I had stopped recording by the time that happened, but I was taking lots of pictures, just in case Branna and Ryder wanted me to delete the video. I moved over to the twins after they were bundled in blue blankets and had tiny white hats on their heads. I gushed over them, and when Bronagh came to join me, we both hugged each other with excitement.
After the babies were handed back to Branna, Sally said, “Baby A is five pounds ten ounces and twenty inches long, and Baby B is five pounds even and twenty inches long, too. Good job, sweetie.”
Branna beamed then turned her head and kissed Ryder, who was wiping tears from his cheeks. He spent minutes gazing down at the twins, then kissing Branna and thanking her for giving them to him once again. He carefully took one twin from her and cuddled him against his chest. My heart squeezed as I watched him. He was a mountain of a man, super tall, lean with muscle, and here he was, completely at the mercy of the tiny bundle in his arms.
“Pictures,” I announced.
Ryder beamed at me as I took a picture of him and his son, Branna mimicked him as I snapped one of her and their other son. Ryder leaned in closer, so I could get the first photo together of them as a family.
“Can we hear their names now?” I asked, lowering my device. “I think I’m about to collapse from all the excitement; give me somethin’ good to go out on.”
The new parents grinned at me.
“This little man, Baby A,” Branna beamed, “is Nixon Joe Slater.”
Ryder partly sat on the side of Branna’s bed.
“This little dude, Baby B.” He smiled down at his son as he yawned, “is Jules Alec Slater.”
I clutched my free hand to my chest. “Alec is gonna cry when he finds out.”
“Definitely.” Bronagh echoed, then to her sister, she said, “You gave Nixon his middle name after Da?”
“Of course.” Branna smiled tiredly. “He’s the greatest man, besides Ry, that I’ve ever known.”
Bronagh walked over to her sister and kissed her cheek; she then silently cried again as Branna offered her Nixon to hold for the first time. Bronagh sat down on the chair provided, and when Ryder rounded the bed and handed Jules to her, too, a little sob burst free.
“Smile, Bee,” I said and waited until she did as I asked before I took a picture of them.
Ryder and Branna hugged and kissed some more, but when he turned to me, he grinned. I was bouncing from foot to foot. I was so proud of them both, and I was so happy for them that I could have burst.
“You’re a daddy!” I squealed and launched myself at Ryder, who caught me, laughed and hugged me so tight, I could have sworn I heard my bones crunch.
“I’m a daddy.”
“Congratulations, I’m so happy for you both, Ry.”
I scrabbled for my phone once more when he released me.
“I have to update everyone,” I announced. “They’ll kill me otherwise.”
Ryder snorted, then moved over to Branna, who was now nibbling on a slice of toast and sipping a cup of tea Sally brought her. She didn’t look like she wanted either of them, but from the look Sally shot her way, she knew arguing against it was futile.
I focused on my phone and dialled Damien’s number. He answered on the second ring.
“How is she?”
“She is fabulous,” I squealed, “and so are our nephews!”
“What?” Damien shouted. “She had them already?”
“Yup!”
“Branna had the twins!” He screamed so loudly, I had to pull my phone away from my ear, laughing. “She had them!”
“Two boys for definite,” I said. “Both perfectly healthy.”
Damien repeated the information I fed him, and cheers sounded in the background.
“And Branna?” he asked.
“She’s brilliant,” I gushed. “You should have seen ’er; she was like superwoman. I’m not even jokin’; she is literally me hero after seein’ ’er go through that twice in the space of a few minutes.”
Damien laughed. “Are you okay?”
“No,” I answered instantly. “I thought I was about to faint five or six times, and me legs may permanently remain crossed forever after what I just witnessed.”
Damien sucked in a breath. “You don’t mean that.”
“I just saw a woman push not one, but two humans out of ‘er vagina,” I said with a shake of my head. “I’m never havin’ sex again. I’m sorry, it’s just not happenin’.”
“Alannah,” Damien said … or did he whimper. “Don’t make any rash decisions, just … just put sex from your mind and focus on those babies and Branna, okay?”
“Okay.” I nodded. “Still not havin’ sex, though.”
“Fuck!”
“You’re such a man.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down,” Damien snapped to someone in the background. “She just said she’s never having sex with me because she watched Branna give birth! How would you feel if Keela said that to you? … Exactly! You’d fucking cry!”