Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jenna
“This is the one, Lucas,” I said.
“Babe, we haven’t even seen the rest of it yet.”
“I know. But I can’t explain it. This is where we are meant to raise our children.”
“Well, let’s take a look around first.” He kissed the side of my head.
“How many bedrooms does this home have?” I asked the realtor.
“Eight bedrooms and ten bathrooms. So, after you have that baby, you’ll have plenty of room for more children.”
“We aren’t having any more children,” I said. “I’m pregnant with twins.”
“Oh my. Congratulations to you both. Well, you’ll have plenty of rooms for house guests.”
I fell in love with the entire house. From the gray-colored walls, the beautiful oak flooring, and the newly remodeled kitchen with custom white cabinets, Italian marble countertops, and a stunning backsplash.
“The home hasn’t been lived in for over two years. The couple that lived here passed away a couple of years ago, and their children had the place completely remodeled. It is turnkey ready, as you can see. All you have to do is move your furniture in.”
“May I ask how the previous owners passed away?”
“Jenna,” Lucas whispered.
“What? That’s important. I don’t want to be living here if they died in this house.”
“Unfortunately, they were killed in a boating accident in the Caribbean. They were on vacation, and a storm hit while they were sailing.”
“Oh no. That’s so sad,” I said.
“Yes. It was a tragedy. They raised their three children in this home and still lived here even when the children grew up and moved away. It’s an excellent area, and they were very happy here.”
“And it’s very close to my office.”
“We’ll take it,” I said. “We’d like to make an offer.”
“Excellent. Mr. Thorne, your thoughts?”
“You heard my wife. Let’s make an offer and make this place our new home.”
“I have one quick question. Why is the piano still here?” I asked.
“The sellers are leaving it as an option. If you don’t want it, they will remove it.”
“No. I want it,” I said.
“What? Why?” Lucas asked.
“Because I play the piano and think our children might like it too.”
“And why have I never known this about you?” His brow raised.
“I don’t know. I guess I never thought about it. You would have known if you had a piano when we first met.” I smirked.
“I guess the piano is staying,” he told the realtor.
Are you okay?” I asked Lucas as I hooked my arm around him when he walked out of the room at the doctor’s office.
“Just dandy, babe. Just dandy.”
“You’ll be fine as long as you follow the doctor’s instructions.”
“I just want to get home and lay down.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of time to rest. My parents are taking Scarlett for a couple days.”
“Sounds good. I just want you to know I hate you.” He took in a sharp breath.
“Aw. That makes me feel so much better now that we hate each other.” I reached up and kissed his cheek.
He shot me a look, and I let out a snicker.
The moment we got home, he reclined back in the living room recliner while I grabbed an ice pack from the freezer.
“Here’s your ice pack. I also brought you some Motrin.”
“It hurts really bad, Jenna.”
“Yeah. I can't sympathize with you until you’ve experienced labor pains and pushed a 7lb 10 oz human out of your hole. Not to mention the fact that I may be pushing out two humans from my vagina or having my stomach cut open to deliver them.”
“Fine. You win.”
I smiled and kissed his lips.
“Take your Motrin like a good boy, and I’ll make you a sandwich.”
One Month Later
Lucas
I had made a full recovery, and I was back in action.
I really had no right to complain after what Jenna went through and will be going through with the twins, but damn, did it hurt.
Yesterday was moving day, and we couldn’t wait to be fully settled in our new home.
We had hired Jimmy and Wes to repaint Scarlett’s and the twin’s rooms. We kept Scarlett’s room the same color as in the penthouse, and we painted the twin’s room a light gray with all-white furniture.
One crib was decorated with pink bedding, and the other was decorated with blue.
We wanted to make sure we were prepared early, just in case.
Scarlett was up the entire night. Even when we brought her to bed with us, she wouldn’t sleep.
Jenna said it was because her mind was too stimulated by the move.
As I said, I loved having a daughter who was a genius, but it sure as hell was utterly exhausting at times.
She wouldn’t let us put her down and wanted nothing to do with her toys.
Jenna was upstairs trying to organize things while I walked around the house with Scarlett as she continued to cry.
“Maybe this was a bad idea. The penthouse hasn’t sold yet. Let’s just move back there,” I said.
Jenna thought that was hysterical, and she couldn’t stop laughing.
“What is wrong with you? She’ll get used to it. Here, let me take her.”
She took Scarlett over to the piano and set her on her lap. Jenna started to play a classical piece, and immediately, Scarlett stopped crying.
“You are amazing,” I said as I sat on the bench beside her.
“Thanks. My parents forced me to start playing when I turned two. But I didn’t mind. I liked it.”
“Scarlett seems to like it too.”
“I have an idea. Go get her booster seat. It’s in the closet off the kitchen.”
