Epilogue

Nine months later, I snapped one final picture using the handheld button that allowed me to essentially take pictures of myself, since that was the only time, I ever used it. I was in the studio, I knew Tony was upstairs somewhere because I could hear him moving around. Pretty soon I would have to go up there and tell him that it was time to go to the hospital.

I'd been having contractions the entire day and in the last twenty minutes or so, they'd started to increase in pressure and get closer together. I wanted to take one last picture though, of me with my belly. Who knew when I would be pregnant again, since we were having two, we'd have our hands full for quite a while. As much as I wanted to have a dozen children with Tony, we weren't quite ready to move out of the studio apartment.

Business had picked up considerably in the past nine months, though. I’d begun working weddings, birthday parties, and other events that needed commemorating in Vale Valley.

Each day I was busy. Tony had begun taking classes on editing and image design, so that he could help me out with all those tasks. Since we'd gotten back from our babymoon trip to Egypt, where we'd spent ten days touring, lazing around in our hotel room, and taking in the gorgeous sites, there hadn't been a single week where I wasn't completely booked up.

There also wasn’t a single day that went by that I was completely and utterly happy. I thanked my lucky stars and the magic of Vale Valley for bringing Tony to me.

I winced as another contraction hit me, then clicked the button, because hey, I might as well capture that moment as well. The pain got to be too much. “Tony!” I shouted.

I heard something drop on the floor and he came bounding down the steps. “What is it? Are you okay? Is everything all right?”

“Yeah,” I said through clenched teeth. “Get the bag though. I think it's time.”

“Okay.” He took a deep breath. “We can do this.”

I laughed. “We don't have a choice, sweetheart.”

Tony had me and the bag loaded in the car, and we were at the hospital within a few minutes. I was thankful that we were close by because the contractions were getting intense. Maybe I should have gone sooner. Oh, well. Live and learn.

We were in the hospital room quickly. Vale Valley General Hospital had plenty of experience with omega births, shifter births, and multiple births. We were in the best place possible.

Tony held my hand through it all. Twenty-two grueling hours of labor and our twins were born ten minutes apart. Tonya Lynn came out screaming at six pounds four ounces, and her sister Erin Leah followed soon after, backwards. She was six pounds one ounce.

I grinned at Tony as he held Erin and I held Tonya. I was exhausted, sore beyond belief, and starving. But damn was I happy.

“This is amazing,” I said.

“I know.” Tony didn’t look up from the bundle of joy he held in his arms. “They’re beautiful. You did so great.”

“I wish you’d let me bring the camera.”

He grinned and baby-talked to our daughter. “Your daddy is silly. He was too busy to take pictures of the birth, but don’t worry, we’ll get thousands of pictures of you and your sister as soon as we get home.”

“For sure,” I said. I’d already stocked up on new backgrounds, new props, and I’d taken a special course on newborn photography. I was ready.

Tony sat in the rocking chair next to the bed. He looked as exhausted as I felt.

“We’re going to need a bigger place,” I said.

“Yeah, soon. We’ll be okay at the studio for a while.”

I closed my eyes. “I can’t wait to start taking pictures of us as a family”

“Me too,” Tony said. “They’ll be perfect.”

“Picture perfect.”