lose his mind.”
“Henry’s going to demand hazard pay.”
“And Lucia’s going to start knitting two of everything.”
I exhaled, the reality settling deeper.
“We’ll need a bigger car.”
Chrissy snorted.
“You’re not trading the Camaro.”
“Never the Camaro. But maybe something with four doors and a five-star crash rating.”
She looped her arms around my neck.
“We’ll figure it out. Together.”
