Hourglass Squared (24 page)

Doing my best to hold it together, I responded, "I promise, Brooke."

Handing Jake the phone, I heard Josh on the other end, and I knew they'd be working out the perfect plan to ensure that Brooke made it to me as soon as possible.

I'd been lying in the hospital bed for almost seven hours, and I was beginning to get stir crazy.

The nurse walked in and stood at the edge of the bed, lifting the sheet to check my cervix. "Five and a half centimeters. You're getting there."

Jake stood next to me, his arms crossed over his shoulders. "I don't understand what is taking so long. Shouldn't they be here by now?" he asked, sounding irritated.

"It takes time. This is her first pregnancy, and you've got to remember that the epidural can slow down the process. Don't you worry, they'll be here before you know it." She winked and turned to leave.

I felt a contraction coming on and knew I needed to get Jake out of the room to avoid his hovering as my body tightened. "Hey, will you go call Josh to see how much longer they need their alone time with the baby? I'm ready to have my best friend here."

He nodded and reached for his phone, leaving the room to step into the hallway. I quickly snatched my phone from the bedside table and shot a text to Brooke.

5 ½ centimeters… I don't think they'll be here until the morning. I'm hoping so. That way I can have one last night of sleep. ;) How's it going, are you all home yet??

She responded in no time.

Good. Josh has Hope and me on lockdown. He says we all need a full night's rest before we can come visit. I'm ready to kill him. What kind of rest does he plan on getting with a newborn? Penelope just got here, so she is on baby duty the minute I need her. Keep those legs sealed shut until I can get there! <3

Just like I'd promised Brooke, I lasted through the night, but the moment she walked into the room, it was as if my body knew it was allowed to proceed, and things started happening fast. The nurse called for the doctor, and, before I knew it, my feet were up in the stirrups, and the room was buzzing with staff, just in case anything was to go wrong with the babies. Josh darted from the room, doing his best to avoid coming into sight of my nether regions that were now on full display.

Jake was on my left, and Brooke was on my right, both holding my hands as the doctor gave me strict orders, "The baby is crowning, so I need you to push hard."

I sucked in as much air as my lungs would allow and began to push with all of my might, everyone in the room counting from one to ten as I forced as much pressure as humanly possible down to my pelvis. Three hard pushes later, and the doctor passed over a tiny baby boy. Taking him into my arms, the tears began to stream down my face. "He's perfect," I said as Jake hovered over the two of us, showering me with kisses.

"Okay, Savannah, we've got one more in there, so let's finish this up." One of the nurses scooped the baby right off my chest and took him over to the incubator, where they began to take care of him and clean him off.

"Alright, I can see the head. Push hard." The counting resumed, and I bared down with all of my might. After one strong push, the doctor held up another baby.

"It's a girl!" he said.

And the tears began again. Brooke and Jake were beaming with pride next to me as I held on to one of the most precious babies I'd ever seen, kissing her forehead before she too was rushed off to the incubator, right next to her brother.

Jake followed the sound of the crying newborns and was at their sides the entire time the nurses were working on them, ever so often glancing back over his shoulder to look at me.

Brooke leaned down and kissed the top of my head. "They're perfect, Sav. I am so proud of you."

Happy tears flowed down my face as my best friend stood at my side, and I watched my husband with our beautiful, perfect twins.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Brooke

T
HE WAILING OF
Hope's cries made me toss the heavy comforter off my body. She was a month old today and had her routine down pat. I swore I could literally set a clock to her nightly two-in-the-morning wake-up.

"I got her, honey. Go back to bed," Josh soothed as he uncovered himself and swung his legs.

"Josh, I got her. You go back to work tomorrow. You need your rest." I pulled on his shoulder to make him fall back into bed.

Before I had my robe tied and my slippers on, Josh was soundly snoring behind me on the bed. I crossed the hall to the nursery where Hope's cries were still alerting me to her need for some attention.

"Oh, sweet baby," I cooed as I scooped her up and cradled her in my arms. "Hush now, mommy is here," I reassured her as I swayed back in forth. I leaned down and opened the mini-refrigerator Josh had put in her room and pulled out a pre-made bottle to start warming, as I kept talking to her in hushed tones.

As she calmed down and began nibbling on her fingers, I walked over to the changing table and laid her down, making quick work of her soiled diaper before picking her back up again. "Aw, is my sweet girl hungry? Huh? Do you want your bottle?" I smiled as I looked down on this precious gift from God and captivated her attention.

