Chapter 206 Two Hundred & Six

Chapter 206 Two Hundred & Six
EMMA POV

The ultrasound room was quiet except for the sound of the machine.

I was lying on the table, Ryan holding my hand, Grace sitting in the corner eating crackers.

The doctor was moving the ultrasound wand across my belly, looking at the screen.

"Okay," the doctor said, "let me show you your baby."

She moved the wand and pointed to the screen.

"There's the heart," she said. "Everything looks perfect."

"That's beautiful," I said, squeezing Ryan's hand.

The doctor kept moving the wand.

"And there's—" she paused.

My stomach dropped.

"There's another one," she said calmly.

I stared at her. "What?" I said.

"You're having twins," she said, smiling. "Two babies. Both look healthy. Both developing perfectly."

Ryan's hand went to his mouth. "Two?" he said. "Two babies?"

"Two babies," the doctor confirmed. "Congratulations."

I couldn't speak. Twins. I was having twins.

Not one surprise baby. But two surprise babies.

"Are they boys or girls?" Grace asked from the corner, through a mouthful of crackers.

"Let me check," the doctor said, moving the wand.

She looked at the screen for a moment.

"Two boys," she said. "You're having twin boys."

Boys!

I was having twin boys.

I looked at Ryan and he looked like he might faint.

"Daddy!" Grace said excitedly. "We're having two brothers!"

The doctor printed out the ultrasound pictures.

I held them in my hands like they were precious.

Two babies. Two boys.

We drove home in silence.

Ryan kept glancing over at me like he was checking to make sure this was real.

"Are you okay?" he finally asked.

"I don't know," I said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm terrified," he said. "And excited. And terrified."

"That's where I'm at too," I said.

When we got home, I called my mom.

"It's twins," I said without preamble.

"Oh my God," my mom said. "Emma!"

"Twin boys, Mom.

"Oh my God," she said again.

I called Ryan's mom.

Same reaction.

I called my boss. "Twin boys," I said.

"Congratulations," he said. "Can you work on your own now you have to feed for two?”

.

"I have no idea," I said honestly. "But I'm going to try."

“I can assign some of your load to Marcus.”

“Okay. Would think about it.”

That night, Ryan and I lay in bed.

"We're having two babies," he said.

"We're having two babies," I repeated.

"We're not prepared for two babies honey," he said. “Boys!”

"We are absolutely not prepared for two babies," I agreed.

"We're going to have to buy two of everything," he said.

"Everything," I said. "Two cribs. Two car seats. Two of everything."

"This is insane," he said.

"Completely insane," I said.

But I was smiling.

And so was he.

The pregnancy was harder with twins.

I got bigger faster. I was exhausted. My feet hurt constantly. I was working as co-chair while growing two human beings in my body.

It was brutal.

But every time I wanted to complain, I thought about Mia's letters.

About how she was fighting to heal her addiction and control her thoughts. And I realized that growing two babies was nothing compared to that.

Grace was incredible. She talked to the babies constantly.

"Hi, babies," she'd say, patting my belly. "It's your sister. I can't wait to meet you."

By seven months, I was officially done.

"I'm so pregnant," I told Ryan one night.

"You look beautiful," he said.

"I look like a whale," I said. "A very pregnant whale who can barely walk."

"A beautiful whale," he insisted.

At eight months, I went on maternity leave.

My boss was supportive.

"Enjoy this time," he said. "Rest. Prepare. Come back when you're ready."

I spent my final month getting ready.

I washed baby clothes. I set up two cribs. I prepared bottles. I read books about raising twins.

And I waited.

At thirty-seven weeks, I woke up with contractions.

"It's time," I told Ryan.

He sprang into action like it was the most important moment of his life.

Which it was.

The labour was faster this time.

Maybe because my body remembered how to do this. Or maybe because I was having two babies and they were ready to come out.

The hospital was prepared for twins.They had two teams of doctors waiting.

Two nurses. Everything ready for two babies.

Grace was with my mom in the waiting room.

I was in labour with Ryan holding my hand.

"You're doing amazing," he kept saying.

