“Two of them? You sure?” The doctor pulled up a bench.
“Yes. It’s twins, damn it! Get them out!” Jamie screamed.
“Alright, push. Push hard for me, and remember to breathe.”
Jamie gripped Alex's hand and bore down, pushing with all of her might as the room spun around her. Sweat dripped down the side of her neck, and she screamed as she pushed through the pain. The sound of a loud cry filled the air, and Jamie started to cry. Disbelief, pride, and awe covered Alex’s handsome features. His eyes glistened.
“It's a boy.” The doctor stood up and handed the baby to the nurse. “Dad, you stay with Mom. Let's get this other little one out. Ready, Jamie?”
She glanced at Alex as she started to cry. “I don't want to push again. I'm tired.”
Alex bent down as he stood by her shoulder. “You can do it, baby. A few more pushes. Get your little one out. Our little boy needs a brother or sister. Push, okay?” A tear dripped down his face as he moved to hover over her, cupping her head and kissing her damp skin.
Jamie felt another contraction spread across her belly as the doctor yelled loudly, “Push!”
Jamie leaned up on her elbows, pushing with all of her might as she screamed.
“Once more, Jamie. We're almost there.”
She glanced over at Alex, nodding as she tried to catch her breath.
“Wait for the contraction. When it comes, you push again... there you go, now push!” The doctor encouraged. “Now. Hard. Now.”
“Shit,” she cried out and pushed with all her might. The sound of another little cry left her crying as her head hit the bed behind her.
Alex touched the side of her face and nodded. “You did it. I'm amazed at how strong you are. You did it.”
He moved back as the doctor stood up. “It's a girl. A healthy little boy and a little girl. Dad, come cut the cord for these two and let's get them wrapped up for Mom for a minute.”
Jamie turned her head to watch Alex hover over the screaming babies, and the doctor touched her knee.
“Push one last time for me. You did brilliantly. Best delivery I've had all year. And you did it twice.” He smiled brightly as she nodded and pushed one more time.
Moments later, Alex walked toward her and handed her a little bundle in blue to lie on her chest. He moved the little pink bundle up beside her and snuggled to baby against her.
“You did it, Jamie. Benton and Lilliana. You did it.”
“We did it.” She kissed each baby and reached for him, kissing him several times before closing her eyes and resting. “We did it.”
Chapter 18
Mark’s Chapter
“I’ll take a scotch. Neat.”
Mark took a seat on one of the stools pulled up to the bar, and leaned his elbow against the sleek wood, pulling his phone out of his pocket to check for any missed messages. None. He hadn’t really expected anything to have changed since the last time he checked. Alex and Jamie were busy with their new babies, and while he still lived in the apartment on the ground floor of his brother’s mansion, lately he missed the easy camaraderie of the early days, when his brother and sister-in-law had been able to just run out for dinner or a movie. New parents had other priorities. Which was fine. Far be it from him to push for time they should be spending with the twins. But, if he was honest with himself, Mark had to admit that he was a little jealous of the happy family they’d built. He wanted a love of his own. Someone he could spend his life with. Have what Jamie and Alex had. And children. His niece and nephew were friggin’ adorable, but he wanted babies of his own.
Candace hadn’t called back since last weekend either. Maybe, Mark told himself as he wrapped his fingers around the glass the bartender had set in front of him, lifting the scotch to his lips for the first sip, it was for the best that she hadn’t. She was a sweet girl – and a hell of a lot of fun – but they weren’t going to work out in the long run, and that was what he was looking for. One-night stands weren’t a bad thing, but quasi-dating a woman he couldn’t see himself spending the rest of his life with would only make it harder to find the person he really wanted. The one he really needed. He couldn’t be dating someone else when he met her. Not to mention the complications that were likely to arise from seriously seeing a girl who worked for his brother. No. It was better she hadn’t called.
He took another sip of scotch and listened to the bustle of Friday night in the bar around him. Some of the conversations were starting to slur into drunk, and one of the people over in the corner was singing along with the music spilling from the speakers. Mark shook his head. Maybe he was getting too old for this kind of scene.
; “Excuse me?” The voice was soft, just audible above the noise of the other patrons, and Mark started to turn. “I’m so sorry to bother you, but is this seat taken?”
Score one point for good manners.
And score ten points for appearance, because the woman Mark had just turned fully to face was the kind of drop-dead gorgeous that most guys only saw on a screen. In her case, a screen set to the golden age of Hollywood, all soft curves and smoky eyes. He ignored the pulse of want that rocked through him, and found a smile that probably looked reasonably polite and hopefully didn’t give the impression that he was trying to remember how to form coherent sentences while running through multiple plans to get into her pants – or, rather, skirt – as soon as possible. His mouth went dry.