CHAPTER 13 | And babies make four .
CHAPTER 13
And babies make four ...
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“I don’t want to point out the obvious,” CeCe said from her perch in the hospital bed. The nurse had just taken the twins from the room for naptime, leaving Mommy and Daddy alone with only their thoughts and the reassuring beeps of the heart rate monitor.
“And what’s that?” Evan asked, swiping her blonde hair back from her face. His fingers trailed down until he reached her shoulders. Giving a gentle squeeze, Evan leveled his blue gaze on his wife. Scratch that, on his amazing, life-giving wife. Evan was in pure awe of CeCe. Not that that was out of the norm ...
CeCe took the plastic cup of ice chips off the side table and chomped for a moment. The sound of crunching made Evan hungry. “Those babies are as perfect as I knew they would be. Heads full of blond hair, adorable chubby cheeks. Little Charlie has your nose, and sweet Eva has my ears.”
Evan lowered the armrest on the bed, climbing up to sit next to CeCe. Carefully, he tucked her to his side and kissed her temple. “Thank you,” he whispered.
CeCe was incredulous. “For what? Struggling through ten hours of premature labor?”
“Well, yeah. But thank you for being you, for loving me, and for giving me the family I’ve always wanted.”
CeCe’s eyes brimmed with tears, but she blinked them away. She tried to tell her hormones to knock it off, but they wouldn’t listen. “Not too bad for a geriatric pregnancy, huh?” She quipped, referring to the medical diagnosis that had nearly floored her. The Lawson’s road to baby was long and winding, filled with painful moments that shook them to the core. However, it had also brought them where they were now, so no one was complaining. Rather, they were simply happy to be as fortunate as they were.
Evan chided, “Come on, babe. There is nothing geriatric about what I see.” He reached down and took her hand, squeezing it firm until she reciprocated. His wife was a few years older, and Evan knew she blamed herself for the bumpy ride to pregnancy, but he wouldn’t let her wallow. They were a team, and he’d share the weight of responsibility.
“Yeah, yeah. Forgive me if I don’t believe you.” She waggled her free hand, jostling the wires connected to the heart monitor. “This feels like something an old person needs.”
“For the love of Pete,” Mallory said from the doorway. She carried in a tray from the cafeteria, including herbal tea for CeCe and coffee for Evan. “Beckett and I were going to go, but not if I need to knock some sense into you.”
Evan beamed at his sister. “Mal, you continue to impress me.”
Beckett helped Mallory put the tray down before taking her hand and pulling her close. “She’s the best.”
CeCe scanned the tray and frowned. “Surely what I just did warrants a shot of something stronger than green tea?”
Mallory scoffed. “Nice try, Momma. I’ll be the first one to pour you a shot when the time comes, which should be in about six months when you’re done breastfeeding.”
“Boo!” CeCe chanted, flopping her head back on her pillow. “But I’m in agony.”
Evan pulled free of her grasp and jumped to his feet. “I’ll get a nurse. How bad is the pain?” He frantically ran over to the wall where a helpful guide was tacked. It had ten smiley faces in a rainbow of colors and pain levels. “Are you a ten? Babe, are you a ten?” He stabbed the poster with his index finger, crinkling the paper.
Mallory snorted and shook with laughter. “Ev, don’t ever change.” She shrugged on her coat and gestured toward the door. “Beckett and I will leave you to it.”
“Congratulations, Lawless,” Beckett said, clapping his best friend on the back. “They’re beautiful.”
Evan flushed with pride. “Thanks, Foxy. They are, aren’t they?”
CeCe rolled her eyes playfully. “Do I at least get an honorable mention?”
Mallory strode over and kissed CeCe on the forehead. “They are stunning, and you’re one impressive Momma. You managed to eat an entire Christmas dinner while in labor. If that doesn’t set those two up for success, nothing will.”
“Hey, I’m a chef. Food is kind of my thing.” She winked. Just as Mallory turned to go, CeCe reached out and took her hand. “Thank you, for everything. I know I’m not the best patient, but we’re okay because of you.”
Mallory blinked away the praise. “Anytime.” On her way out, she hugged her brother and whispered, “You can get her something to eat if she gets hungry. Just don’t let her go crazy.”
“Love you, Mal.”
“Love you more, Ev. Text when you need us.”
Beckett waved, closing the door behind them with a quiet snick.
Evan nestled back onto the bed with CeCe in his arms. He wasn’t in the most comfortable position, but he was hardly about to keep space between him and his wife. “Two little Christmas miracles.” He sighed.
CeCe rested her head on his shoulder. “We did good.”
“We did great.”
They lay like that for an hour, staring into space and listening to the faint tune of Christmas carols piped through the hospital’s hallway speakers. One of the nurses interrupted their quiet time as she rolled in the twins.
Charlie’s blue hat was already loose, showing a puff of blond hair like his father’s. Eva’s cheeks were as rosy as the bow in her blonde curls, her cheeks plumped in a smile. “She’s already smiling, look, babe.” Evan held Eva up to CeCe.
The nurse muttered, “That might be gas,” but no one heard her.
“Mrs. Lawson, did you want to try breastfeeding?” the other nurse asked.
CeCe sat up, adjusting her pillows. “No better time than the present.”
Evan stepped back with Eva while Charlie got settled with CeCe. His lip trembled at the sight: the woman he loved more than life with the two people he would die for. These little wonders had already captured his heart, and he couldn’t stand the level of happiness surging through him.
Once the nurses left and the babies were fed, Evan sat next to CeCe with Charlie, his tiny head resting on Evan’s shoulder. “You doing okay?” he asked as CeCe’s eyes drooped with fatigue.
“I’m perfect,” she hummed, patting Eva’s back until she let out the cutest belch either had ever heard. “Thank you,” CeCe said, eyes fluttering closed.
“For what?”
“For asking me out ten years ago, for marrying me, for starting a bakery together, for staying by my side during all the IVF treatments, and for all the bottles you’re going to be making in the very near future.” Her lips quirked.
Evan adjusted Charlie so he could reach out for CeCe’s hand. Being mindful of the wires, he held her hand and hoped she could sense how happy he was; how much joy radiated out of every pore.
“I would say anytime, but I think two children will be plenty.”
“Agreed.”
As she dozed, CeCe hummed along with the tune of Silent Night . Evan closed his own eyes, falling into the moment and reveling that his family—his life—was complete. He’d gotten everything and more for Christmas this year, and he knew he was the luckiest man in Buckeye Falls.