She was so small, yet somehow contained whole universes. It was like he’d handed me a star. Her lashes rested against her cheeks like tiny shadows, her breathing soft and even. I inhaled deeply to take in her scent, new and pure and somehow already essential to my existence. Her forehead against mine felt impossibly soft, as if she were made of clouds rather than flesh and bone. I heard her heartbeat, rapidand steady, and felt her little lungs drawing and expelling air in an easy rhythm.
Mahalo, my heart sang.
Mahalo, my soul echoed.
All my life, I’d struggled with the intensity of my emotions. They were always too much, too strong, too raw. Holding her now, I understood that all of it had been preparation. My capacity for feeling deeply wasn’t a weakness; it was training for loving our children as completely as they deserved.
#
Seri
I snuggled deeper into my throne of pillows, savoring the warmth of my husbands all around me and the sweetness of watching our babies being passed between them like the treasures they were.
“Can we know their names now, beloved?” Koa asked after a moment. “We need to know what to call these precious little souls.”
“Our daughter is Zoya Mahina Cimmerian.” I ran a finger along her velvet cheek. “Serene as moonlight, strength like roots. She is the calm before the storm.”
A single tear slipped down Koa’s cheek as he repeated her name like a prayer.
“It’s beautiful,” Casimir said, his voice rough. “Just like her.”
“Can we call her Zozo?” Zane piped up, and I shook my head.
“Let’s get used to Zoya first. A nickname will come naturally.”
“So Zoybean for now.” Zane raised his hands when Koa growled at him. “What? She’s all curled up like a little bean! Look at her! Very bean-shaped!”
I sighed, knowing this was a losing battle. Our poor babies would have a thousand nicknames from him, one for every mood and minute of the day.
I turned to my other side, my eyes misting at the look on Casimir’s face as he stared down at our son.
“And this is Torin Dane Cimmerian.” I brushed our son’s wispy hair with my fingertips. “Our red-haired thunderbolt. Born fists-first. He is the storm breaking through.”
The name had come to me weeks ago, during a dream where I’d seen a flash of crimson against storm clouds. Something about it had felt right, inevitable, as if he’d chosen his own name and merely whispered it to me while I slept.
“A strong name for a strong boy.” Casimir’s eyelashes were damp.
“Aha!” Zane crowed. “Tornado. Get it? Tor. Nado. Because he came out like one, right?Right?”
My gaze drifted to the throw pillow on Casimir’s armchair across the room. Foster had given it to me at the baby shower, his expression both a warning and challenge. “One Zoodle is enough,” it read in bold embroidery. At the time, I’d laughed, but right now? Right now, I felt that in my soul.
“One day,” Koa was saying, “our children will team up to get revenge for these names you’re trying to saddle them with.”
“They’llthankme,” Zane insisted. “Kids with cool nicknames are always the popular ones. I’m just ensuring their social success.”
Fatigue pulled at me, settling into my bones like lead, but I fought against sleep, unwilling to miss a moment of my family, complete in ways I’d never dared hope for. I committed every detail to memory: The way Torin’s tiny fingers curled around Casimir’s thumb, the protective curve of Koa’s arm around Zoya, the utter softness in Zane’s eyes as he watched them.
I thought of Papa, how he would have adored these babies, how proud he would have been of the family I’d found. I thought of Mama, lost so long ago, and wondered if somewhere, somehow, she knew she had grandchildren now…
I must have dozed off; when I opened my eyes again, dawn was brightening the window that Zane stood near, having obviously just opened the drapes.
“Welcome back.” Casimir’s voice was pitched low to avoid disturbing Zoya, who slept in the crook of his arm.
“How long was I out?”
“Just an hour. Not nearly long enough,” Koa answered, his fingers inspecting Torin’s. “The little ones have been wonderful.”
“We’ve been trading babies like baseball cards.” Zane turned around, wearing his familiar mischievous grin. “Cas actually had a meltdown when Ko got five more minutes with Zoybean.”
