Everyone’s attention shifted to me, all eyes on my belly.
“All the time,” I confirmed. “You can touch my stomach if you want to.”
He glanced at Tia and then his father before placing his palm against my abdomen. One of the babies moved right then.
“Oh, wow.” His hand remained there, waiting for another movement.
I smiled. “That’s how I know they’re healthy.”
“They?” Tia asked, giving me a look.
“I’m having twins.”
Tia’s face went blank.
Santo pulled his hand back. “I was a twin.” His expression grew serious. “My sister died during childbirth, along with my mother.”
The revelation stunned me. My eyes found Aris’s face. His protectiveness, his fears, and need to control things all made more sense now.
Tia finally spoke. “Do you know what you’re having?”
“You’re going to have a brother and a sister,” I said. “The doctor says they’re doing well.”
She said nothing.
The silence stretched too long. I couldn’t leave it like this.
“Tia, I need to tell you something.” My eyes flicked to Aris. “About me and your father—”
“Don’t.” Tia held up her hand. “I don’t want to hear it right now, Mom.”
“But you need to know—”
“Chrysanthos, you and Tia should begin getting ready, yes.”
Santo’s eyes moved between his father and me. “Come on, aggelé mou.” He guided Tia toward the door.
When they were gone, Aris turned to me. “You do not drop this on her when she is already upset.”
“I thought this was what you wanted?” My voice rose.
“It is, yes, but now it is not the time.” He looked at his watch. “I need to shower. We have appointment with doctor soon, yes?”
He moved toward the door, but I caught his arm. “Aris.”
He stopped, looking down at where my hand gripped his grease-stained forearm. “I’m trying.”
“I know this, yes.” His hand covered mine briefly before entering the house.
Aris stood by my side as the shadowy images of our babies showed up on the screen. It was my 32-week checkup, and we were both relieved to hear everything was progressing perfectly.
“Your glucose levels look great. Right on target,” Dr. Bedi said, frowning slightly as she checked my chart. “But I’m concerned about your blood pressure. It’s been consistently elevated over the last few visits.”
I didn’t need to look at Aris to know what he was thinking. All this hiding and pretending I was doing to protect my relationship with Tia was physically stressing me out and putting me and the twins at risk.
“What can I do?”
Aris’s hand found mine, his grip firm. I could feel the tension radiating off him.
