The last few days we had spent in Aber had been exciting. Lou enjoyed the beach, specifically building sand castles with her daddy. I loved to watch the two of them and join in to help. It had me wondering whether we should move here permanently. I knew Taron's heart was here anyway.
I sat on the window sill in our flat that evening, looking outside to see the stars shining. I ran my hand over my belly. I didn't show yet, but I knew he or she was there.
Our baby.
I grinned like a fool.
"Hello baby" I whispered to my belly. "I'm so happy you're here"
I heard footsteps and looked up to find Taron leaning in the doorway, smiling. He had just put Lou down. She could sleep through a tornado at the moment.
I smiled back at him "How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough" he grinned and walked towards me, focusing on the hands on my belly.
"How are you?" he asked and sat down next to me.
I lay my head on his shoulder and sighed when I felt him wrap an arm around my waist.
"I'm happy"
"I am too" he whispered and lay one hand on my belly "I'm so happy we know where we stand this time"
I smiled "We were already in love last time"
"I know" Taron rolled his eyes playfully "But we –" he paused "We both didn't know at the time"
"That's true" I agreed, shivering at the memory.
I had fallen so hard for him during my first pregnancy without even realising. We had both been blind. At times like now, it seemed like ages ago. I still remembered how unsure I had felt about myself and the baby. How vulnerable I had been. But Taron had always made me feel safe and loved.
And now we were here.
Taron held me for a while until we moved over to the bed because it was so much more comfortable. And I was craving his touch just like when I had carried Lou. I loved every second of it, as did Taron.
"There is something I wanted to tell you" he said after a while.
"What is it?" I mumbled, running my hand over his chest.
I heard him let out a shaky breath. We usually talked about whatever was on our minds so why was he hesitating?
I sat up slightly "What is it, Taron?"
"I don't know how to tell you this" he said quietly.
"Just tell me" I encouraged him.
His green eyes met mine and I reached for his cheek, caressing it with my thumb.
"You're distracting me" he chuckled, his smile so sincere.
I laughed and wanted to pull my hand away but Taron stopped me "No, please"
He leant in closer and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. To feel his lips against mine and his hand on my lower back had my heart racing. I let my fingers wander through his hair and deepened the kiss, but he pulled away.
I frowned as I opened my eyes but Taron's expression told me all I needed to know. We would continue this later as soon as he had gotten off his chest what he wanted to tell me.
"If it's a boy –" he said slowly "I think we should name him Oliver"
I met his eyes and he reached for me, cupping my cheek. I stared into his eyes and the full meaning of his words sank in. My lips parted and I tried to breathe, but I felt like the oxygen didn't reach my lungs.
I felt tears form in my eyes and my voice was rough when I spoke "You want to name him after my brother?"
I hadn't even thought about this yet. But it meant the world to me. There wasn't one day when I didn't miss my brother.
"I want to" Taron confirmed "If you want that"
I smiled while a tear ran down my cheek. Taron stroked it away before it could reach my jaw.
"We can honour his memory that way" he went on.
I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him closer to me to bury my face in his neck.
"I love you so much" I whispered and I felt stroke my hair.
"Is that a yes?" he asked slowly.
I pulled away so I could look into his eyes "That's a yes. If it's a boy, that is"
"I'm sure it's a boy" Taron winked.
"Oh, do you now?" I laughed.
I loved how he could cheer me up from one second to the next.
"I can't wait for my check-up" I said excitedly "To see him or her"
"Me too, babe" Taron ran his hand over my belly and my heart jumped out of my chest.
I didn't know how it was possible to feel everything heightened during pregnancy, but his touch was even more intense than before.
"You know -" I smirked "There is one thing we didn't do during my last pregnancy"
"Oh really?" Taron raised his eyebrows in worry and confusion.
I laughed and leant in closer to him. He pulled me closer to him and I whispered into his ear
"We never had sex while I was pregnant with Lou"
I blushed speaking those words. But there was no hesitation between us. Just as the words had left my mouth, Taron smashed his lips to mine.
And I craved him. A lot.
I opened my mouth for him and we both groaned. Our kisses turned more and more passionate and needy. He rolled me to my back, slowly and carefully as if he didn't want to hurt me.
"Taron, please" I arched my back to get him closer.
He groaned in response.
We undressed each other as if we were in a rush, because we were.
I moaned when he pushed inside of me, one inch at a time. We both let out a breath once he was all the way inside. He would send me over the edge with the simplest movement. I couldn't wait for it, yet I wanted us to stay this way forever.
He started to move slowly and my body was in overdrive.
