It's been three weeks since I woke up from a three-month coma. Will has been by my side every day. He only leaves to go home and spend the night with the babies and comes back after their morning feeding when they've laid back down to take a nap.

His dedication to the twins and me is heartwarming and makes me ache for something more between us than the arrangement we've had up until this point. I want a relationship with goals and a bright future to look forward to spending with one another. I want love and affection, which he seems to be willing to give in spades.

The Will Scott sitting on my hospital bed trying to spoon feed me Jell-O is not the same Will Scott I met over a year ago. He's changed––we both have. And it's definitely for the better.

Better being ... happier.

Within a few days I was off the ventilator, breathing on my own. Then last week, they finally pulled the tracheostomy tube out. I’m slowly learning how to talk and perform the basic functions again. It’s been a long and rough road, but with intense rehabilitation, I’m making excellent progress. My doctors have agreed to allow me to go home next week. I’ll have to take it easy and attend rehab daily to help build my muscles back up and increase my dexterity, but otherwise, I'm alive ... and that’s really all that matters.

Home.

I will never again take that word or the meaning behind it for granted.

My father has been by to see me several times, but he's been so drunk that I've asked him not to come back into my life. Will told me that he tried to get a judge to overturn his power of attorney so he could remove the life support. That hurt far more than I care to admit.

I knew my father and I had a horrible relationship, but for him to waltz in and tell them to pull the plug and not give it any more thought than that ... I don’t need or want that type of person in my life anymore.

I'm cutting all ties with my old life, and that means confronting the people still holding me to the past. Jay's trial was pushed out until I was able to testify against him. In one month, I'll stand before judge and jury and tell them how he tried to kill me and the twins I was carrying at the time. I know I'm strong enough to face him now. I'd never have been able to do it in the past, but look at all that I have overcome and the wealth of happiness my perseverance has brought me.

The ladies from the shelter came to see me last night. They weren't allowed to visit while I was in ICU, but I was moved down to the general ward after I was weaned from the ventilator, where I could finally have visitors. It was nice to see them, but the only thing that really matters to me right now is going home.

* * *

Today is the day. The day that I finally get to go home. The day I finally get to see our babies.

I've been silent the entire ride home. Questioning whether I'm ready to meet the twins. Will's hand engulfs mine and gives it a reassuring squeeze. I glance up, and he flashes me a warm smile. His eyes glimmer with excitement as I lace my fingers through his and raise our hands to my lips and press a kiss to his knuckles.

He turns his attention back to the road, and I lean back in my seat and watch as the miles pass us by. One by one, we draw close to home. Closer to the little girls I gave birth to but have never met.

My nerves are like a jagged wire threatening to snap at any moment. My palm sweaty beneath Will's. It's all I can do to sit still. I feel like a rush of lightning is coursing through my veins. My legs are shaking, feet tapping against the floorboard, and my free hand keeps winding and unwinding a strand of hair around my finger.

I expect Will to say something to help alleviate the tension building, but he remains silent the entire drive home. In a way, it's a sweet blessing because I honestly don't know what to say. Our entire relationship has been built around my pregnancy and the babies. But now ... we're at a crossroads where our relationship must evolve into that of lovers and parents. And I'm afraid.

Afraid I won't be enough.

Afraid I'll mess this up.

I'm so damn afraid. My heart flutters like the beat of a hummingbird’s wings beneath my chest.

When the house comes into view, my heart trips over itself and takes off in a mad dash as anxiety nearly cripples me.

We pull into the garage and the groaning of the door closing behind our car has me closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. Slowly ... so slowly ... letting it out. I do this multiple times before I feel comfortable enough to open my eyes.

Warm hazel eyes meet my terrified stare. So much is said between passing glances. But it's his words that finally snap me out of my nervous stupor.

"I love you." His deep voice washes over my body like hot silk.

I deflate.