I got up, went to the closet, grabbed her seat, and set it next to Jenna. She set Scarlett in the seat, buckled her in, and got up from the bench, pushing it closer so Scarlett could reach the keys. She started hitting them with her tiny hands and laughed.
“Phew.” I sighed as I hooked my arm around Jenna and placed my hand on her large belly. “The babies seem very active today.” I smiled at her.
“Tell me about it. They’ve been kicking all morning.
Six Weeks Later
Jenna
“Well, Jenna. I’m sorry to say that Baby A has turned herself back around the wrong way. You’re going to need a c-section.”
“I guess she’s a stubborn little girl like her mother.” Lucas smirked, and I smacked his chest.
“It happens all the time. I’ll schedule your c-section for next Thursday since you’ll be thirty-seven weeks. So whatever preparations you need to make, make them now. Of course, if you happen to go into labor before then, we’ll take the babies then.”
“Next Thursday is Lucas’s birthday, so I think they can wait.” I smiled at Lucas.
As the week went by, I started to get scared. Come tomorrow, I would have twin babies. Lucas wrapped his arm around me as I lay in bed and softly stroked my belly.
“Soon, we’ll become a family of five,” he said softly kissing my shoulder.
“I know. Who would have thought we’d end up like this when we first met?”
“I’m happy you spilled your drink on me at the club,” he said.
“And I’m happy you called me.” I turned on my back.
“You know what makes me happy?” he asked, stroking my cheek.
“What?”
“That the condom broke, and you screwed up your pills.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.
“I’m scared, Lucas. I’m really scared.”
“Scared of what, babe?”
“That I won’t be able to do it and fail my children.”
“I think every parent feels that way. You are an amazing person and an amazing mother to Scarlett, and you will be just as amazing to Serena and Samuel. I love you more and more every day, and I will be by your side forever.”
Bringing my hand up to his face, I softly stroked it as I stared into his eyes. His lips were mere inches from mine until…
“Holy shit!” I placed my hands on my belly.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think I’m in labor.”
“Shit.” I’ll get dressed and grab your bag.
The pain was unreal and worse than what I had with Scarlett. I climbed out of bed and instantly fell to the floor. Lucas came running over and grabbed my arm.
“Babe, are you okay?”
“I was so looking forward to not experiencing this again.”
“I know, babe.” He helped me up.
“I already called a cab, and it’ll be here in five minutes.”
“What about Thaddeus?”
“He won’t get here in time.”
We took the elevator downstairs so I didn’t have to walk down, and when we stepped out the front door, the cab was waiting for us at the curb. I climbed in the back just as a contraction hit and screamed.
“Where to?” the cab driver asked.
“WHERE DO YOU THINK!” I shouted at him.
“Mount Sinai, please. And if you can really step on it, there will be a very big tip for you.”
“Got it,” he said as he pulled away from the curb and took off.
The guy was a total maniac, and for a second, I forgot about my contractions because I was too busy thinking about how I would die, pregnant with twins, in the back of a cab.
“Fast enough for you?” The cab driver asked with a smile as he pulled up to the emergency room.
“Yes. Thank you,” Lucas said as he handed him some cash.
I could tell he was stressed out. When we entered the ER, I had to stop because I was in pain.
Immediately, I was taken up to the Labor all I wanted to do was hold him and tell him everything would be okay. The pain in my heart was unbearable. I wanted my son and my husband.
I was wheeled to my room, and the nurse who was assigned to me brought me a bottle for Serena.
I’d decided not to breastfeed the twins since my milk supply wasn’t great to begin with, and I had to stop with Scarlett within four months.
I was consumed with fear for my son and couldn’t think about anything else.
Suddenly, Lucas walked into the room and ran over to me.
“He’s fine, Jenna. Samuel is perfectly fine. The nurse said she’ll bring him to the room in a few minutes.”
“Thank God.” I felt as if I could breathe again.
“Hey there, sweetheart.” Lucas smiled as he touched Serena’s cheek.
“Do you want to hold her and finish feeding her?”
“I would love to.”
As soon as I handed her over to him, the nurse brought me my son. The moment she put him in my arms, I started to sob.
“Here’s his bottle.” The nurse smiled at me as she patted my arm.
“He looks just like you,” I said to Lucas.
“You think so?” He grinned.
“He has your lips and nose. And your forehead. I can already foresee him being a little heartbreaker.”
The corners of his mouth curved upward as he stared at me.
“What?” I smiled.
“Thank you.”
“For?”
“For giving me the best birthday gifts of my life.”
My parents brought Scarlett up the next morning to meet her brother and sister. I wouldn’t lie and say that Lucas and I weren’t a little worried. Her entire world was changing, and we weren’t sure how she would handle it.