Nina shook her head and smiled. “You crazy man. You got the most exclusive baby boutique in town to come here to show me a layette?”
“You wanted to shop for a layette, and I want to keep you safe and secure. Now we’re both happy.”
Hugging me, she whispered against my chest, “I love you so much, Tristan. Thank you for this.”
I kissed her and squeezed her to me. “I love you too, princess. Now let’s get these kids their layette.”
Chapter Nine
Nina
I felt like a real life princess as Elise showed off newborn clothes, blankets, and every possible item a baby could need. With Tristan egging me on, I picked out two of every item I liked, and by the time she left, our living room was full of what every newborn needed in those first weeks of life. I knew since our twins would probably be small or even preterm, we might have to wait a while to put them in those adorable little onesie outfits decorated with giraffes to match their nursery, but that was okay. The very fact that Tristan had arranged for the owner of the most exclusive baby boutique in Manhattan to come to our house made the day more special than even he probably knew.
Tristan worked hard to make sure every day was as wonderful as the day that Elise Weston brought me most of her shop to pick and choose from. Sometimes we enjoyed a simple movie and popcorn, and other times he brought in chefs to create meals that bordered on banquets. Each morning, I awoke to flowers on my nightstand. Roses, daisies, and lilies, they made the start of each day wonderful. Even as I felt bigger and more uncomfortable by the moment, I couldn’t help but feel like I was the luckiest woman in the world.
We spent a quiet Thanksgiving at the penthouse with Jordan, who was happy to have someone to celebrate the holiday with instead of sitting around her apartment alone. I remembered those days after my father died and how lonely they’d always felt, so when Tristan asked me what I wanted to do to celebrate Thanksgiving, having her over was top on my list. Plus, by that time, I couldn’t help feeling I wanted to have the two people I cared most about around me. I wasn’t due until late January, but something told me it wouldn’t be long before the babies came.
December in New York brought a winter storm that nearly crippled the city. I watched out the penthouse windows as people hurriedly moved along through the snow with their shoulders up around their ears toward the warmth of stores and restaurants, and for the first time in weeks, I didn’t mind not being outside with them. Work on the heart drug to replace Cardiell took up most of Tristan’s time, and as much as he wanted to spend his days with me, being CEO meant he had to spend his hours at his office.
I watched him dress in his usual suit look, coming up behind him to adjust his tie as he looked in the mirror in the bedroom. Barely able to reach around him because of my very pregnant belly, I straightened his look and gave him a hug, like I always did before he left for work. “What time will you be home tonight?”
Tristan stared back at me in the mirror and smiled. “I’ll be home for dinner by six tonight. What time is Jordan coming by this morning?”
“She’ll be here by ten. That leaves only one hour for me to cause mischief here,” I teased as I walked around to face him.
He took me by the chin and frowning, shook his head. “What am I going to do with you? I spend all day worrying you’re going to go into labor and I’m not going to get you to the hospital in time, and you make jokes about being alone here.”
I looked up into those brown eyes now so concerned as they stared down at me. “My oh-so-serious husband. Smile. We’re going to be parents soon. Then you can wear your serious face all the time like all good dads do.”
“If that’s the criteria for being a good dad, I should be the best then,” he said with a tiny smile that told me he wasn’t sure of the father he’d be.
But I was. Standing on my tippy toes, I kissed the corner of his mouth. “You’re going to be a fantastic daddy. You’re going to spoil our kids rotten but be the one who does all the glaring when they misbehave. Don’t worry. You got this covered.”
“Thanks for letting me know my role,” he joked. “Now that I have the job description…”
I turned to head for the bathroom and felt something wet on my leg. Instantly, my mind raced through all the pages of my pregnancy books, and I knew it was time. Looking down, I expected to see water or something like it on the floor, but there was nothing. My gaze trailed up my leg and there, in the middle of my thigh, I saw a line of bright red blood.
