“Tulio said one was always hidden in the ultrasounds. So it was never picked up.”
“Which one of you was in hiding?” I coo softly to them. Our baby girl blows out a gurgling breath and resettles against my chest. I laugh again. “I guess we have our answer.”
“Idohave twins in my bloodline,” Caelian admits. “My great-grandmother had twin boys. So did my uncle Vincenzo’s wife. I should’ve thought...”
“I guess I should’ve thought when my belly ballooned as big as it did.”
“But they’re here now, and they’re perfect.”
I gently stroke their soft heads, marveling at how delicate they are. They snuggle into my warmth and the softness of my breasts. A fierce protective streak like nothing before surges through me.
I guess I finally understand what other women mean when they call themselves a Mama Bear…
“We haven’t named them yet,” I murmur.
Caelian thinks for a moment. “How about we each pick our favorite from the list? I choose the boy’s name, you choose the girl’s?”
“Deal.” I study our daughter, thinking through the long list of names we discussed over the past few months. “Siena. I love Siena.”
“Beautiful,” he says. He reaches out to touch our son’s tiny hand, his thumb the size of his whole hand. Our boy’s tiny fingers curl around it as if already recognizing his father’s touch. “Ravello. Ravi for short.”
“Siena and Ravello,” I repeat with a slow smile. “I love it.”
Caelian shoots me a grin, gently caressing Siena’s head next. “You realize the three of us are now named after Italian hillsides? Me, Ravi, and Siena.”
“Seems fitting. I’m sure they’ll grow up to be tall giants like you. Ravi will probably be your twin and Siena will be an Amazon. A family of mountains.”
He leans in and softly kisses me on the lips. “Or Siena will be a beautiful little ballerina like her mother.”
“It’s going to be so unbelievable watching them grow, isn’t it? Through the years.”
“Yes. We’ll be here every step of the way loving and protecting them.” He reaches up to stroke my cheek, staring at me as adoringly as he had our babies. “Now you need to rest, Nevi. I’ll watch over all of you.”
I fight to stay awake a little longer, watching as Caelian adjusts his position so he’s lying beside us. His arm comes around me protectively, creating a cocoon of safety and warmth. Our twins sleep peacefully on my chest, their tiny breaths synchronized.
This is what we survived for. What we fought for through the darkness and pain and betrayal.
Not power or revenge. But for our love and our family.
It hasn’t been easy, but it has been worth every minute of suffering.
As sleep finally claims me, I hear Caelian whisper, “My whole world. Right here in my arms.”
I smile to myself and drift off to sleep with our babies.
THIRTY-FOUR
Caelian
Three years later…
I’mdeep in sleep when the door bangs open.
Before I can fully process what’s happening, two small bodies launch themselves onto the bed. The mattress bounces as tiny feet jump up and down, high-pitched voices disrupting the peaceful morning quiet.
“Wake up, Daddy! Wake up!”
I crack one eye open to find Ravi and Siena bouncing beside me like little cannons, their curls wild from sleep, still wearing their pajamas—Ravi in emerald green, Siena in lavender. Their fingers are already sticky with syrup from what I assume was an early breakfast courtesy of Ms. Poitier.
