Epilogue 2
Two weeks later
“They look like two little calves,” Guillermo says, watching me breastfeed the second twin.
“Moooo . . .” Valentina immediately mimics, and we both burst into laughter.
My eldest daughter is at an age where we have to be careful about what we say if we don’t want to be embarrassed. She’s smart and pays close attention to everything she hears.
“Oops, looks like we have another little calf here. A princess calf—how is that possible?” he jokes, lifting her into his arms.
“The most beautiful calf for mommy,” I add, and she smiles as if she’s just won a big prize.
We’ve spoken with the pediatrician and read a lot about how to help her adapt so she learns to share our attention with her younger sisters. I absolutely don’t want my little girl to think I love her even a millimeter less because of the twins’ arrival.
Despite all our efforts to reassure her of how loved she is, she’s been needy lately.
When Gabriella and Alejandra finish nursing and I put them in the crib, Nina immediately comes to my lap.
Raised as an only child, I never experienced sharing my mother’s attention with another sibling, but Guillermo did.
It’s the daily details that make us realize she fears losing her place in our hearts. Every time I’m free, she brings her dearest doll to play or her favorite book for me to tell her stories. That’s why we’ve decided, in addition to the two nurses helping initially, to hire two nannies as well.
I want daily alone time with Nina. Playing, bathing, feeding . . . Genuine mother-daughter moments.
Another thing the pediatrician suggested which helps a lot is involving her when we’re taking care of the twins, assigning her small tasks like fetching a pacifier or a box of wet wipes. She always seems so pleased when I say I need her help.
I look at my husband, who is currently lifting her in the air.
“My God, I think I’m seeing a bird with its chick right here in my room,” I joke, and she smiles but corrects me:
“A fairy, Mommy.”
“Ah, of course. How could I forget fairies fly? And who’s that handsome dark-haired man holding you?”
“My slave.”
Guillermo nearly stumbles when she says that, and I suppress a laugh.
Yes, we really have to be careful about what we say around her.
We finally manage to be alone.
The house feels strangely silent with the babies sleeping in the bed, as well as Nina, whose usually endless energy seems to have run out.
Something funny about the twins is that they act in sync: if one starts crying, the other follows suit. I never thought I could multitask, but life is teaching me that when needed, we can juggle, quite literally, three things at once. Or four, in this case, because I can’t neglect my handsome CEO.
I look at the three little ones.
Guillermo is adjusting their blankets, checking the pillows, glancing at the baby monitor, simply because that’s who he is.
After finishing, he stands still by the bedside, completely unaware of how much this scene means to me.
Suddenly, he turns around. “What’s wrong?”
I shake my head from side to side, unable to speak.
He comes closer. “Hey, what’s the matter, my love?”
“You are my everything, Guillermo. You, Nina, Alejandra, and Gabriella are the air in my lungs.”
“I’m the lucky one in this story, little firecracker.”
“Will you ever stop calling me that?” I smile.
“Why would I? You’re my little firecracker.”
“Well, in the end, the grumpy CEO fell for the clumsy waitress.”
“That would make an excellent title for one of those romance novels you love, don’t you think? CEO falls for the clumsy girl. But truth be told, what drove me crazy was seeing your gorgeous butt shaking to that Latin beat.”
I burst into laughter. “And when I dropped the pots? You looked like you were about to devour me right then.”
“Being clumsy is part of your charm, baby.” He picks me up, walking out of the room. As we exit, we cross paths with one of the nurses who will take our place, watching over the twins.
We descend the stairs, and he leads me to the library, seating me on his desk and taking the chair opposite.
No words are needed for me to know what he’s thinking. His eyes fixed on my chest say it all. He’s been restraining himself, respecting the days the doctor told us to wait, but once or twice, he’s opened my blouse and played with my breasts.
Thinking about it makes my nipples harden. “I miss you so much. I’m counting the days until I can have you inside me again.”
His eyes darken, and he pulls me towards him, giving me a kiss that could reverse Earth’s rotation. “You’re a tease, Mrs. Caldwell-Oviedo.”
“Only with you, husband.”