SIX MONTHS LATER The contractions start at 2 AM. By 6 AM, Sarah is in the delivery room. Done. Completely “I can’t do this,” she gasps, tears streaming down her face. “I can’t. It hurts too much.” “Yes, you can.” Ronan’s holding her hand, his voice steady even though his face is pale. “Look at me, Sarah. You can do this.” “I can’t—” Another contraction rips through her and she screams. Malachi is on her other side, his hand shaking as he wipes her face. “We’re right here, sweetheart. We’re not leaving.” Jaxon is at the foot of the bed, looking terrified. “Tell us what you need. Anything.” “I need it to STOP.” Dr. Patel checks the monitors. “Sarah, I need you to push on the next contraction. Baby A is ready.” “No. No, I can’t.” “You can,” the doctor says firmly. “One push at a time. That’s all.” The next contraction builds and Sarah bears down, screaming through it. “Good! Again!” She pushes again. Her whole body feels like it’s splitting apart. “The head is out! One more, Sarah!” “I hate you,” she sobs to the brothers. “I hate all of you for doing this to me.” “We know,” Malachi says, and his voice breaks. “We know, baby. Just one more.” She pushes with everything she has left. And then there’s crying. Loud, angry, beautiful crying. “It’s a girl!” Dr. Patel holds up a tiny, squirming baby. Sarah starts sobbing. Real, ugly sobs of relief and joy and exhaustion. Ronan makes a sound she’s never heard from him before—something between a gasp and a cry. Malachi’s crying openly, not even trying to hide it.Jaxon’s hands are shaking as he reaches toward the baby. “Is she—is she okay?” “She’s perfect,” the doctor confirms. They take the baby to clean her up, and Sarah can hear her crying the whole time. Strong lungs. But she can’t rest yet. “Alright, Sarah. Baby B is coming. I need you to push again.” “I can’t.” She’s beyond exhausted. “I can’t do it again.” “You have to,” Ronan says, and there are tears on his face now too. “Just one more, kitten. One more and we’re done.” “Come on, sweetheart,” Malachi pleads. “You’re so close.” Another contraction. Weaker this time. Sarah doesn’t know if she has the strength. But then she hears the first baby crying, and something in her chest tightens. She has to do this. Has to bring her other daughter into the world. She pushes. “Again, Sarah!” Another push. She’s screaming, crying, breaking apart. “I see the head! Keep going!” One final push. And then—another cry. Quieter than the first, but just as perfect. “Another girl!” Sarah collapses back, sobbing so hard she can’t breathe. The nurses bring both babies over, wrapped in pink blankets, and place them on Sarah’s chest. And everything stops. Sarah looks down at them. Two tiny faces. One with a full head of dark hair, eyes squeezed shut. The other nearly bald, blinking up at her. “Oh my God,” she breathes. “Oh my God, look at them.” Ronan is openly crying now. His hand is trembling as he reaches out to touch the first baby’s head. “They’re here,” he says, voice completely wrecked. “They’re actually here.” Malachi can’t even speak. He’s just staring at the babies with tears streaming down his face. Jaxon moves closer, reaches out to touch the second baby’s tiny hand. She wraps her fingers around his immediately. “She’s holding my hand,” he chokes out. “She’s—” He can’t finish. Just cries. Kevin, who’s been standing near the door trying not to intrude, comes closer. “Sarah. They’re beautiful.” “They are, aren’t they?” Sarah can’t stop staring at them. Can’t believe they’re real. “They’re so perfect.” “What are their names?” Kevin asks. Sarah looks at Ronan. Then Malachi. Then Jaxon. “We never decided,” she says. “We talked about it but never—” “This one,” Ronan says softly, touching the baby with dark hair. “She looks like an Emma.” Sarah’s breath catches. “Emma. I love that.” “And this one,” Jaxon says, still holding the second baby’s hand. “Lily. She’s a Lily.” “Emma and Lily,” Malachi repeats, and his voice is full of wonder. “Our daughters.” “Our daughters,” Sarah echoes. The babies are still on her chest. Warm and alive and theirs. Emma makes a small sound. Not quite a cry. Just a little noise. “Hi, Emma,” Sarah whispers. “Hi, baby girl. I’m your mama.” Lily’s eyes are still open, looking around. Sarah shifts slightly so Lily can see the brothers. “And these are your daddies,” she continues. “All three of them. You’re so loved already. So, so loved.” “Can I—” Ronan starts, then stops. “Can I hold one?” “Yes. Of course.” The nurse helps transfer Emma to Ronan’s arms. He’s shaking as he takes her, cradling her against his chest like she might break. “Hi,” he whispers to her. “Hi, Emma. I’m your dad. I’m—” His voice cracks. “I’m going to take care of you. I promise. I’m going to protect you and love you and—” He can’t finish. Just holds her and cries. Malachi takes Lily next. He’s more composed, but Sarah can see his hands trembling. “You’re so tiny,” he says to her. “So perfect. I can’t believe you’re real.” Lily makes that little squeaking sound again. “She’s talking to you,” Sarah says, smiling through her tears. “Yeah, she is.” Malachi laughs, the sound wet and broken. “Hi, Lily. I’m your dad too. And I’m going to make sure you know how special you are. Every single day.” Jaxon takes Emma from Ronan, holds her close. “I’m the fun dad,” he tells her. “Just so you know. But I’m also the one who’s going to cry at your graduation and scare away boys and probably embarrass you constantly.” He presses a kiss to her forehead. “But I’m going to love you forever. Both of you. So much.” They pass the babies back and forth. Taking turns holding them. Marveling at their tiny fingers and toes. After a while, the babies start to fuss. “They’re hungry,” a nurse says gently. Sarah nods, and they help her position both babies to nurse. It’s awkward at first. Fumbling. But then both babies latch on and Sarah just… stops. The thought of it warms her stomach. This is really her life now. This is her family. Everything, every choice she had ever made in life brought her to this very moment. And if she could, she would sure as hell do it all over again, the exact same way.