I gasped when he added his thumb to my clit "I'm so –"
"I know" he breathed out "You're so responsive"
He continued to stroke me and I already bucked under him. Then he retreated and pushed back in and I was right there. My head rolled back when I could feel my orgasm racing towards me.
"I love knocking you up" Taron groaned when he felt my walls clenching around him.
And the way his voice was rough and broke sent me over the edge. I shuddered under him and he grinded inside of me until he came.
A few days later we were back in London and I was so nervous, yet happy, to finally see our baby during the ultrasound. This time, there was no confusion about who the parents were and Taron held my hand.
"Let's get started then, shall we?" the doctor asked.
I didn't even know why I was nervous. I had been so used of the gel on my belly and the ultrasound moving over it the last time. I anxiously waited to hear the heartbeat and I wanted to look at the screen and in Taron's eyes all at the same time.
When we did hear the heartbeat, we both had tears in our eyes. Again.
That would never change.
"Do you want to know if it's a boy or a girl?" the doctor asked, watching us.
I glanced at Taron and he smiled at me. He would let me choose again.
"Oh" that word coming out of my doctor's mouth had my heartbeat pick up the pace.
"Is something wrong?" Taron asked, just as worried.
But the doctor smiled "Everything is great. Better than great actually"
He moved the ultrasound device a bit and pointed at the monitor "You're having twins"
My breath caught in my throat as I simply just stared at the screen. The room was quiet for a moment and I tried to make out the two babies on the screen.
I felt Taron squeeze my hand and I looked into his beautiful eyes that were more emotional than before.
"Twins?" he breathed out.
I started smiling when the reality of those words sank in. I had been a twin and even though I wasn't one anymore because my brother had died, I would still have twins.
Taron and I smiled at each other while the doctor talked. But we barely listened.
Because we were so happy.
Later that day, I was in Lou's bedroom after she had fallen asleep. I sat in one of the chairs by the window and ran my hands over my belly. I didn't expect one but two babies and I was slightly terrified.
"Tell me what's going through your mind" Taron said quietly when we sat down on the couch.
I leaned against his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around me.
I sighed "I don't know. I'm scared and happy at the same time"
Taron's eyes met mine and his eyes sparkled "I am too. Don't you think that's normal?"
I shrugged "How are we supposed to handle all this? One child plus twins?"
Taron smiled, running his fingers around my hip to my belly "We will figure it out. Just like we did the first time"
I returned his smile and dropped a quick kiss to his lips. But instead of pulling away, he pulled me closer to him. I straddled him while our kisses deepened and I could feel myself growing more and more needy for him.
"You know –" Taron whispered once we had pulled away, our lips merely touching "It's good we got two cots after all"
I frowned for a second before I realised what he meant. I had totally forgotten we had gotten two cots for Lou. Before we had decided to move in together.
"Oh my God" I threw my hand to my mouth "You're right"
Taron smirked "Everything happens for a reason anyway"
"Look at you" I teased him "Mr. I don't believe in fate"
"You changed my mind, Mrs. Egerton" he cupped my chin.
My smile widened.
"Did I now, Mr. Egerton?"
"You did" he grinned back at me.
My lips met his again and soon enough, he picked me up and carried me to our bedroom.
A few months later
Taron's eyes were full of tears, as were mine. He was holding one baby, while I was holding the other. The pain after having had the c-section was awful, and I could barely move. But looking at our beautiful babies was worth every moment of pain.
"They're gorgeous" Taron whispered, sitting in the chair next to my bed.
"They are" I smiled at him "They got your genes"
He laughed "You said that before. But the amazing thing is that they have our genes. They're not just my babies. They're our babies."
I watched him in awe and wished I could have just kissed him right then. Somehow, he always knew the right thing to say. The pregnancy had been difficult carrying twins. But we could get through anything together.
Because we were stronger together.
"So, this is Oliver" Taron whispered, running his hand over the tiny body of our baby.
I smiled as I watched him, full of awe.
"And..." I continued, reaching for the baby in his arms "This is Charlotte"
Back at home, we had our hands full. Quite literally full of diapers and milk bottles. I pumped as much as I could and I was drained. Having fed Lou in comparison seemed like a cake walk now. But our friends and family supported us.
We decided to move to Aber pretty quickly and Taron's family was the best. Especially his mom supported us whenever she could, even if we were calling her in the middle of the night.
Lou was stoked to be a big sister. She was great, as we both knew she would be. I was feeding Charlotte while Taron was sitting in the lounge chair beside me, feeding Oliver. We put them down and I loved to watch them reach for each other. Their tiny hands reached each other's bodies and all was well.
My heart was so full thinking back to my brother.
"Babe" Taron whispered as I watched our twins together.
I reached for him and wrapped my arms around him. He hugged me right back and I sighed against him. Nobody could make me feel as safe and loved as he could. And that would never change.
