Chapter 107

Chapter 107
When they returned to the mansion that evening, the house was eerily quiet.

"What’s going on?" Raven asked. "Where'd everyone go?"

"What's that over there?" Blair pointed to a small bouquet on the table. Attached to it was a note that read, Come to the garden.

Raven’s heart skipped a beat. She followed the note’s instructions, and when she stepped into the garden, her breath caught.

The garden was transformed into a romantic paradise. Twinkling fairy lights adorned the trees, and a path of rose petals led to a small table surrounded by candles.

"Mason did this," Raven whispered, her heart swelling. Suddenly her aching feet had disappeared, the back pain that had hit her while they were in Victoria’s Secret and signalled the end of the trip. Her exhaustion was gone and she was smiling so much her cheeks hurt. She was already close to tears as she took it all in.

Just as she took a step forward, looking for Mason, a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. She grabbed her stomach and cried out, immediately drawing the attention of everyone hiding around the garden to watch Mason finally get his act together. She stumbled backward, reaching for anything to keep her steady, to stop her from falling. She hit something solid behind her in time for her legs to give out on her but she was caught mid-fall by strong, gentle arms.

Mason.

“Something’s wrong,” she sobbed, grabbing onto him as he lay her on the ground.

“It’s okay, baby,” Mason comforted her. “You’re just having the twins-”

“Mason?” Julie whispered.

“What?”

“Her water broke,” Blair began before Julie grabbed her arm.

“That’s not water,” Julie hissed, pulling her phone from her pocket. “She’s bleeding.”

Raven let out a cry as more pain shot through her stomach and into her back.

“Mason, something’s wrong,” she cried, squeezing her eyes shut.

“It’s okay, there’s an ambulance on the way, we’re all right here,” Mason said, his voice catching in his throat on the last word. Suddenly, the fear of proposing seemed so far away.

He had a new fear… losing his family in one moment.

\~~~

Mason paced the room, waiting for news.

Raven had been rushed to surgery as soon as they arrived, leaving Mason alone for what seemed like forever. Every time he looked at the clock on the wall, only 30 seconds had passed, and when he checked his watch to confirm, he found his watch was two minutes behind the clock.

The door opened, but instead of doctors and nurses, it was family and friends. Julie ran straight into his arms, Emily right behind her, Blair clutching to Justin. At first, no one spoke, they just stood quietly together.

“Has anyone come out?” Justin finally broke the silence.

“No, no one’s saying anything. I was barely out of the ambulance when they rushed her passed me. She was unconscious and… and-” Mason shook his head, unable to continue.

“She’s going to be okay, Mason, she wouldn’t allow anything to happen to her babies-”

“What about her, Justin? What if I lose her?”

“You won’t,” Justin said, with such certainty that Mason believed him.

The door opened.

Everyone turned as one.

Walking into the room were two nurses, smiling, each carrying a tiny baby.

“We’re looking for a brand new daddy,” one of them announced.

The baby girl was handed to Mason, and the baby boy to Blair.

Mason couldn’t stop staring at the babies, tears in his eyes and a painful lump in his throat.

“Raven?”

The older nurse stepped forward.

“They’re still working on her. She lost a lot of blood in the ambulance, but she’s done well. The babies are perfect and you have the best doctors working on your wife.”

“Wife,” Mason whispered, staring at his baby daughter. “She was going to be my wife.”

“She is going to be your wife again, Mason,” Blair insisted, her voice shaking.

“She will be, Mason, I promise,” Julie agreed, clinging to Emily.

“No question,” Justin agreed.

Mason took a deep breath and let it out slowly before looking at his cousin.

“Will you still eat the stinky sneakers if you’re wrong?”

“I ain’t wrong, bro, trust me on this one… the stinky shoes are safe in the stinky cupboard.”

Mason leaned down and kissed his daughter's nose, reaching for his son and holding his hand that was too small to wrap around Mason’s little finger.

He couldn't help but smile.

“Just gotta wait for your mama and everything is going to be perfect.”

\~~~

The following day, Raven was awake and demanding her children – and coffee.

Mason walked in with the twins and handed them to her one at a time before sitting beside her and wrapping his arms protectively around the three of them.

For the longest time, they sat in silence and stared at the tiny creatures their love had created.

“Raven… in the garden… everything…” Mason trailed off as their son let off the loudest squeak of wind, leaving them both laughing. His little nose wrinkled as if offended at the smell.

“Yes,” Raven whispered, looking up at him. “I will marry you.”

Mason pulled her into his arms, unable to stop a sob.

“I thought I’d lost you,” he murmured, unable to hold back his fear any longer. “I thought… I don’t know how I would have coped without you. You’re my best friend, the woman I love more than anything in the world – and you gave me the most beautiful gifts… I don’t want to be apart anymore, I want to be with you always.”

“Mason-”

“Let me say it, okay?” Mason interrupted, smiling into her eyes. “Marry me?”

“Yes.”

Mason kissed her lightly and slid the ring onto her finger that he had forgotten was still in his pocket until that very moment.

And, finally, he reached down and kissed his son and daughter on their tiny noses.

“Now I’m happy,” he whispered.

“Me too.”