Tristan
I followed her around like a puppy, pushing the cart and trying not to think too hard about how much money we were spending because none of it mattered, nothing mattered except making sure our babies had everything they could possibly need.
“What do you think about this one?” Athena asked, stopping in front of a crib that looked like every other crib to me.
I studied it carefully, trying to see whatever she was seeing. “It’s nice,” I offered.
She laughed. “You have no idea what you’re looking at, do you?”
“Not even a little bit,” I admitted with a grin. “But if you like it, I love it.”
She shook her head but she was smiling, and I watched as she ran her hand over the wood, testing the sturdiness, checking all the
details.
“We’ll need two,” she said softly. “One for each baby.”
The reminder that we were having twins still hit me sometimes, still made everything feel more real and more overwhelming.
“Then we’ll get two,” I said immediately. “We’ll get two of everything they need.”
She looked up at me and I could see tears gathering in her eyes.
“Hey,” I said gently, moving to pull her close. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” she said, wiping at her eyes. “I’m just happy, and hormonal, and I love you so much.”
I held her right there in the middle of the baby store, not caring that people were walking around us, not caring about anything
except making sure she knew how loved she was.
“I love you too, I murmured against her hair. “And I promise I’m going to be the best father I can be to our babies.”
She pulled back and looked up at me. “I know you will be,” she said. “You’re going to be amazing.”
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The confidence in her voice meant everything to me.
We spent another two hours in that store, picking out everything from bottles to blankets, and by the time we were done the cart was
overflowing and my credit card had taken a serious hit, but seeing the joy on Athena’s face made it all worth it.
When we got back to Orion’s house, we unloaded everything and Athena insisted on organizing it all right away, arranging the tiny
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Chapter 355
clothes by size and type with a focus that made me smile.
:
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I watched her fold impossibly small onesies and thought about how in a few months those clothes would be on our actual children,
how we’d be parents, how our whole lives were about to change in ways I couldn’t even imagine.
The thought was terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure.
That night we all had dinner together, and I caught myself watching Athena throughout the meal, noticing the way she glowed when
she talked about the babies, the way her hand unconsciously moved to rest on her barely there bump, the way she smiled when she
looked at me.
I’d almost lost this.
I’d almost destroyed everything with my anger and fear and inability to express what I was really feeling.
The thought made me cold inside, made me want to pull her close and never let go.
We fell into bed together and I pulled her close, wrapping myself around her like I could protect her from the whole world.
“Never again,” I said softly into the darkness.
“Never again what?” she asked sleepily.
“Never again let me go a day without telling you how much I love you,” I said. “Never again let me make you doubt how important
you are to me.”
She was quiet for a moment and then she turned in my arms to face me.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