He leans over the console and pulls his hand from mine, cupping my face between his hands, and looking into my eyes with his heart there for me to see. "Don't be afraid. I'll always be here to lift you when you're feeling down. Carry you when you're too weak to walk. And love you when you feel like you're not enough." His eyes glimmer with unshed tears. "I thought I lost you, Kara. I'll never make the mistake of taking you for granted. Every day, I'll tell you how much I love you. Every day, I'll kiss you until your lips are sore. Every day I'll hold you in my arms until you feel as if you could burst with the love I shower you in."

He inches forward, his warm lips brushing against mine. Softly, he kisses me.

Just as quickly, he pulls back, leaning his forehead against mine as he takes my hands in his. "Our girls are waiting to meet their mother. Let's not make them wait any longer." He kisses the tip of my nose and moves to exit the car.

Warm tears glide down my cheeks as Will opens my door and takes my hand in his. My legs are still too weak to walk long distances, but that doesn't matter because when I stand, he stoops low and swings me up into his arms to carry me inside.

I wrap my arms around his neck and lean my face against his chest. The sound of his heart beating beneath my ear soothes my nerves and eases my fears.

This is a man worth loving. A man worth sacrificing for. A man who I will spend the rest of my life showing how much he means to me.

* * *

I carry her into the living room and gently settle her onto the sofa. I can hear my mother and sister upstairs in the nursery with the girls. The biggest surprise is yet to be revealed. I can't wait to see her face when she realizes what everyone has been keeping a secret.

"I'll be a minute." I press my lips to her soft cheek and take off toward the stairs, my excitement barely contained.

When I reach the nursery my sister and mother have the girls dressed and ready. Their conversation halts, and they both turn to face me. Each holding a baby.

I smile. "She's ready."

My mom and my sister both wear matching expressions of excitement and joy. I raise a finger as they start to move toward the door, halting their steps. "Remember, say nothing."

Abbi rolls her eyes. "Yeah. Yeah. We know." Then she begins to giggle. "I can't wait to see her expression. This is going to be the best day ever." We all laugh a little, and I move to pull my phone from my back pocket so I can record the first time Kara meets our daughters.

I follow them down the stairs until we reach the sofa and Kara. She sits up straighter, eager to see the girls.

My heart takes off like a racehorse. Excitement laced adrenaline making me damn near giddy.

"Are you ready?" Abbi asks.

Kara nods and moves to the edge of her seat, her arms reaching for the baby Abbi is holding. I step in to help her so she doesn’t strain herself too much, but she shakes her head and I pull back to allow her to enjoy the moment.

I can't describe what it feels like to watch her take our child into her arms. It's overwhelming.

* * *

The weight of her in my arms is like nothing I've ever felt before. It's instant ... the love that swallows me whole as I stare down at the baby in my arms. She's absolutely beautiful and looks exactly how imagined she would. Just like Sophia and Will. The perfect mix of her biological parents. Olive toned skin, dark brown hair, and beautiful sea green eyes look up at me.

I swallow, my throat soar and aching, but not from the trach incision that is still healing, it’s from the overwhelming emotion that threatens to choke me. I try to fight the tears that are already running down my cheeks like tiny rivers filled with so much love and emotion that I can't contain them.

"She's beautiful." The words come out gravelly and difficult to understand, but my beautiful girl doesn’t care. I place my finger in her soft palm. She squeezes five little fingers around mine.

One look––one touch––and she has my heart in the palm of her hand.

It doesn't matter that I'm not her biological mother. She's my daughter, and I'll raise her as such. I'll love her with everything I have to give, and I'll never let her down when she needs me the most.

"Avery. Her name is Avery. Avery Nicole Scott," I whisper, so as not to strain my vocal chords, and lean down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead.

A short gasp has me looking up to meet Will's tear-filled gaze. "That was Sophia's middle name, Nicole." He smiles. "I think it's perfect." He leans down and gives me a chaste kiss before rising and reaching to take the other baby from his mother.

"You have one more that you need to meet." He sits down beside me and slowly removes the little bonnet covering her hair. I settle Avery into my right arm and eagerly wait for him to place her sister in the cradle of my left arm.