"I'm doing this for real this time," I said. "No panicking. No drama. Just pushing these two babies out. Have got this"

The doctor came in around hour four.

"You're at ten centimetres," she said. "Ready to push."

I pushed.

And I pushed.

And within an hour, the first baby came out screaming.

"It's a boy," the doctor said, holding up my son.

He was perfect. Tiny and handomse.

"Hi, baby," I whispered.

They put him on my chest for a second and then took him to clean him up.

"Okay, Mom," the doctor said. "One more time. Let's get the second baby."

I pushed again.

Harder this time.

More desperate.

I wanted to meet my second son.And then he came.Sliding out into the world. Screaming like his brother.

"Another boy," the doctor said "Congratulations. Twin boys."

They put him on my chest too.

And I was holding both of them.

My two sons. My beautiful twin boys.

"Oh my God," Ryan said, crying. "Oh my God, we have two babies for real."

"We do," I said, crying too.

They took the babies to check them over.

Both were healthy. Both had perfect Apgar scores. Both were perfect.

When they brought them back, they put them both in my arms.

And I held them. My heart felt like it might explode.

Two babies. Two tiny humans that I'd made.

That Ryan and I had made.

Together.

When Grace came to meet her brothers, she was so gentle. She stood by my bed and looked at them like they were the most precious things in the world.

"They're so small," she whispered.

"They are," I said.

"What are their names?" she asked.

"We need to decide that," I said, looking at Ryan.

We'd been too shocked to pick names.

"What do you think their names should be?" Ryan asked Grace.

She thought very hard. "I like Oliver and Liam," she said finally.

Ryan and I looked at each other. "Oliver and Liam," I repeated.

"Yes," Grace said. "Because they're strong names like power rides strong super hero’s.

"Strong boys," Ryan said. "I like it."

So our twin boys became Oliver and Liam.

Ollie and Liam.

The family of five.

That night, after everyone had left and the babies were sleeping, I lay in bed thinking about everything.

About the warehouse. About the trauma.

About the addiction and the family betrayal.

About the long distance and the struggles.

About becoming parents. About growing as a couple.About forgiving Mia. About getting pregnant with surprise twins.

About now having three children with the man I loved.It had been such a long journey.

From darkness to light. From broken to whole.

From alone to a family of five.

Ryan came in with Oliver and Liam for a feeding. I held them and fed them while he sat next to me.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," I said.

"I love our family," he said.

"So do I," I said.

"Remember when you thought you weren't going to survive motherhood?" he asked.

"I remember," I said.

"Look at you now," he said. "You're co-chair of a law firm. You're a mother of three. You're strong and powerful and beautiful."

"We built this," I said. "Together."

"We did," he said.

Grace came in, still not able to sleep because she was excited about her brothers.

"Can I sleep in here?" she asked.

"Of course, baby," I said.

She climbed into bed next to me, careful not to disturb the babies.

And there we were.

Me holding my twin boys.

Grace curled up next to me.

Ryan wrapping his arms around all of us.

Our family.

Complete. Whole. Strong.

I thought about Mia's letters waiting on my nightstand. About the weekly notes of her healing and growth. About how forgiveness had changed both our lives.

I thought about my parents.

About Ryan's mom. About all the people who'd supported us. I thought about the legacy we were building.

Not just surviving. But thriving.

Teaching our children about strength and love and forgiveness. Teaching them that people could change. That love could survive anything.

That families could heal. I looked at my three beautiful children. At the man I loved more than anything.

And I felt complete.

But because we were together.

Because we loved each other.

Because we'd fought for this.

This beautiful, messy, wonderful life.

Oliver made a little sound in his sleep.

Liam grabbed my finger.

Grace smiled up at me.

And Ryan kissed the top of my head.

"I love our family," I whispered.

"I love our family too," Ryan whispered back.

And in that quiet moment, with my babies sleeping and my family wrapped around me, I realized something.

We'd survived the worst.

And we'd come out the other side with everything we'd ever wanted.

Not just survived.

But built something beautiful. Something worth fighting for.

Something worth every struggle.

This.

Our family. Our love. Our life.

That was the real victory. That was everything.

And we were just getting started