"I love you" he whispered into my hair and I closed my eyes.
"And I love you" I whispered back.
We broke our embrace only so our lips could meet. We kissed, softly and slowly.
Taron – 13 years later
I took off my earphones and put them down on the desk. I switched off my laptop and let out a breath. Today's work day was over.
I was working from home now. I was a narrator for audio book and was quite successful at that. I had loved narrating before and it was a great way to do my job and be close to my family.
I opened my office door and walked downstairs into the living room.
"Oliver! Charlotte!"
Lou was standing there, glancing at her watch and tapping her foot. Her eyes met mine before I pulled her into a hug.
"Hey dad" she smiled.
She looked more and more like her mom these days, and I loved it. But she wore a dress that was a bit too short for my liking and I glanced at Milly.
She just smiled at me and mouthed "Talk later"
"We're coming" Charlotte called.
Charlotte was in a skirt and top while Oliver was wearing shorts and a tee. Time seemed to fly, they had grown so much. And as similar as they had been as babies, they couldn't be more different now.
"Better hurry!" Lou insisted when they put on their shoes "I don't want to be late"
"Don't be a pain in the ass" Oliver rolled his eyes.
"Oliver!" Milly called.
"Bye mom" Lou waved over to Milly and me "See you later"
"Be home by 9" I said, my voice hard.
Lou was already out the door and Oliver followed her. I dropped a quick kiss to Charlotte's temple before she flew out the door too. I closed the door behind them and found Milly in the kitchen, cooking.
I smiled as I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her from behind. She turned her head and smiled at me.
"Hey" she whispered.
"Hi" I whispered back "So, do you want to tell me what's going on?"
Her smile widened "You mean why Lou acts like that?"
I nodded. Lou was 16 now, and I wasn't surprised she was acting like she was. But she had been in a particularly weird mood today.
"She talks a lot about her friend Andy" she shot me a knowing look.
"Andy?" I raised my eyebrows.
I wasn't ready for my little girl to be a woman just yet.
"Yeah" Milly said, calmly "They all wanted to meet friends at the beach. I'm guessing Andy will be there too"
I had to chuckle. It reminded me of my teenage years in Aber. And I had loved growing up there and was happy we could give our children the same experience. Of course I still had a place in London for press purposes, but we rarely stayed there, except for holidays in the city. Aber was my home. And it always would be.
"They all grow up quicker than I'd want them to" I said "I mean look at Lou. She looks so much like you"
Milly pressed her lips together "I know. It seems like yesterday that she was born"
I smiled, loving the memory of that day. And another memory "Looking at her reminds me of when we first met"
I remembered everything clearly now. And even though it hadn't been the best day of my life, I would never change it. I still thought she saved my life, even though she still disagreed.
She turned in my embrace and I pulled her closer to me.
"How could I ever forget?" I smiled.
She dropped a quick kiss to my lips before focusing on the bowl in front of her again.
I went to stand next to her "What are you cooking?"
She laughed "I'm not cooking. I'm baking"
"Mhhh" I hummed "What are you baking then?"
She shot me a look that said it all "Blueberry muffins"
"I'll get the coffee" I winked.
We took the freshly baked muffins and our coffee cups to our bedroom. Since the kids were away until later, we had some time to ourselves. And I loved it.
"Happy anniversary" our mugs clunked.
"Happy anniversary, babe" I whispered and we both took a sip before we set our mugs down.
I pulled her to me and our mouths were mere inches apart. I saw the look in Milly's eyes, but every year, I said exactly the same, trying to convince her.
"I wouldn't change anything about the day we met"
She grimaced "Are you sure? That was a pretty awful accident"
I shrugged "But it was the first time we met. If you think about it, things could have gone so differently when you were accidentally inseminated"
"Differently?" she asked.
"You chose to keep the baby because you remembered me. We wouldn't have this if we hadn't met years before that when you saved me"
I trailed my fingers over her cheek, then trailed lower, down her neck and over her tee.
"This?" she giggled.
We both knew we weren't referring to just us. We were talking about everything we had. The love we felt for each other, that would get us through whatever life threw at us. Our children we loved so much, even if it was stressful at times.
"I wouldn't want to change it either" she finally said.
After all these years.
"Yeah?" I asked, raising my eyebrows, teasing her.
"Yeah" she nodded, suppressing a smile.
"Finally" I breathed out, our lips meeting.
Our kisses were soft and tender and I loved to remember our story. She had saved me. And I had saved her, with our baby, without even realising at the time. I still loved her like I had the first day. She had been the angle in my dreams, saving me from my nightmares.
And today, she was my dream. Every day, and every night.