A shock of white-blond hair is revealed when her hair is unveiled. My brows scrunch together in confusion. Will and Sophia both had dark hair, but maybe she gets it from his mother or father’s side. I shrug it off as he gently settles her into the crook of my arm.

Our eyes meet and we smile at each other. But when I look down into the eyes of the baby he just placed in my arms, I feel my heart skip a beat and my breathing stop––I stare down into a pair of mismatched eyes.

One green.

One blue.

"Will?" My lip trembles. Emotion so thick that my throat feels as if it's closing off.

"I'd like you to meet your daughter. Our daughter." He grins, tears spilling from his eyes.

Memories of the night we made love before the IVF procedure come flashing back. Who would have thought one night of uncontrolled passion would have led to such a beautiful miracle?

I sob. My shoulders shaking as I pull the twins in close to my chest so I can kiss their little faces. "My babies," I cry. It's as if a dam has broken, and the love and joy I'm feeling at this moment burst forth in a torrent of tears, happy laughter, and a smile that makes my cheeks hurt from the sheer joy of it all.

"Addison. Addison Hope Scott, that's who you are, little one." I grate out through the wave of emotion tightening around my throat. I kiss her forehead and then kiss Avery's. My daughters. One gifted to me from Sophia and the other birthed from the love Will and I share for one another.

"I get to love you both for the rest of our lives. I promise I'll never let you down." I whisper low enough that only Will and the girls can hear. When my eyes meet his, he gives me a subtle nod.

"And I get to love you." He kisses me and bends over the babies and plants a soft kiss on each of their foreheads.

Holding my daughters in my arms and having Will at my side is a dream come true. Nothing could complete my life more than the love I share with this great man at my side and the beautiful daughters we'll raise together.

"Let me get their bottles ready while you rest a little." His mother leans down and takes little Avery and then Abbi takes Addison.

When they're out of the room Will stands, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" I ask, feeling a little nervous myself.

He paces for a minute and then comes over and helps me to my feet. Before I can ask what he's up to, he drops to one knee. My hands fly to my mouth as realization sets in.

He pulls a ring box from his pocket and opens it as he extends it to me. "Kara Murphy, I have loved you for longer than I was brave enough to admit. I can't think of any better way to complete this day than to ask you to be my wife. Will you marry me?"

I'm sobbing by the time he finishes his proposal and all I can do is nod.

"Is that a yes?" he asks, a grin stretching the width of his face.

Still nodding, I answer. "Yes!" He reaches down and pulls me into his arms, his lips crashing into mine.

We kiss for what seems like an eternity before we pull apart.

"I can't believe this is all happening to me."

He kisses me again, branding my lips with the heat of his. "Believe it. You'll be my wife and the mother of our beautiful girls."

* * *

My mother takes the girls home with her that night to give Kara and I time to settle in. I run a hot bath for her and light a few candles to give it a relaxing aura.

I carry her up the stairs, and when she insists on walking, I gently set her down and run her arm through mine so I can assist her if she needs it. Her muscles are still weak and today has been a long and physically draining day. She's been up since five this morning, and it's already approaching midnight by the time I finally get her into the bathroom.

I help her undress, trying not to let the sight of her naked body arouse me, but I fail miserably. It's been months since I've felt her skin against mine, and I'm desperate for her. I ache just looking at her as she steps into the tub.

When her back is to me, I adjust my erection and move to the edge of the tub and take a sponge in hand and begin to wash her.

I squeeze a generous amount of body wash onto the sponge and begin to work it in a massaging pattern over her neck, shoulders, and back before I work my way down her arms and legs.

She leans back and groans when I drop the sponge into the water and begin massaging her with my hands instead. Squeezing her shoulders and kneading the knots out of her stressed muscles.

"That feels so good." Her words come in a sexy rasp. Completely unintended, but sexy nonetheless.

My cock jumps, unable to contain its excitement and my eagerness to have her beneath me.

