by Imani King
“I knew you’d come around,” she giggled. “Wait until you find out.”
“Find out what?” I sat up, staring at her face, trying to figure out why she was acting so strangely.
“Oh…” She held a hand to her mouth. “It’s supposed to be a secret.”
“Dahlia! Come on, I’m not in the mood for games. Tell me what’s going on.”
She clasped her hands behind her back, feigning innocence.
I groaned. “You’re the worst.”
Suddenly, Braden came running into the room. The second I saw him, relief washed over me. I was a fool to ever send him away. Yes, he made a mistake, but everyone makes mistakes. As I looked into his eyes, I knew he had never meant to hurt me.
He pulled me into a tight embrace. “Adele,” he whispered, choking back his words.
I melted into his warmth. All the pain I felt seemed to vanish now that I was in his arms. This was where I felt safe. This was what it meant to be loved.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I’m sorry. I know it probably doesn’t mean much to you at this point, but I love you. I truly do. With all of my heart. You mean everything to me, Adele.” He held my face in his hands, his thumbs caressing my cheeks. “And I never want to lose you.” He stared into my eyes, forehead to forehead. “I promise never to be dishonest again, I’ll tell you everything from here on out. You have my word. I’ll even give all the money away if you want me to because all that matters is you. I can’t keep living in that ranch by myself. I need you.”
I could tell he was being sincere. I could see it in his eyes. I leaned forward and kissed him ever so softly.
He kissed back, his lips hungry for mine after such a long time apart.
“Ahem.” The doctor cleared his throat, trying to get us to wrap it up, but I just couldn’t pull myself away. At least, not yet.
I locked my hands with his, our fingers laced together. The kiss intensified, expressing the feelings we’d never be able to communicate through words. Slowly, second by second, my shattered world started to piece itself back together.
When we finally pulled away, we were both breathless. I smiled like an idiot. He smiled back. We both laughed.
“You can’t give the money away, that would be insane. We need it for the baby.”
“Then marry me.”
“What?”
“Marry me. That way, the money will be ours. You’ll have as much right to it as I do.”
I chuckled.
“What?”
“You’re cute,” I whispered. “You’ve always been desperate to marry me.”
He smiled sheepishly. “What can I say? You’re the girl of my dreams.” He slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out a tiny black box. “And I’ve been dreaming about this moment for a very long time. I never quite pictured it happening in a hospital room, but better late than never.” He opened the box.
I gasped, seeing the beautiful diamonds sparkling in the light. “It’s beautiful.”
“And it’s yours if you only say yes.” He took my hand in his. “I love you, Adele, and it would be my honor to call you my wife.”
I found myself nodding. It was an instinct. I loved this man.
He smiled, his eyes shining brighter than the ring. He wrapped me in his arms and held me tight. “You’ve just made me the happiest man in the world,” he murmured, kissing the top of my head.
Eventually, he pulled away and slipped the ring onto my finger. It fit perfectly.
Dahlia smiled even wider. Why did I have a feeling she was in on the whole thing? Was this the secret? I couldn’t tell.
“May I proceed? I do have other patients to tend to,” the doctor said, an expressionless look on his face. He didn’t seem to be one for romance.
“Sorry—”
“It’s quite alright. Now, will you lay back for me?”
I nodded, lying down on the bed.
He sat down beside me and lifted my hospital gown, exposing my stomach. He then applied an ample amount of clear gel onto my skin.
I shivered at the coolness of it.
When he turned on the machine, a loud swooshing noise filled the room. It shifted in tone, adjusting to the movements of the wand.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
I nodded once more, squeezing Braden’s hand. My heart was beating a mile a minute. The anticipation was killing me.
At first, I couldn’t understand the images on the screen. It just looked like strange swirls of white on a canvas of gray. “Doctor…?”
“Yes?”
Suddenly, Braden gasped, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head.
“What?”
With a shaking finger, he pointed at the screen. “Is that… two heartbeats? As in two babies? As in twins?” His voice was full of wonder and awe, wavering with the possibility.
The doctor nodded. “Yes. Twins. Both of them completely healthy. It’s still too early to determine their gender, but I can assure you that you’ll have your arms full with these two.”
My heart felt like it was going to explode.
Twins?
My brain could barely wrap around the concept.
“The severe symptoms you experienced are common in the case of twins. I’ll prescribe something that should lessen their intensity and you can be on your way.”
“Wait… Did you say twins?” I blurted out, my mind finally catching up.
He chuckled. “Yes.” He handed me the printout of my ultrasound.
I held the piece of paper in my hands, my fingers shaking. A bright smile erupted on my face. “Braden! Did you hear that? Twins! We’re going to be parents to twins!” I shouted, completely ecstatic.
So, this was the big secret.
Chapter 23
Braden
“Grandfather?” I knocked on the door, feeling a little nervous about entering his bedroom. Even though I was a grown adult, he still brought up a childhood fear in me, even though I would never admit it.
“Come in,” he called, his voice gravelly and lackluster.
