The past month had been the most heart-filling one for Reyona.
She watched as Allysyn lolled Sophie's bassinet while showing her something in the picture book she had in her hand.
Meanwhile, Junior jiggled the rattle above Lucas to the delight of the baby and the hopping dog.
An inexplicable bliss filled her at the thought that these belonged to her.
These beautiful blessings that had been bestowed upon her when she least expected them were a solid part of her story.
Reyona leaned back in her chair with a big smile on her face as she reached for her drink.
"Rey, you are glowing. I mean, you are literally glowing. You should see your face right now. Hold on."
Toria quickly took a few snaps with her phone before turning the phone around to face Reyona.
Reyona smiled as she looked at the pictures while sipping her mimosa.
Although she couldn't see herself literally glowing as Toria had said, she loved what she saw.
The woman in the picture looked…fulfilled.
Long gone was the anxious, sad-eyed woman who had pretended to be just fine while she was a wreck inside.
Reyona loved how she looked, and she loved the reasons behind that look much more.
She thought back to that hospital ward when she first heard Sophie's cry, then that of Lucas.
Holding them for the first time had been the most precious moment of her life.
Then it was completed by the enraptured look on the face of the man who had held her hands through the pain-wracked session.
Her eyes misted over as she watched tears unashamedly streak down his face as he stared at the beautiful creatures they had made together.
She couldn't forget the ocean of love she had seen in his eyes as he looked into her eyes above the heads of their babies and told her, "Thank you." before taking her lips in the sweetest kiss ever.
Reyona still couldn't believe her next action when she requested that the babies should be laid in the crook of her arms.
And then she prayed for them.
Reyona still had no idea why she had done that.
It had just seemed…right.
The Catholic in Celia had approved anyway, and they all laughed when she said Reyona would have become her mom's instant best friend if she had been alive to see her do what she did.
Then Junior had bounced in after Reyona had been taken care of.
He peeked into the babies' faces in their bassinets and sweetly declared, "They are my babies."
As he promptly launched into how he was going to share everything with them, Allysyn, who had not said anything as she stared at the kids for a long time, slowly moved towards Reyona.
Then she threw her arms around her neck in a warm hug.
Reyona's heart swelled even in her remembrance as she remembered those moments again.
Though Toria had come ready for her Aunt's duty with her camera in place to capture the moment, Reyona knew she would never forget those moments for as long as she lived.
No, not one of them.
Just as she wouldn't forget the ecstasy on her parents' faces when they first set eyes on their grandchildren.
Toria, Celia, Maxwell and Gladys stayed with her during labour.
Carlisle had stayed at the beginning too, but he had been so anxious and turned green at every sound that Reyona made that the nurses had suggested he should stay in the waiting room with the kids and Jane.
His emotion-laden voice when he held Sophie in his arms had been exceptional.
Then when Reyona told him that she would like to give the girl Grams' name, Carlisle swallowed hard and blinked again and again before saying in a thick voice, "She will like that. She will like it a lot. You have done well, daughter. Well done."
Then he had thumped Maxwell on the back.
He was the one who gave her the name Sophie, so her baby girl was christened Sophie Patricia Rohan.
Toria had declared that the boy looked like a Lucas, she even had the meaning of the name ready, a bringer of light. She told them the boy's shimmering hazel eyes made the name fitting.
Added to the chestnut hair? It was just fate.
Maxwell liked the name Aidan.
And that was how they came up with Lucas Aidan Rohan.
Her parents had stayed the whole month after the christening. They had just left the day before.
Right before, Toria, who had left abruptly last week, came back to Kayooma.
The wedding was to be in two months and Reyona was surprised about her sudden return even though she had told them when she was leaving that they were in the middle of an important project.
Toria had simply told her that she couldn't wait to get back to her niece and nephew.
Reyona was glad to have her sister back, but then she felt that something was not right.
She had asked Toria if all was fine because of the forced way she had been engaging in laughter and conversations since she got back.
Toria had simply told her that she was fine.
Just that morning, Reyona casually asked "How are things with you and Andreas?"
Toria had simply stopped in the middle of tossing the ball to Skippy.
That confirmed Reyona's thoughts.
She had spoken about Toria's slightly off behaviour the night before with Maxwell, and he had said she looked fine to him.
When Reyona insisted that something was not fully right, he simply said, "Could be work problems."
"I don't think so."
"Problem with Andreas?" He had said casually while setting up the babies' bassinets close to their bed.
Of course, the kids have their nursery but Reyona couldn't even imagine her babies being that far from her yet, so it had been the bassinets since they got home.
Reyona had snapped her fingers at Maxwell's statement. "That is it. Isn't it?" She had contemplated out loud.
Maxwell looked at her incomprehensibly as he asked, "Err, that is what?"
"She didn't come with the jet!" She said in hushed whispers as Sophie moved in her bed.
Maxwell looked even more confused at that point.
Reyona smiled and got in bed with him as she explained "I mean, you must be right. It must have something to do with Andreas. I don't know why I did not think of that. I mean she didn't come with his jet this time around. That must mean something is up between them, right?"
Maxwell shook his head with a bemused smile as he said. "Or it could mean that she refused the offer and…"
Reyona's gasp stopped him before she said "Do you think they broke up? I thought he was in love with her. And Toria also…you saw it too, right? You also said…"
Maxwell had stopped her spiralling thought as he covered her mouth with his.
Though they had not done the deed since she gave birth because Maxwell had insisted he wanted her fully healed first, they had gotten pretty close that night.
Reyona couldn't wait to ask Toria the next morning, which she did on the walk she had asked her to take with her.
The walk she had deliberately asked for just so she could ask Toria what she thought.
Yet, all Toria had said after a moment of silence was "Not everything is about him."
Though her sister had not confirmed anything, her tone had been enough.
Something was certainly wrong.
So, as she looked at Toria setting the phone aside now while her children's voice mingled with the dog's sound, she decided to try again.
"What happened with Andreas, Toria?" She asked softly as she laid her hand on her sister's arm.
She felt Toria stiffen before she deliberately relaxed again.
She turned to Reyona and, with a smile that looked like what Reyona once had on her face, she said, "You won't let it go, will you?"
Reyona merely smiled.
Toria nodded, and her smile disappeared as she said "He lied to me, Rey. He looked me in the eye and lied to me." She shook her head as she said in a heartfelt tone, "Now, please let it go. He is not important."
Reyona nodded.