I clear my throat, rinsing my hands off in the water and then pulling the showerhead down so I can wash her hair. "Is the water too hot?" I ask, adjusting the temperature as I begin to run the water over her hair.

"No, it's perfect." She sits forward, the water sloshing over the tops of her breasts, her dusty rose nipples peaking up and out of the water. The flash of her diamond catches my eye as she situates her hands on the sides of the tub, and a wash of pride encompasses me. This is my fiancée. My soon-to-be wife. The mother of my children.

"I love you, Kara." Her aquamarine eye and sky blue eye flashes up to meet mine. "You're so beautiful." I run the tip of my wet finger down her cheek, and she leans into my touch.

I make quick work of washing her hair and then help her out of the tub. I wrap a towel around her glistening body and help her walk toward the bedroom. I've moved all her stuff into the room that we'll now share. I don't ever want anything separating us.

When we reach the edge of the bed, she turns to face me. Her expression one of determination and desire. My fists clench and unclench in expectation.

She slowly pulls the towel loose and lets it drop to the floor, exposing every naked inch of her lush ivory skin to my view. My eyes gaze over her scars, they serve as a constant reminder of her strength and determination. They make her even more beautiful than she was before.

I groan, the sight shattering my control as I step forward and roughly pull her to me, taking her mouth in a bruising kiss.

In a flurry of movement, I rip my shirt from my body, barely breaking contact with her lips in the process. My pants fall to the floor followed by my boxer briefs and socks until we're skin to skin. Kissing, panting, and hands roaming over each other’s bodies in a frenzied need for contact.

I bend down and pick her up, her legs wrapping around my waist as I move to lay her down on the bed. "I want you so much." She pants.

"I have you. I'll always be here to give you what you need. I love you so much," I mutter between kisses as I position myself above her.

I break away from her mouth to move my lips over her shoulders to her breast where I suck her pebbled nipple into my mouth, ripping a cry from her that only serves to fuel the fire of my desire.

I move to her other nipple and bite down gently, then suckling to ease the stinging, and then move down over her stomach where I kiss each stretch mark and then the scar from her C-section. I lavish them with attention to show her how beautiful each mark on her body is. Every scar and imperfection only serves to make her more perfect in my eyes. More gorgeous. More precious.

She moans and winds her fingers through my hair when I reach the folds of her sex. I inhale her scent deep into my lungs. It's the nectar of desire that makes me all kinds of crazy to sink deep inside her.

I lap at the center of her core and take her essence into my mouth with greedy pulls and flicks of my tongue. Minute by minute, she comes undone until she finally rises up off the bed, her fingers digging into my scalp as she pulls me tight against her, my mouth devouring her with lapping strokes that quickly bring her to climax.

When I've wrung the last tremor of her climax from her satiated body, I rise over her, positioning my cock at her entrance, and then thrust forward in one motion.

"Aghh ...” She moans.

My body sets a gentle rhythm as my hips piston my cock in and out of her slick channel. Her sex clenches tight around me like a welcoming fist, contracting as my momentum builds until I'm taking her with a force that I fight to contain, but I'm lost to the way she feels wrapped around my cock. Molten silk meeting velvety steel. It's like nothing I've ever experienced, and before long, I feel a tingling at the base of my spine that spreads like electrified tentacles over the backs of my thighs and up to the base of my cock before it explodes out in a mind-numbing orgasm. I groan and pull her to me as I let myself go deep inside her. My body jerking with the aftershocks of the best orgasm of my life.

She cries out, finding release as I do. We climax in a symphony of rippling waves that pulls every drop of cum from my body and hers and leaves us both panting wildly. Our hearts beating rapidly in the heat of ecstasy.

"I love you," I whisper before I place a kiss over the shell of her ear.

"I love you too." Her sweet voice comes out a bit husky and spent. It brings a smug smile to my face.

After a few minutes, I get up to grab a towel and clean her off then take care of myself before returning to bed to pull her tight against my chest as we both fade off into a blissful sleep.