Two families
The son of one
The daughter of the other
One, the dark prince of the world in which they live
The other, the queen in a world that is entirely her own
He is seen and worshipped by all who meet him
She is invisible and lives in the...
"Yes, mamma. We're setting off soon." I drawl on the phone to my mother.
"Good. I want to see my grandchildren as soon as possible."
"You were at the hospital with us."
"Yes, but I miss them so much. Now, hurry. We also have lots and lots of presents."
"Of course you do."
"Mmh."
"See you soon." I try and wrap it up.
"Okay. I love you."
"Love you, too." I hang up and venture towards the nursery.
The door is ajar so I push it open and can't help but grin at the sight. Leaning against the doorframe, I enjoy the view of my beautiful wife getting our son ready.
She giggles at a sound that he makes and in turn, so does he.
"There." She lifts him into her arms and hugs him to her chest.
When she spins with him, she notices me, eyes meeting mine and becoming watery.
"Hi."
"Hey, Principessa." I make my way into the room and bury my hand in her hair, the other laying on Reign's back.
I kiss her lips, then her forehead and then his.
"They're ready." She says.
I turn to the other side of the room, where a maid is stood besides the cribs and as I near them, she bows her head and walks out.
Looking down, my smile widens as I watch Royal.
He gazes at the mobile above him, blinking and opening and closing his mouth every so often.
Reaching down, I scoop him up and cradle him, rocking my son side-to-side.
I feel Della come up behind me and I move to face her.
I let my eyes travel down her body and then back up to her eyes. "You are magnificent."
Her lips rise even more and she takes two steps forward so we are barely a hand's width apart.
"I love our family." She whispers.
"And our family loves you." I say in return.
The boys seem like they're both about to fall asleep so I wrap an arm around my wife, leading us to the door. "Come on. We'll get an earful if we're late."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Madelaina:
"Oh, there you are." Verona greets me at the door and brings me into a tight hug.
"Hi."
"How are you? Are you doing okay? Post pregnancy isn't nearly as easy as you think."
"I'm good. I promise. Aside from the uncomfortable bleeding. I forgot what that feels like."
She laughs and hugs me again.
"I'm so happy for you, tesoro. Speaking of, where is my son and those gorgeous boys?"
"Luca's getting the twins from the car."
Her eyes glass over. "Oh, you have no idea how lovely it is to hear those words."
"You're too dramatic, mamma."
We turn to find my husband walking towards us, holding a baby carrier in each hand.
"Hush, you. You'll understand one day. Now, let me look at them."
She bends a little and grins at their peaceful sleeping forms.
Then, she wipes her cheek and stands, ushering is inside.
"Come. Everyone's waiting."
We enter and follow Verona to one of the living rooms, where everyone is currently laughing and eating.
"Della." My own mother jumps up immediately when she sees us.
"Babies!" Alessia is also up in seconds. She's a teenager now. All that youthful energy hasn't left her yet, though.
Mamma speaks with me and Luca while my sister coos at the twins.
Lucrezia comes up to us and smiles at the babies, too. She hugs me and then her brother, who kisses her head and wraps an arm around her shoulders.
"You okay, Lu?"
"I'm fine." She shrugs. "Are you? You look tired."
She's become much more open over the past years. Her shyness is still there, especially with strangers, but around us, she is a lot more relaxed.
Luca holds a hand to his heart. "Ouch. At least I still look pretty."
"Okay." She snorts.
He opens his mouth and raises his brows at her.
"Come now, you two." Their mother waves at them. Then, she takes my hand and gestures for us to follow. "Let's all sit."
Once we're seated and have been talking for around fifteen minutes, all subjects focused on the pregnancy, birth and after birth of the twins, they start to stir.
The room silences.
Me and Luca look at one another and grin. We wordlessly come to a decision and then he kisses my temple before we both stand.
He takes out Reign while I do so with Royal and we both turn to our family.
"Who wants to hold them?" I ask.
You'd think that our moms would be the first to volunteer, and to their credit, they do try. But, our fathers are actually the first to raise their hands.
We walk to the chairs that they are each sat on, both at one side of the fireplace, and hand off our sons to their grandfathers.
Papa takes Royal and presses his forehead to his. He then places a hand to my cheek and I watch as his eyes shine.
"I'm so proud of you, bambina." He says to me.
"Thank you." I lay my own hand atop of his.
Squeezing it, I kiss his cheek and then go to the sofa I was previously sat on. Luca returns to me shortly after and laces our fingers together.
He rubs the engagement ring I still wear on my finger and I smile wide, seeing the one he stole from me all those years ago.
All those times he taunted me about never giving it back and he ends up proposing to me with it. I don't know whether that makes him the sweetest thing in the world or a hypocrite.
It's simple, of course. Pure gold and decorated with soft detail. A contrast to the shimmering glamour of my wedding ring that sits just above it. But it's a part of us. Both of us. Holding memories and moments it'll keep locked inside forever.
I rest my head on his shoulder and feel him kiss my head.
I've read a lot of books in my life. Most of them depicting love as many different things. Serenity. Passion. Companionship.
I never actually knew what it could really be like.
Luca showed me that.
He taught me what it's like to be loved and cherished as if I am the most treasured jewel in the universe.
He still teaches me.
I teach him.
And now, we will both teach our children what it's like, too.
There won't ever go a day where they feel unloved or unimportant.
I told him earlier and now, surrounded by some of the people who value us most, I feel it with all my heart.
