Nova

Seven Months Later

“You can do it,” Jace encourages. “You’ve got this. We’re going to meet our babies. You’re almost there.”

I squeeze my eyes closed and push. My body is damp with sweat, and I’m sure I look a mess, but none of it matters.

We’re minutes away from meeting our babies.

The last seven months have been an adventure.

Jace sold Broken Hearts and it’s now all over the radio being sung by one of the current hottest artists in the world.

Thanks to its success he’s already contracted for more songs—and I know all those will be hits too. 

We bought our first house, a decent sized home close to the city since neither of us wanted to be too far away. We’ve put a ton of love and care into it, making it ours, and getting it ready for the babies. We know once they come, nothing will ever be the same again.

Joel’s and my business has been doing really well. It’s still a work in progress, it’s still a young business, but I think within the next year we’ll be able to do it full time. 

“Give a big push, Nova,” Dr. Illias tells me. “You’re about to meet baby number one.”

Jace presses his lips to the side of my head. “Come on, baby.”

“Any last guesses on gender?” Dr. Illias asks. “I can tell you baby number one has a ton of blonde hair.”

I shake my head. The whole pregnancy I’ve had no guess whether it was two boys or two girls. It doesn’t matter to me. All that matters is they’re healthy. Jace and I decided early on we didn’t want to know the genders. Some things aren’t important.

 “Push, push, push.”

I squeeze Jace’s hand and push with everything I have and then …

The most beautiful sound in the world fills the room.

Our baby’s cry.

“It’s a girl!”

I burst into tears and Jace kisses me. 

“We have two daughters,” he breathes, awe in his voice and tears pooling in his eyes.

They take the baby to clean her up and after a brief break it’s time to push again.

I grip Jace’s hand and push as hard as I can, my heart beating rapidly.

“She’s right here,” Dr. Illias says. “Two more pushes and she’ll be here.” 

I close my eyes and push, losing my breath.

“One more.”

I inhale and push again.

More crying fills the air and I open my eyes to see my squirming baby. Dr. Illias cleans out her mouth and turns her so we can see her. She’s squishy and pink and covered in goo, but she’s perfect. 

They both are.

In a matter of minutes we’ve gone from the two of us, to the four of us.

They take the baby over to where her sister is to clean her up too.

Jace pushes my sweaty hair off my forehead and looks at me with awe. 

“You’re the most amazing person I know.”

I laugh, my head sagging with exhaustion. “You must not know many people then.”

He smiles and kisses my forehead. “Only the important ones.” He gazes down at me, like he can’t believe this is real. “You’re the only person in the world I’d ever want a family with—thank you for giving me this.”

I take his hand. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

“Never.” He bends and kisses me, stealing my breath. 

“Mom, Dad, are you ready to see your girls?”

The nurse stands there holding both of our daughters.

“Yes,” we say simultaneously. 

We’ve been waiting for this moment for far too long.

“Baby number one” —she hands me one— “and baby number two.” She gives the other to Jace. 

As soon as the baby is in my arms I cry, again, I can’t help it. 

This, right here, is a miracle in the physical form.

“Hi, sweetie, I’m your mommy.” I look down at the pink bundle in my arms and she yawns. Even her yawns are tiny and perfect like her. Like the doctor said, blonde hair peeks out beneath her hat. Her little fist breaks free and I give her my finger. She wraps her tiny fingers around mine and I’m lost.

Every horrible thing I’ve been through in my life is worth it for this moment, knowing these two tiny humans are mine.

I look up at Jace and I can see he’s falling in love like I am.

“So, do we have names?” Dr. Illias asks, watching us with a smile.

I look at Jace and he looks back at me with a smile.

“This,” I start, smiling down at the beautiful baby in my arms, “is Astrid.”

“And this,” Jace adds, “is Elise.”

“Beautiful names for beautiful babies.”

It feels like hours before the doctor and nurses are out of the room and Jace and I are finally alone with our girls.

He climbs into bed beside me and we sit there, looking at our daughters, still in shock that they’re here and they’re ours.

I’m pretty sure life doesn’t get more perfect than this.

I look up at Jace watching as he smiles down at Elise. 

The fact we’ve made it here is crazy. We’re starting another chapter of our life, together, and I know it’s going to be a wild but exciting ride, and there’s no one else I’d rather go through this journey with.

“Confession—” I whisper and he turns his attention to me. “I used to dream in black and white but now it’s in color, and it’s all because of you.”

Everything I am, and will be, is because of him.