Chapter 25 Visit
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Layla was sitting up in her hospital bed, wrapped in a soft white robe, her long hair falling in loose waves over her shoulders. Her skin glowed, not just from the gentle hospital lighting but from something deeper—something maternal, radiant, almost ethereal. Despite the exhaustion and chaos of giving birth to twins less than 24 hours ago, she looked like a queen on her throne, cradling two tiny, peacefully sleeping girls in her arms.
Jasper couldn’t stop staring. “How do you look this good after literally creating two humans?”
She smiled. “It’s called adrenaline, lip balm, and the fact that I’m in love.”
Before he could swoon like a Victorian man with weak knees, a knock came at the door.
“Grandpa Gregory is here,” said the nurse, peeking in with a smile.
The door opened and in walked Grandpa Gregory, upright and proud as always, followed by a glowing Alya and Elias holding a huge bouquet and a plush bunny that was easily bigger than one of the twins.
Gregory’s eyes landed on Layla first… then the babies… then back to Layla.
“My dear,” he said, voice a little shaky. “You look like a vision.”
Layla blushed softly. “You’re too kind.”
He stepped closer, his hand gently brushing one of the twins' tiny cheeks. “And these angels… are truly miracles.”
Alya gasped when she saw the girls. “They’re real! They’re really real! I thought Jasper was just sending baby stock photos!”
“They’re here,” Jasper grinned proudly. “And Layla did all the work. I just fainted twice and got told to shut up seven times.”
Elias grinned. “Sounds about right.”
Layla glanced toward Alya, her eyes twinkling. “Want to hold one?”
Alya looked terrified. “What if I drop her?!”
“You won’t. You’ve held Jasper’s ego before,” Layla teased.
Everyone laughed, including Grandpa Gregory who was already wiping his eyes.
As Alya carefully cradled Aurora and Elias took Liana in his arms like she was the most precious gem in the universe, Gregory sat down beside Layla.
“I knew,” he whispered, “that you would be the heart of this family.”
Layla’s eyes glistened. “Thank you. For believing in us. Even when it was all... complicated.”
Gregory gave her a knowing look. “I still think something was fishy at first. But now? It doesn’t matter. Because what I see before me is real love, real family… and two new reasons to live longer than the doctor predicted.”
Jasper came to sit beside Layla, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leaning his head against hers.
“Welcome to the circus,” he whispered, “Population: all of us.”
The room was filled with warmth, laughter, and the soft breathing of two new lives. And as Layla looked around—her chosen family, her new daughters, and the man she never expected to fall for—she knew one thing with perfect clarity:
This was home.
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