I took a deep breath, crossing the threshold. The floorboards squeaked underfoot, making me uneasy.
Inside, my grandfather was sitting in a large chair by the fire. He looked thinner than ever before. His face looked sunken and gray in color.
“You look… well,” I said, feeling lame.
He rolled his eyes. “Quit with the pleasantries, we both know that I look like the living dead.” He adjusted his posture, holding onto the chair with bony fingers. “I rather get to the point. What brings you here? It’s been years, boy.”
“I just wanted to talk to you in person instead of going through your lawyer.”
“I’m surprised. You tend to ignore me as much as possible.”
I frowned. “I’m sorry. I know things haven’t been the best between us, but I don’t want things to end with us hating each other.”
“Neither do I.” He ran his finger along the spine of his book. “I’ve allowed that to happen too many times. I don’t have much time left, Braden—”
“I know, but that’s why I wanted to bring you some good news.” I pulled out an envelope and handed it to him.
“What’s this?”
“Open it.”
He struggled for a moment but eventually managed to break the seal. Carefully, he slipped out the copy of the ultrasound that I had made for him. He slid his glasses onto the bridge of his nose and studied it closely.
I waited.
A smile painted his face as realization dawned on him. “Congratulations…”
I smiled, a proud glow radiating from my skin. “Twins. Both of them healthy.”
“Twins?” he asked, once again looking at the ultrasound.
I laughed. “Yes. Adele, my fiancée, is carrying twins.”
“Do you know their sex yet?”
“Not yet, but we want to keep it a surprise.”
He slowly nodded. “Of course, your mother and fat
her did the same thing when it came to you. I begged your father to find out, but he never did. He was just as stubborn as you are.”
“I think stubbornness just runs in the family.”
He looked into the fire for a moment. “I would like to apologize for my past actions. I’m sure the daughter of a deli-owner will prove a suitable wife for my grandson.”
“I know she will. She’s the girl of my dreams.”
He chuckled. “Don’t get too lost in the clouds, sonny, you might forget how to come back down.”
I laughed. It was the first time in ages that I had enjoyed my grandfather’s company. “Anyway, I should get going. I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to get everything in order for the execution of the will. You’ll get your proof of paternity and everything else you want.”
“Good.”
“And… I want to thank you for the money. But I can’t accept it if there are strings attached. I don’t want to keep jumping through hoops to prove myself to you.”
He shook his head. “There are no strings attached. I just want to give you and your children the money so our family legacy can live on.” He gave my hand a firm squeeze. “I just hope I can live long enough to see my great-grandchildren.”
“You will.”
“We’ll see.” He picked up his book, about to start reading when I stopped him, placing my hand on his arm.
“I want you to come to the wedding.”
“Hmm?” He raised a white eyebrow in my direction. “You’ll have to speak up, my hearing isn’t what it used to be.”
“I want you to come to the wedding. Adele and I are going to get married. I know that she isn’t well-received by the family, but she’s the woman I’m meant to be with and I would be honored if you would give me your blessing,” I said, thinking it was a shot in the dark. I knew there was no chance in hell he would accept.
“I’ll be there.”
“What?” I spat, eyes widening in disbelief.
“I said, I’ll be there, even if Maria has to push me around in a wheelchair.”
I shook my head, imagining the manor’s maid pushing around my cranky grandfather. It would be a sight to behold. “You’d really come?”
“Do you think I would miss the wedding of my only grandson?” He patted me on the back. “Now get going. I’m getting tired and need my afternoon nap.” He prodded me with his cane.
“Alright, alright. I’m going.” I held up my hands in defeat, finally leaving the room.
In the hallway, it suddenly dawned on me that my life was slowly falling into place and it was all because of Adele.
When I got home, I could hear Adele singing. I followed her voice upstairs to find her in the room we were turning into a nursery. She was putting up wallpaper, dancing around the room as she did so.
I watched her, my heart swelling with love for her.
God, she was perfect.
Slowly, I crept up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist.
She jumped. “Braden! Don’t scare me like that!” she chided, holding a hand to her chest. “Don’t you know it’s bad to scare a pregnant woman? You might scare the babies right out of me!”
I laughed. “That might not be such a bad idea. I’m dying to meet them.” My lips trailed along the side of her neck as my hands roamed over her bump. I had imagined my life as a father so many times that I could almost taste it. I’d have a baby in each arm, rocking them gently, singing them to sleep. I didn’t care I was a terrible singer.
“You and me both.” She placed her hands on mine before looking up at me. “How did it go with your grandfather?”
“Surprisingly, a lot better than expected. He agreed to come to the wedding!”
Her eyes widened. “Seriously? I thought he hated me. What did you tell him to make him change his mind?”
“It actually didn’t take very much to persuade him. I think he knows that he’s reaching the end and he doesn’t want to die a bitter old man.”
“There might be a redemptive arc for him yet.” She turned, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me. Her lips felt plump and softer than ever. I kissed her back with all my passion, my hands pressing into the small of her back, pulling her as close as I could without hurting the babies.