Terrified, I spun around to face Tristan. “There’s something wrong. We need to go to the hospital now!”
His eyes followed mine to my leg and then everything began to move so fast. I heard him say something like everything was going to be okay, but my mind was filled with fear. I had no idea what was wrong, but I knew blood wasn’t a good sign. He guided me to my coat, all the while working to keep me calm as he called Dr. Michaelson, and I just nodded over and over, unable to speak. I wanted to believe it was okay—that the babies were fine and we’d be okay—but I had a bad feeling.
By the time we arrived at the hospital, my heart raced in fear that I’d done something wrong to make this happen. Turning to Tristan as we walked through the emergency room doors, I grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly as I spoke the first words since telling him something was wrong. “I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
Pressing his lips to my cheek, he kissed me. “You’re going to be fine, Nina. I won’t leave your side. I promise. We’re going to get through this fine, and in a little while you and I are going to meet our children.”
Dozens of people hurriedly moved around me in the operating room, barking out words that all blended into one big stream of noise, but throughout it all Tristan stood next to me holding my hand and smoothing my damp hair off my face. No matter how frantic everyone else looked, he remained calm, his expression full of love, as he whispered over and over, “Don’t be scared. I’m here.”
I wasn’t scared. I’d prepared myself for the real possibility that I’d have to go through an emergency C-section. Twins rarely were born naturally, so this was nothing to be frightened of. Even if I was, Tristan smiling down at me and squeezing my hand would chase all my fears away.
The tiny sound of a baby’s cry broke through the cacophony of voices around me, and I looked down to see our child in the doctor’s hands. Was it a boy or a girl? I looked up at Tristan, my eyes pleading for the answer.
“Say hello to your daughter, and her sister is coming right behind her,” Dr. Michaelson said in a voice full of joy.
Tristan bent down and in my ear whispered, “Two girls, Nina. Diana and Tressa.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but suddenly the room felt like it was spinning out of control. My eyes couldn’t focus, and then I heard a voice say something about blood or bleeding out and heard machines begin to buzz and chime frantically, and I felt Tristan let go of my hand. Everything spun around me, but I saw his face twist in terror as he was led away. Why was he leaving me there with all those strangers when I needed him most?
And then everything went dark.
I opened my eyes and saw I stood in a yard of green grass lined by flower beds filled with yellow and white daisies. The sun was shining like it was a gorgeous summer day. I looked around confused. I knew this place, but from where? I walked toward the middle of the yard, unsure of what I’d find but somehow knowing there’d be something familiar there. I stopped as my foot landed on a stepping stone. Crouching down in the cool grass, I saw in the center of the grey stone a yellow and orange painted sun, the kind a child would make.
I’d made that picture. The memory of that week at summer camp the year my mother died came rushing back to me. The hours I spent in the art building while the other children played tag and kickball. The happiness that week had given me after months of living in my house as my father and sister mourned my mother’s death, me being too young to understand what had happened but feeling the pall that hung over every room and every moment of our lives.
I ran my fingertip over the sun, feeling the warmth of the rock as I traced the ridges worn into it by weather over the years. Closing my eyes, I remembered the look on my father’s face as I showed him my stepping stone I’d made for my mother, not understanding the sadness in his eyes as he pretended to love my creation. Tears began to stream down my cheeks as the realization of what this rock meant dawned on me.
Just like my mother and father, I’d died.
“Don’t cry, Nina.”
I knew that voice. Soft, feminine, it filled my heart with warmth and happiness. Opening my eyes, I saw her for the first time in nearly twenty years. My mother, gone since I was just a little girl, stood there in front of me as she had so many times when I played in our backyard. Beautiful, with long brown hair and blue eyes just like mine, she smiled at me.
“Mom? Is that you?”
“Yes, sweetheart. I’m here.”
“How? What is this?”
“I’ve missed you, Nina. I’ve missed you every day since I had to leave that morning.”