The light on the warmer turned green, and I grabbed the warm bottle, quickly giving it a shake and testing it on my wrist to ensure it was perfect for Hope. She must have smelled the milk because she began burrowing into me, famished and on the hunt for the bottle.

"It's coming, it's coming, princess." I carefully sat in the glider and got us all situated for her feeding. As the bottle drained into her mouth, Hope's eye began to grow heavy, drooping closed while her little mouth worked away on the nipple of the bottle, until finally they didn't open again.

After enjoying the moment of holding my precious girl in my arms, I began to grow tired myself, pushing myself back up to my feet so I could put her to bed. As I laid her down on her pink sheet, Hope stirred a little in hunt for the warmth my body had been providing her. The sight made my heart fill even more with love, because I was here for this. I was getting better every day, and I was confident that all my fears would never come to pass. Hope would never have to know what it was like to grow up without a mommy.

As I crawled back into bed, careful to not disturb Josh, I sent Sav a quick text, knowing she'd probably be up with Emma and Ethan.

How are my perfect niece and nephew?

Within a minute, my screen lit up with a reply.

Wide awake! It seems just as I finish nursing one, the other is starving, and I haven't quite mastered feeding them at the same time. Thank God, you gave up Penelope for me. You're the best.

With a chuckle, I placed my phone back on the nightstand and curled up into my husband.

"Is our princess back asleep in her throne?" he asked in a gravelly sleep-filled voice.

"She is," I whispered, pressing my lips against his. "Now go back to sleep before she wakes up to start her day."

In no time at all, Josh was back asleep, and I could feel myself joining him in his dreams.

The next morning was a bit chaotic. Josh was reluctant to leave his girls and seemed to be moping around the kitchen as I brewed the coffee. Already in his slacks, dress shirt, and tie, he clung to his daughter as he danced around the kitchen. As the aroma of the brewing coffee beans filled the air, I turned and leaned back against the granite countertop, admiring the most breathtaking view in history: a daddy and his little girl.

After a few moments, I grabbed down a thermos, fixed Josh's coffee to-go and carried it over to him for a trade. "Coffee for a baby?" I joked, setting the cup down on the counter so both my hands were free.

"No." Josh held on to Hope tighter.

"Oh, come on, you big baby. Go to work. We will be here when you get home. We have to get going ourselves to see Savannah and the babies at their house. I haven't even seen the place yet!" I slid my hands between Hope's tiny body and Josh's arms, taking my life in my own hands and I took her from him.

"I'm just working a half-day. If you get tired, don't feel good, Hope gets cranky —
anything
— you call me, got it?" He crossed his now-empty arms over his chest and flexed his muscles, the dress shirt clinging to him thread by thread as his muscles pulled it taut.

"Yes sir." I shifted Hope to one arm and saluted him.

"Oh my God," he panicked, bracing his hands under my arm to catch Hope. "Don't do that. What if she moved and you dropped her?"

Furrowing my brow, I glared at Josh. "I am perfectly capable of holding my baby. Go to work." I stretched my arm out and pointed toward the front door, furious and amused at his freak-out.

"I love you, Brooke Worthington," he crooned as he leaned down and kissed my lips. "And you, Hope." After leaning down a bit more, he placed a quick peck on her forehead, making her scrunch up her face.

Once Josh left, Hope and I quickly readied ourselves to drive over to Savannah's. After dressing myself and then Hope, I loaded her into her carrier and then the car. Once I had taken my seat and started the engine, I drove ever so carefully as I made my way to their new house.

After entering the code Jake had given me, I drove through the elaborate gates and up the drive to their home. The photos Josh had shown me didn't do it justice; their house was gorgeous. I put the car in park and turned the key to shut of the ignition as I stared at the house through the windshield. It was the perfect combination of Savannah and Jake, nature and sophistication. I didn't think it was possible to blend the two so seamlessly until setting my eyes on their home.

Just as I lifted Hope's carrier out of the car, the front door swung open, and Savannah's squeal carried for miles.

"Give me my baby!" She bustled down the stairs at us like a tornado.

"Don't you have two of your own?" I teased as Savannah took the carrier from my arms and began walking inside without me. Briskly following behind her, I walked into the foyer where black-and-white photos were on the walls of Savannah and Jake, Josh and me, and all the babies, a sight I never imagined seeing in Savannah's home. A husband. Kids. A family.

Jake came from a hallway, a baby in each arm, smiling widely at me as he walked toward us.