Chapter Thirty Six

Chapter Thirty-Six

The twins announcement completely derailed the rest of the day.

Nobody recovered.

Not properly.

Especially Noah.

The four of them ended up back at Roman's penthouse with takeaway food spread across the dining table.

Nobody was really eating.

Everyone was still processing.

Well...

Everyone except Roman.

Roman found the whole thing hilarious.

Not because Harper was having twins.

Because Noah looked like he was having an existential crisis.

"You okay?" Roman asked.

Noah stared into the distance.

"No."

Roman laughed.

Daisy kicked him under the table.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Be nice."

"I am being nice."

Noah pointed.

"He's enjoying this."

Roman didn't even bother denying it.

Meanwhile Harper sat curled up on the couch.

One hand resting protectively over her stomach.

She still looked completely stunned.

Every few minutes she'd start laughing.

Then stop.

Then laugh again.

Twins.

The word still didn't seem real.

Across from her, Daisy looked equally overwhelmed.

Not because of the twins.

Because the reality of her own pregnancy was finally beginning to sink in.

The positive test.

The scan.

The heartbeat.

The tiny baby growing inside her.

Everything suddenly felt real.

Very real.

And if she was being honest?

A little terrifying.

A happy squeal interrupted everyone's thoughts.

Lillie.

The six-month-old sat on a blanket in the middle of the living room.

Completely unaware that life was changing around her.

The nanny had brought her home an hour earlier.

Since then she'd been busy trying to eat a toy giraffe.

Roman immediately abandoned the conversation.

As usual.

"Oh, there she is."

Lillie grinned.

Roman melted instantly.

As usual.

Noah watched.

Then sighed heavily.

"I'm going to have four children."

Roman looked up.

"Yep."

"Four."

"Yep."

"Four children."

Roman tried not to laugh.

"Still four."

Harper burst out laughing.

"You already have two."

Noah pointed dramatically.

"Exactly. I understood two."

"You understood Theo?" Harper asked.

"Fair point."

Roman laughed.

"You'll be fine."

Noah looked horrified.

"I currently own two coffee machines. I'm buying a third."

Harper laughed so hard tears appeared in her eyes.

"We're not buying a third coffee machine."

"We absolutely are."

"Noah."

"Four children, Harper."

"I know."

"FOUR."

From the floor, Lillie chose that moment to squeal happily.

Noah pointed at her.

"And she's not even mine and I'm already tired."

Roman nearly choked laughing.

A little later, while Noah was making another coffee and Harper was resting on the couch, Daisy quietly slipped away to the nursery.

Roman found her there a few minutes later.

Standing beside Lillie's crib.

Thinking.

The nursery had become her safe place.

A place to breathe.

To process.

To remember how lucky she was.

Roman leaned against the doorway.

"You disappeared."

Daisy smiled softly.

"I needed a minute."

Roman stepped inside.

Closing the door behind him.

The noise from the living room faded.

Leaving only the soft hum of the baby monitor.

For a moment neither spoke.

Then Roman slipped an arm around her waist.

Naturally.

Comfortably.

Like always.

"You okay?"

Daisy leaned against him.

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

She laughed quietly.

"You ask me that a lot."

"Because I like the answer."

That made her smile.

For a while they simply stood there.

Looking at the crib.

The rocking chair.

The little room that had changed their lives.

Eventually Roman rested his hand gently against her stomach.

Still flat.

Still early.

But enough.

Enough to remind both of them that another little life was growing.

"We're doing this again."

The wonder in his voice made her heart ache.

Not fear.

Not panic.

Wonder.

Daisy nodded.

"We are."

Roman laughed softly.

"I still can't believe it."

"Me neither."

His eyes drifted toward the living room.

Toward Lillie.

Then back to her.

"You know she's going to be an amazing big sister."

Daisy smiled.

Because she knew he was right.

Lillie loved people.

Loved attention.

Loved making everyone around her smile.

She was going to adore having a sibling.

Out in the living room, Noah was still staring into his coffee.

Harper finally looked over.

"You know, most husbands are excited."

"I am excited."

"You look terrified."

"I am terrified."

Harper laughed.

"Fair."

Noah looked at her.

Then at the sonogram photos resting on the coffee table.

Then back at her.

Twins.

Two babies.

At the same time.

The thought still made his head spin.

Because yes.

It was terrifying.

But so had Poppy.

So had Theo.

And somehow they'd survived both.

Now they were adding two more babies to the chaos.

Four children.

The thought still made Noah's head spin.

But as Harper smiled at him, resting a hand over her stomach, something inside him settled.

Because regardless of how unexpected this was...

He wouldn't change it.

Not for anything.

Noah smiled.

A real smile this time.

The first since the appointment.

Harper immediately noticed.

"There he is."

He reached over and took her hand.

"We've got this."

Harper squeezed his fingers.

"Yeah."

They did.

Across the room, Lillie babbled happily to her toy giraffe.

In the nursery, Daisy and Roman were quietly imagining their future.

And sitting together beneath the Manhattan skyline were two growing families.

One six-month-old baby girl.

One baby on the way.

And two surprise twins.

Life was about to get a whole lot busier.

But somehow...

It had never looked brighter. ❤️📖