Elena's POV
The soft hum of the ultrasound machine filled the quiet room.
Zayden sat beside me, his hand gently clasped in mine, thumb brushing soothing circles on my skin. He looked calm on the outside, but I could feel the tension in his grip, the anticipation.
Dr. Latham entered with a warm smile. "Ready to see your little one?"
I nodded, already bracing for the cold gel.
She applied it with practiced ease, and within seconds, the monitor lit up with soft, shifting images of our baby.
Zayden leaned forward, his eyes locked on the screen, searching.
Dr. Latham moved the probe slightly, her expression suddenly shifting.
She paused. Then smiled.
"Well, I should say… little ones."
My brows drew together. "Wait… what?"
She turned the screen toward us. "There are two heartbeats. Congratulations, you're having twins."
I blinked, staring at the screen. "Twins…?"
Zayden froze. "Twins?! Like—two actual babies? No mirror illusions? No glitches?"
Dr. Latham chuckled. "Nope. Two babies. One boy. One girl. Both healthy. Both strong."
I covered my mouth with my hands as my eyes welled with tears. I wasn't sure if I was crying from joy, fear, or both. Maybe all.
Zayden sat back in the chair like someone had pulled the floor from under him. "Oh my God…"
Then he stood. Paced. Came back. Pressed a kiss to my temple. "Twins. We're having twins."
"Looks like we both got our wish," I whispered, squeezing his hand.
He shook his head in disbelief. "This… this is everything."
---
That night
Zayden sat cross-legged on the bed, shirtless in grey sweatpants, a small bottle of gel in his hands. The lights were dimmed, the mood calm. Intimate.
"I asked Dr. Latham for the gel," he murmured. "Figured if you were going to grow our kids… I could at least make you feel special doing it."
I smiled, heart aching with how soft he'd become.
He warmed the gel between his hands and gently applied it on my belly with featherlight strokes, his expression tender, awestruck.
"There you go, babies," he whispered. "It's your dad. Again."
He bent down, pressing a kiss between where the twins rested.
"You know…" he murmured, resting his chin lightly on my bump, "I always thought I'd be a wreck if we had one baby. But two? A girl and a boy? That means double the diapers, double the chaos, double the laughter."
His voice cracked slightly.
"I'm gonna need to build another crib. And learn how to braid hair. And change two sets of clothes in the middle of the night."
I giggled.
"And you're going to read bedtime stories in five different voices," I added.
"Damn right I am." He looked up, smiling. "I'm going to do everything right. Because they'll have you. And I refuse to be anything less than everything they deserve."
I ran my fingers through his hair as he kissed my belly again.
"Don't worry," I whispered. "We're going to give them the best life. Together."
Zayden nodded, his voice soft but steady. "They're going to know love from the second they open their eyes. That's my promise."
And that night, beneath the soft light and a sky full of stars outside, we laid together—his hand on my belly, mine wrapped around his—two heartbeats between us, and a love that would never break.