though my body desires it more than he’ll ever know. We’ve tried to be careful when it comes to sex even though our doctor has said it’s perfectly fine and normal. I lose myself in the moment as he thrusts in and out of me and notice his breathing growing more ragged and heavier. Eventually, he’s chasing his release too, and with a grunt, he spills inside me.
After we clean up, we dress in comfortable clothes and hold each other until my parents show up and unload all the gifts. I’m pretty sure the smile on my face might actually be permanent. I’m the luckiest woman alive to have a man like Noah love me so fiercely. I can’t wait for him to be my husband.
Epilogue
NOAH
“Are you ready to meet your brothers?” I ask Owen, taking his hand as we exit the elevator onto the hospital's labor and delivery floor.
“So ready!” He’s holding balloons in his other hand and proudly wearing the BIG BROTHER T-shirt Everleigh got him for his birthday.
Though Katie’s expected due date wasn’t until mid-December, we’ve known there was a high probability she’d deliver early. Four weeks early, to be exact. The boys were born a week before Thanksgiving, and their birthdays will be close to Everleigh’s. She turns thirty-three tomorrow and has been going on and on about how she’s going to “party it up” this weekend. I find it hilarious, but Tyler has had enough of his wild-child sister.
“Hi, sweetie,” Katie whispers when Owen enters. “I missed you.”
Owen leans in and gently hugs her. We’ve been here for over two days. After twenty-six hours of labor and keeping an eye on the boys’ heart rates, they finally came at 2:07 a.m and 2:10 a.m. Katie’s epidural wore off at hour eighteen, and the amount of screaming she did wasn’t something I was mentally prepared for. Not being able to do much for her pain made it hard to feel useful. She had horrible backaches and cramps in her legs, so I’d rub them out the best I could. After two hours of pushing, the first baby finally arrived.
“This one is Finneas, but we’ll call him Finn.” Katie nods to the baby on her left. “And this one is Lucas but Luke for short.”
“Finn and Luke.” Owen smiles. “Like from Star Wars.”
Katie and I chuckle. Though it was a running joke for weeks, we actually ended up liking the names and picked them anyway.
“They’re so tiny,” Owen says as Luke wiggles.
“Didn’t feel tiny to me…” Katie murmurs.
Though they were early, both boys weighed almost six pounds and only had to be on oxygen and monitored for a few hours. They passed all their health checks and will be able to come home with us in a couple of days.
“Can I hold them?” he asks.
“Of course, buddy. Sit on the chair and put a pillow under your arm. I’ll bring one over at a time.”
Owen does as I tell him and eagerly waits. I grab Finn since Luke is being fussy and probably wants to eat.
Once I secure him in Owen’s arms, I stay nearby just in case. I taught him all about holding up the baby’s heads and being very gentle with them. Though he’s eleven, he’s never been around little kids before, so this is all new to him too.
“He’s so cute.” Owen smiles at Finn.
“They look so much like you when you were a baby,” Katie tells him. “I think they have your nose.”
I grin as Owen studies Finn’s face. It’s adorable how excited he is. Though Owen looks a lot like Gabe, he has Katie’s nose, and the twins do too. They aren’t identical, but it might take me a bit to tell them apart until some of their distinct features start to show. I joked around with one of the nurses and asked her to put a black dot on the bottom of Luke’s foot, but Katie wasn’t amused. She assures me we’ll know who is who.
As excited as I am that they’re finally here, I’m also nervous as hell. Being a first-time dad is like nothing I’ve ever experienced, and now the only thing I feel is pure fear. Katie tells me it’s normal, but I feel protective and worrisome all at the same time.
After Luke settles, I switch out the babies so Owen can hold him next. It’s so sweet watching him with them, and I now understand why Katie’s been so emotional about it. I think of Owen as