Epilogue
OLIVIA
“ H oly crap, holy crap, holy crap!”
“Breathe, Olivia, just breathe! We’re almost there!” Dax shouts from behind the wheel.
I’m in the back seat, sweating and crying through another round of contractions while holding Leo’s hand so tight I’m pretty sure I heard his knuckles crack. He hasn’t complained at all, though, bless his heart.
Beck is riding shotgun while on the phone with Dr. Kravitz. “The contractions are eight minutes apart, Doc. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“What did she say?” I manage, finally able to breathe for a moment.
Dax is driving like a crazed maniac through Ember Ridge.
Lucky for us, it’s Saturday afternoon, and the streets aren’t as busy.
Carlos is right in front of us in his squad car, siren blaring and lights flashing, like all hell is about to break loose upon the good people of this town. Chloe’s in the car with him.
“Dr. Kravitz is just about there,” Beck assures me, giving me a worried look. “She’ll arrive before us, for sure. Just breathe, baby, breathe.”
Everything is strange and scary, every contraction, every bead of sweat, every sensation.
I’ve been told first-time mothers experience a plethora of emotions as they go through labor, but dammit, I’m hanging on by a thread here.
The only comfort I have is that Dax, Leo, and Beck are right here with me, ready to go scorched-earth on anyone or anything that gets in our way of a safe and timely delivery.
We pushed it to the limit with the wedding plans and took a risk in getting married three weeks before I was due, knowing twins often come early.
I look down at my ruined wedding dress and groan as another contraction hits.
We were just about to say our vows in front of the pastor when my water broke. It’s been nothing short of a whirlwind since the entire hall heard the swoosh and my scream as I experienced my first contraction.
“I can’t believe they decided they wanted to enter the world right in the middle of our wedding,” I mumble.
“Take it as a sign of good luck,” Leo chuckles softly, then gently removes my pearly tiara and the long veil attached to it.
“You’re not going to need these in the delivery room, my love, but you can wear them again after we get the little munchkins out.
” He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. “I love you so much, Olivia.”
“I love you too,” I whisper, blinking back tears .
“The service started out beautifully,” Dax says just before a sharp turn to the left. It jostles everybody in the SUV, and for a moment, I lose sight of Leo as he slips under my dress—layer upon layer of fine satin and organza with gorgeous embroidery patterns of pearl and gold thread.
“You paid a fortune for this dress, and I didn’t even get to say, ‘I do,’” I moan as another wave of contractions work their way through my core.
“You still look incredible, even now,” Beck tries to comfort me with a soft smile. “You’ll wear it again, honey. We’ll have it cleaned and refitted. It’ll be great, I promise.”
Leo pops back out from under the sea of white, blinking a few times to regain his focus before giving me his hand again. I hear him grunt as I take it and squeeze. “Chloe and Carlos are just ahead, you can see them, right?”
“Yeah, I can. OH SWEET JESUS MARY AND FUCKING JOSEPH!” I scream.
This one cuts through me like a red-hot blade, as if I’m about to spill all of my entrails out. Leo supports my grip like the superman that he is, while Beck breathes in and out with me.
“Just like we learned in Lamaze class,” he says.
“We’re almost there, honey,” Dax reassures me.
He sneaks a quick peek at me in the rearview mirror, then immediately switches his focus back on the road, determined to get us all safely to the hospital. Up ahead, I see Carlos’s squad car racing, the lights flashing.
It brings more tears to my eyes, knowing that I’ve got such incredible friends to support me through what is arguably one of life’s major events .
“I see them,” I say in between breaths.
The breathing helps, so I keep doing it as I ride the wave of contractions and pulverize the bones in Leo’s hand. I give him an apologetic look.
“I’m hurting you, aren’t I? I’m so sorry,” I tell him.
“It’s okay, baby, I switched hands,” he chuckles and shows me his right hand.
I can see the hospital ER, its doors open, nurses waiting for us with a mobile gurney. Carlos hits the brakes so hard, I can hear them skidding across the asphalt as puffs of smoke burst from the back wheels.
Chloe jumps out of Carlos’s car first.
“Okay, we’re here,” Dax announces.
“I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” I say as Beck and Leo gently help me out of the car.
“You think so?” Dax chuckles as he joins us on the sidewalk.
At the same time, the nurses rush over with the gurney, Chloe giggling while she takes out her phone to photograph every second of this miracle.
“Smile, mommy-to-be,” she says as she snaps a few candid shots from a couple feet away.
“I am the luckiest girl in the world,” I say again.
“You totally are,” Chloe agrees, snapping more photos.
Dax plants a kiss on my temple. “We’re the lucky ones, baby. We’re definitely the lucky ones.”
They’re perfect.
I’m exhausted and can barely keep my eyes open, but I can still see them, swaddled and cleaned up, sleeping right next to my bed.
“My God, they are works of art,” Dax sighs as he can’t take his eyes off them.
It’s his turn to fawn. Beck hogged our twins for the better part of the last ten minutes. Leo called first dibs and is sitting beside me now, smiling with pure content as he caresses my temples.
“A boy and a girl,” I say, my voice weak and a little raspy from all the screaming. “At least we won’t have any issues telling them apart.”
“And we don’t have to bother with matching outfits,” Dax chuckles.
“Honestly, as cute as the idea sounds, I wasn’t really into it, anyway,” I reply with a tired smile.
“They look happy,” Dax adds, beaming with pride and endless love as he looks at me. “And you look gorgeous, Olivia.”
“Gorgeous,” I chuckle. “Not the word I would’ve chosen, but I’ll take it.”
“Motherhood suits you,” Leo says and kisses my forehead. “You handled it like a champ, baby.”
“I did, didn’t I?”
“Even Dr. Kravitz was astonished,” Beck quips. “She was particularly amazed by the diversity of all the profanities you used during the final minutes of your labor.”
“I thought I heard her say something about colorful language,” I giggle.
“Actually, she said that what was coming out of your mouth would’ve made dockworkers blush like teenage girls,” Beck corrects me.
We all laugh.
I glance over at my babies again. Our son is wrapped in pale blue, his tiny hands tucked beneath his chin, his perfect little nose pointed up to the ceiling. Our daughter moves her lips and frowns ever so slightly, a pink burrito with a tuft of black hair on the top of her little round head.
Tears trickle from the corners of my eyes again. “They’re so beautiful.”
“And they came so fast,” Dax says, eager to lighten the mood even more. “Carlos contemplated giving them a speeding ticket.”
I laugh and ask, “Are Carlos and Chloe still out in the waiting room?” A deep sleep threatens to embrace me and pull me into the depths of my subconscious, but I want to stay awake for a little while longer. I want to spend a few more minutes with my men, with our babies, and with our dear friends.
“Do you really think Chloe would have left?” Beck asks.
“No,” I shake my head. “She’d camp out here all night, if they let her.”
“Exactly,” Dax agrees.
“Anabelle and Anthony,” I say their names out loud as I look at my children .
“Fitting for mini royals,” Dax replies. “Welcome to the world, Anabelle and Anthony. It’s a twisted, difficult, but wonderful place.”
I hope to God they get to experience only the best parts of it. I also know that the four of us will work hard to make sure they have all the tools they need to survive and push through anything that life throws at them. There will be plenty of curveballs, but we’re a strong family.
We’re survivors.
Most importantly, we’re unstoppable when we’re together.