She curled my hair around her finger, causing a shiver of delight to run down my spine. I loved it when she played with my hair.
I tightened my grasp, feeling like I never wanted to let her go.
Eventually, we pulled away, looking into each other’s eyes. I held her by the cheek, feeling the warmth radiating from her skin.
“You’re cute when you’re shy,” I said, bopping her on the nose.
This caused her to look even more coy. She hid her face in my chest, suddenly bashful.
I laughed, running my hands up and down her back. “Thank you.”
She looked up at me and tilted her head. “What for?”
“For changing my life. When I first saw you at The Dive, I thought you were just a figment of my imagination, trying to bring back a time in my life when I was happy.”
She smiled. “Well, I can assure you that I’m one hundred percent real.” She pinched me for good measure.
“Ow!” I stepped back, rubbing my skin. “That was uncalled for.”
Her giggle echoed through the nursery.
“Now you know you’re not dreaming.”
“But I am.” I grabbed her by the hips once more, reeling her into my body. “You’re my dream girl, babe.” I kissed the top of her head, playing with the tips of her hair.
She rested her head on my chest. For a while, neither one of us moved. We simply enjoyed each other’s company, finding serenity in the moment.
All too soon, however, she pulled away, thrusting a screwdriver into my hand. She then pointed towards two large boxes in the corner of the room. “You need to put the cribs together. If you keep procrastinating, the babies are going to arrive before you even read the instructions.”
I scoffed. “Instructions? Who needs instructions? It can’t possibly be that hard to put together a couple of cribs.”
“Alright. If you say so.” She shrugged, grabbed another roll of wallpaper, and went back to work.
With no other choice, I opened the boxes, pulling out the various pieces. There were more than I had anticipated. What was all this stuff?
“Did you have to buy two of the exact same model?” I asked, feeling like I had already mixed up the parts.
“Of course. We’re having twins,” she said, glancing over at me. “Why? Is there something wrong already?”
“No!” I said quickly, trying to preserve my masculine pride. “I got this.”
“Alright.”
I grabbed the bag of screws and poured it onto the ground. Big mistake. They started to roll all over the place. I scrambled to catch them before they could disappear, but inevitably, some of them were never found again.
“I was thinking about the wedding…” Adele started.
I looked up, holding two pieces of wood I had been hopelessly trying to put together. Suffice it to say, I wasn’t having much success with this little Ikea project. “What about it?”
“I think I want something simple.”
“Oh?”
“Just family and a few close friends—nothing too extravagant.”
Even though Adele and I had agreed to get married, we hadn’t discussed the details just yet. I thought it over for a bit. “What if we had it here?”
“What?”
“We could have it in the backyard. Nice and simple.”
Adele laughed. “Is Roger going to be our witness? Because you know, he would crash the wedding in a heartbeat.”
I chuckled at the thought, imagining the goat jumping from chair to chair, knocking everything over. It would be chaos.
“You know what though, that isn’t such a bad idea. I bet Dahlia would be happy to help us decorate. We could grab flowers from the forest—give the whole thi
ng a natural vibe.”
“Well… if you really want to go for a natural vibe, we could always get married in our birthday suits.” I smirked, pulling her to the ground with me. I caught her in my arms, laying her over my lap, cradling her like a baby.
“Are you kidding? Your grandfather will be there. I would rather die!” She exclaimed.
I smiled down at her before carefully pinning a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re beautiful, you know that?” I leaned down, kissing her lips ever so gently, savoring her sweet, sweet taste.
In that moment, my life felt perfect. I had the woman of my dreams in my arms. I had twins on the way. A wedding to plan. Healthy animals to tend to. And—cribs to construct.
Chapter 24
Adele
“How are you feeling?” Dahlia placed a hand on my shoulder.
I took a deep breath. “Nervous.”
“You have no reason to be. You look beautiful.” She stepped back and admired me for the hundredth time that morning.
“Can you stop doing that? You’re going to make me crazy.”
“Honey, you’re already crazy,” she chuckled. “Look at us.”
My eyes widened. “I don’t look bad, do I?”
“No. I already told you that you look beautiful.” She towed me toward my full-length mirror. Would you just look at yourself for a second and admit that you look great?”
Hesitantly, I met my gaze in the mirror.
I looked like a completely different person. The white dress hugging my curves gave them a sculpted look. The bodice accented my bosom, creating the illusion of a bigger chest. Braden would lose his mind when he saw me.
“There we go, that’s the grin I want to see.” Dahlia stood behind me, pulling my curls over my shoulders. “You truly do look stunning.”
“Thank you, Dahlia. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“What are sisters for?” She smiled. “Now, I think we should head out there before Braden comes in here and gets you himself.”
“Does he look nervous?” I asked.
Dahlia walked over to the window, pushing the curtains aside.
Unable to help myself, I peeked over her shoulder. Down below, the venue was everything I had hoped it would be. White chairs lined the backyard, each one decorated with a large ribbon. Between them was an aisle, lined with a velvet carpet. Its deep vermilion matched the wild roses dispersed through the decorations. It was all so perfect.