FAMILY PORTRAIT

FAMILY PORTRAIT
Hayden's Pov

Michelle had been talking about getting family photos taken for weeks. Professional ones. The kind that families put on their walls and in Christmas cards.

"We need good photos of the four of us," Michelle said. "Not just phone pictures. Real portraits."

"Okay," I agreed. "Let's do it."

We found a photographer named Rebecca who specialized in family photos. She had a studio downtown with natural light and simple backgrounds.

"I want the photos to feel real," Michelle told Rebecca. "Not stiff or posed. Just us being a family."

"I can do that," Rebecca said. "My style is very natural. I'll just follow you around and capture moments as they happen."

The day of the photo shoot Michelle spent an hour getting the twins ready. She dressed them in matching outfits. Cream colored sweaters and little jeans. They looked adorable.

"What should I wear?" I asked.

"Something nice but comfortable," Michelle said. "We're going for casual family vibes."

I put on a blue button down shirt and khakis. Michelle wore a white dress. Simple but beautiful.

When we got to the studio Rebecca greeted us with a smile. "Everyone looks great. Let's start with some family shots all together."

She had us sit on a couch. Michelle held Hope. I held James. Rebecca snapped photos while talking to us.

"Tell me how you two met."

"At a party," I said. "I saw her across the room and knew I had to talk to her."

"That's sweet," Rebecca said. Click click click.

"What do you love most about each other?"

"His strength," Michelle said looking at me. "He never gave up on us. Even when things were impossible."

"Her courage," I said. "She's the bravest person I know."

Click click click.

"Now play with the kids," Rebecca said. "Just do whatever you normally do."

We got down on the floor with Hope and James. Built blocks. Read books. Tickled them until they giggled. Rebecca moved around us capturing it all.

"These are going to be beautiful," Rebecca said. "You can really see the love in this family."

She took individual photos of each twin. Hope sitting in a little chair looking serious. James laughing at something off camera.

Then she took photos of just Michelle and me. "Stand close. Look at each other. Think about your wedding day."

I pulled Michelle close and looked into her eyes. Remembered our small wedding. Just us and a few friends. So different from her first wedding to my father. This one was real. Based on love not manipulation.

"Perfect," Rebecca said. "The way you two look at each other is magical."

After an hour we were done. Rebecca said the photos would be ready in two weeks.

"I can't wait to see them," Michelle said on the drive home. "I bet they turned out amazing."

Two weeks later Rebecca sent us a link to view the photos online. Michelle and I sat on the couch with the laptop and clicked through them.

The first photo was all four of us on the couch. Hope and James were looking at the camera. Michelle and I were looking at them with so much love on our faces.

"Oh," Michelle said. Her voice cracked. "We look like a real family."

"We are a real family," I said.

The next photos showed us playing with the twins. Laughing. Having fun. Being ourselves.

"Look at Hope's face in this one," Michelle said. "She's so happy."

"They're all happy," I said. "We're all happy."

There were beautiful individual shots of the twins. Close ups of their faces. Their little hands. Their tiny feet.

And then there were the photos of just Michelle and me. Looking at each other. Holding each other. Completely in love.

"I want to frame this one," Michelle said pointing to a photo where we were looking at each other and smiling. "And put it in the living room."

"Let's frame several," I said. "Put them all over the house. So we never forget this."

"Forget what?" Michelle asked.

"How far we've come," I said. "How much we survived. How lucky we are to have this."

Michelle started crying. Happy tears. "Look at us Hayden. Two years ago we were running for our lives. And now look at us. We have a home. Beautiful children. A future."

"I know," I said. I was crying too. "We did it. We actually did it."

We ordered prints of twenty different photos. Some for us. Some for Clara and Ted. Some for my mother Beatrice.

When the prints arrived Michelle hung them throughout the house. In the living room. The hallway. The twins' bedroom. Everywhere you looked there were photos of our family.

"This makes the house feel complete," Michelle said. "Like we really live here. Like this is really our life."

"It is our life," I said. "This is real. We're safe. We're happy. We're together."

One night I was walking through the house and stopped to look at all the photos. Really look at them. Not just glancing but studying them.

In every photo we looked happy. The twins looked loved. Michelle looked at peace. And I looked content in a way I never had before.

"What are you doing?" Michelle asked. She had come up behind me.

"Looking at us," I said. "At our family. At everything we built."

"And?" Michelle asked.

"And I'm grateful," I said. "For all of it. Even the hard parts. Because they led us here."

"Me too," Michelle said. She put her arm around my waist. "I wouldn't change anything. Well maybe I'd skip the part where you got stabbed."

I laughed. "Yeah that part was not fun."

We stood there looking at the photos for a long time. Remembering everything we went through. Everything we survived.

"Our kids are going to look at these photos someday," Michelle said. "And they're going to see a family that loved each other. A family that fought for each other."

"That's exactly what they'll see," I agreed. "Because that's exactly what we are."

"I never thought I'd have this," Michelle said quietly. "A real family. A home. Love that doesn't hurt."

"You deserve it," I said. "You deserve all of it."

"So do you," Michelle said. "We both deserve happiness."

I pulled her close and kissed her. "Thank you for not giving up. For staying with me through all of it."

"Thank you for fighting for us," Michelle said. "For protecting us. For loving us."