All Chapters of Decisions I made : Chapter 291 - Chapter 300

The next morning began with Lily climbing into bed before the sun had fully risen, carrying her stuffed rabbit beneath one arm and dragging her blanket behind her. She crawled directly over Lela without hesitation and planted herself between her parents, then turned toward Jack as though she needed to make absolutely certain he was still there. She touched his cheek with one tiny hand, stared at him for several seconds, and then smiled. “Daddy home.” Jack opened his eyes and smiled back. “Daddy home.” Lily nodded as if she had been conducting an important inspection and had finally confirmed that everything was as it should be. She settled against his chest, and Jack wrapped both arms around her. Lela watched them from the other side of the bed, her heart full in a way she hadn't expected. She had spent so many months imagining this exact scene that now, having it, she was afraid to breathe too deeply in case it disappeared. Jack caught her looking at him. “What?” he whispered. Lela s

For the next several weeks, the idea of returning to Destin stayed mostly unspoken. It wasn't that Lela had changed her mind. If anything, the thought became more important to her as time passed. But she didn't want the trip to become another assignment she had to complete, another milestone everyone expected her to reach. She wanted it to happen naturally, on a day when she woke up and knew she was ready. Jack understood that. He never brought it up unless she did, and even then he didn't pressure her. Instead, he watched her become more independent. She walked farther every week. She started taking Lily on short walks around the neighborhood without the walker. She learned how to handle stairs again. She began carrying small things while walking, carefully at first, then with increasing confidence. Her body was still reminding her that healing wasn't the same thing as forgetting, but she was no longer afraid of every ache. She had learned to distinguish between pain that meant stop

Lela stared at the test until the room seemed to stop moving.Two lines.She blinked.Then looked again.Two lines.She set the test on the bathroom counter as though putting it down might somehow change what it said. Her hands trembled. Her heart beat so hard she could hear it in her ears. She looked at herself in the mirror and barely recognized the expression on her face. Shock. Fear. Happiness. Confusion. All of it seemed to exist at once.“No,” she whispered.Then she laughed nervously.“No, no, no.”She picked the test back up.Two lines.She sat on the edge of the bathtub.For months, she and Jack had talked about another baby as something belonging to the distant future. Someday. After her recovery. After they knew her body was ready. After they had time to settle into their new life. They had talked about it carefully, almost like discussing a dream they didn't want to scare away by saying too loudly.But this wasn't someday.This was now.Lela put a hand over her stomach.“O

The call came three days later, just as Lela was finishing breakfast. She sat at the kitchen table with Lily coloring beside her, while Jack stood at the counter making coffee, when her phone rang. She glanced at the screen and saw the doctor's office. Her stomach immediately tightened. “Hello?” she answered. The nurse asked if she had a moment to discuss her recent bloodwork, and Lela's eyes immediately went to Jack. He noticed the expression on her face and came over. “Yes,” Lela said carefully. “Is everything okay?” The nurse paused. “Your numbers are much higher than we expected for how early you are.” Lela frowned. “Higher?” Jack pulled out the chair beside her and sat down. “What does that mean?” she asked. The nurse explained that her pregnancy hormone levels were significantly elevated compared with what they would normally expect at this stage. It didn't automatically mean something was wrong, but the doctor wanted her to come in for an earlier ultrasound than planned. Lela s

The first thing Jack did when they got home was pull a notebook out of the kitchen drawer.Lela watched him place it on the table with the seriousness of a man preparing for a military briefing. Lily was still talking about the babies in the back seat, repeating the words "two babies" every few minutes as though she was afraid someone might forget. Jack opened the notebook, clicked a pen, and wrote at the top of the first page in large letters: BABY PLAN. Lela stood across from him with her arms folded, trying not to laugh."You realize they're not coming tomorrow, right?""I know.""They're not even big enough to have fingers yet.""I know.""You don't need a tactical plan."Jack looked up."We're having twins.""Yes.""Two babies.""Yes.""At the same time."Lela finally laughed. "That's generally how twins work."Jack pointed at the notebook."Exactly. This requires organization."Lily climbed onto the chair beside him."Babies need milk."Jack nodded seriously."Correct.""Diapers