Page 200 of Twins for Three Bad Boys

The technician beams. “Congratulations.” My heart feels like it might explode. “You’re having twins.”

“Twins,” I repeat.

Two babies.

Two tiny, impossible, real little lives.

“Oh, my goodness,” I whisper and start laughing again. Because if I don’t, I’m afraid I might start crying so hard I’ll never stop. “That’s… that’s insane.”

Rex lets out a disbelieving huff. “You don’t do anything halfway, do you, darlin’?”

Fletcher shakes his head slightly, clearly recalculating everything all over again.

Wayne finally moves.

His hand slides into mine.

“Twins,” he says quietly.

I turn my head to look at him.

There’s a sharpness in his expression I’ve never seen before.

“Yeah,” I breathe. “Twins.”

I look back at the screen, at the two tiny shapes that have already changed everything. Life is growing inside me, a plan is forming, everything is new and oddly exciting despite the nerves.

This is more real than anything I ever had with Max.

I hate it that I think about him in this moment, but I do.

I think about the way he used to make everything feel like a transaction. Love was a reward I had to earn. I had to shrink, adjust, behave just right to keep things from breaking.

I think about how small I used to feel.

How careful.

How replaceable.

And then I look at the three men around me.

At Wayne, holding my hand tightly.

At Fletcher, watching the screen intently.

At Rex smiling at me because, obviously, this is the best kind of madness he’s ever seen.

And I realize this isn’t that old life, and I’m not that girl anymore. I’m not trying to earn a place here; I already have one.

“Okay,” I whisper, more to myself than anyone else.

The technician keeps talking about measurements, heartbeats, details I’ll probably forget the second I walk out of here.

All I can think is that this is a future I never planned and never could have expected. But somehow, it doesn’t feel like something that’s just happening to me.

It feels like something I get to choose.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT