“It’s a boy!” Dr. Tulio exclaims, holding up the first baby. “You have a son!”
“And a girl!” Miranda adds, cradling the second. “A beautiful baby girl!”
Twins.
I had twins. One boy and one girl.
The room spins around me. I hear Caelian’s voice, though his and everyone else’s sound miles away. His hands are on my face, smoothing back my hair and pressing joyful kisses to my brow, my cheeks, and lips.
But I can’t even respond. I can’t do anything as everything gets fuzzy. The intensity of the labor and delivering the babies back to back becomes too much.
“Nevi? Nevaeh!” Caelian says on a note of panic. My head’s lolled onto my shoulder and he cups my face to lift it back up. “Nevaeh, stay with me?—”
I black out without even truly registering that I have.
I wake cradled in warmth. Clean sheets, a fresh nightgown, the familiar comfort of our bed pillows. For a moment I’m disoriented, my body aching in places I didn’t know could ache.
I rub at my eyes and let my gaze travel our large and quiet bedroom.
…until my gaze is drawn to the far corner where the softest little snuffling sound reaches my ears.
Caelian sits in the armchair by the window lit by morning light. In each of his arms he cradles a tiny baby. They’re so small against his broad chest, wrapped in warm blankets. One in blue, one in pink.
He’s gazing down at them with an expression I’ve only seen cross his face when staring at me.
It’s pure, undiluted love. He’s looking at our babies as if he can’t believe they’re real.
My heart swells so full it hurts.
“Can I hold our babies now?” I ask almost teasingly.
His head snaps up, relief relaxing his features even more. “Nevi, you’re awake. You scared me when you passed out. Tulio and the doula insisted you were fine. You just needed some rest… but I’ve been here waiting.We’vebeen here waiting.”
“Sorry about that,” I say with a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips. “Apparently giving birth to twins is exhausting.”
He stands, stepping toward the bed with both newborns in his arms, carrying them like the precious cargo they are.
“They’ve been impatiently waiting to meet their mommy. Probably tired of looking at this big scary man for so long.”
I laugh as he leans down, pressing a tender kiss to my brow. Then, with more care and gentleness, he places both babies on my chest, skin to skin.
The moment they settle so naturally against me, tears immediately gloss my eyes. My soul feels complete in a way it never has before.
My babies. Our babies.
They’re so tiny, so delicate. I can feel their warmth, their weight, the rapid flutter of their heartbeats. All this time, Icarried them both inside me—protected them, nourished them, loved them before I ever saw their faces.
Now they’re here. They’re real and ours forever.
The tears break free and roll down my face as I study each of them.
The boy has Caelian’s thick brown hair already. The girl is nearly bald with only tiny fuzz on her scalp, but her features are so round and beautiful.
Both have their eyes closed, tiny fists curled against my skin.
“I’m so proud of you,” Caelian says, sitting on the edge of the bed. His hand comes to rest on my thigh. “You were so strong today, mia bella. But you need to take it easy now. The birth took a lot out of you.”
“Probably has a lot to do with the fact that I had to deliver two babies instead of one,” I point out with a weak laugh. “When exactly were they planning to tell us there were two in there?”
