The First Intermission Read online

  “You tired, baby girl?” I ask Hayley as she rests her head on my shoulder. She’s yawned at least four times since I picked her up outside.

  “I’s so tired, Daddy,” she says as her eyes flutter shut.

  “Well, no falling asleep on my shoulder. We’ve got to get you changed, go potty, and brush your teeth first.”

  “Os-kay,” she sleepily says, still laying on my shoulder as we enter her room. I set her on her bed and rummage in her dresser for some pj’s and clean panties. I help her change, then follow her into the bathroom, and help her get her teeth brushed and through the normal nightly routine.

  “Can you read me a story?” she asks as she climbs into bed.

  “Sure can. What one do you want tonight?” I ask, looking at the bookshelf next to her bed.

  “You pick,” she tells me, her eyelids heavy once again. I select a short, yet favorite one of hers.

  “How about this one?” I ask, holding the book up for her to see. She nods her head as she gets comfortable on the bed. I pull her blanket up and tuck her in, placing a kiss on her forehead before I start reading.

  Just as I make it to the last page, I hear her breathing change and look over to find her fast asleep. I place the book back on the shelf, then kiss her one last time before leaving her room.

  “Did she fight you at all?” Kinley asks when I return to the patio.

  “Not even one bit. About fell asleep on my shoulder while I was carrying her upstairs. I was able to keep her awake and get her bathroom stuff done, as well as get her into pj’s and read her a short book. She’s out cold now.”

  “You lucked out after all that sugar you let her have today,” Jenn teases me.

  “That I did.” I reach for my beer on the table in front of me. “Did you get Isaiah off to bed?” I ask Jenn, looking around for him.

  “Yep, he was just as exhausted as Hayley. Drew took him in while you were getting her down.”

  “Good, I’m glad he’s having a good time while you guys are here. I wasn’t sure if he’d have fun playing with Hayley with their three-year age difference.”

  “Oh, he’s loving getting to play with her,” Jenn tells me.

  We sit around, enjoying the nice weather and the company for another couple of hours, until we all decide we better get our butts to bed, since we have plans in the morning and kids that will probably be up early and ready to go.

  Chapter Eleven

  Laura

  “Hi, Mommy!” Miles calls out as he walks into the living room where I’m relaxing on the couch. He went with Mark to the parade today while I stayed home with Bella.

  “Hi, baby, did you have fun with Daddy?” I ask him as Bella starts to stir in the rock and play next to the couch.

  “Yes!” he says excitedly. “I got candy and got to ride on a big truck!”

  “Sounds like fun.” He moves to stand over Bella. “Careful,” I warn Miles, as he tries to pick Isabella up from her rock and play. “Can you give her the paci for Mommy?”

  He does as I ask and offers her the pacifier instead of trying to pick her up. We’ve had quite the adjustment these past few days, going from a family of three to a family of four. Miles has done pretty good, considering his world has been turned upside down with a new sister to contend with for our time. Mark has been a godsend since Bella and I came home two days ago, helping me out as much as he can, being the primary parent to Miles and spending as much time as he can with Bella.

  She’s the sweetest little peanut of a baby. So laid-back and easygoing, so far. She’s nursed like a champ since she was born and is already on a good sleep schedule, so far not showing signs of having her days and nights mixed up, which is impressive at only three days old.

  “Hey, Princess,” Mark says, coming over and sitting down next to me on the couch. He places a kiss against my temple, and I melt into his side.

  “Hi,” I say around a yawn. “How was the parade?”

  “Good. Just as big, if not bigger, of a turnout as the last few parades we’ve had over the years.”

  “That’s good. Sorry I had to miss it.”

  “I’m sure everyone understands why you did.” He chuckles next to me. “You did just have a baby three days ago. You’re allowed to take time off, babe.”

  “I know, I just enjoy events like these, but family always come first,” I tell him, a small smile on my lips as I look at the family we’ve created in the last few years. I dreamed—dreamed—of the day I’d get to become a mom and, lo and behold, it didn’t end up being as hard as I’d thought it was going to be. Amazing what your body can do when it’s not stressed all the time.

  “Why don’t you go take some time for yourself? Have a shower, take a nap, whatever you want. I’ll take over with the kids.”

  “Bella is going to be hungry soon. Let me nurse her first, and then a hot shower sounds like a tropical vacation right about now.”

  “Okay. Can I get you anything in the meantime?” Mark asks, brushing some hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear.

  “Can you refill my water and bring me a snack of some kind. I don’t really care what, just something I can eat one-handed while nursing. I’m starving all of a sudden,” I tell him, just as Bella spits out her paci and lets out a cry.

  “Shhh, shhh, my little Princess.” Mark coos at her as he reaches over and pulls her out of the rock and play. “Daddy’s got you,” he says to her sweetly and her little cry stops as she snuggles into his neck.

  He holds her while I get situated, the nursing pillow around me and my bra unclamped. He hands her over and I get her latched on right away.

  “Hey, buddy, you want to go get a snack for Mommy with me?” Mark asks Miles.

  “Can I have one?” he asks.

  “Sure can, but let’s get Mommy hers first, and then we can get one for you and me. How’s that sound?”

  “Okay.”

  Before standing up, Mark leans over and drops a chaste kiss to my lips, and then one to the side of Bella’s head. Once he’s kissed both of “his girls,” as he likes to call us sometimes, he follows Miles out of the room and into the kitchen.

  I look down at our baby girl and watch as her eyes flutter shut. I run a fingertip along her face, over her eyebrow, the tip of her nose, and along her cheek. I love the softness of her skin—that new baby skin that is just so perfect. I know I’m biased, but she’s such a cute little baby.

  “Here you go,” Mark says softly, as he hands me my bottle of water and a plate with some meat, cheese, and crackers.

  “Thanks, this looks perfect,” I tell him as I stack a piece of meat and cheese on top of a cracker and eat it all in one bite.

  “I’m going to go get Miles a snack and then I’ll be back. Let me know if you need anything else before then.”

  “Thanks, babe. I should be good with this,” I tell him, pointing to the plate as I reach for another bite.

  Twenty or so minutes later, my boys are back and Bella is sound asleep, milk drunk. I hand her over to Mark and escape to take a shower. As I told him when he offered, a shower sounds just about as amazing as a tropical vacation does right about now.

  I stand under the spray of the hot water and let it relax my sore muscles. No one tells you how much your body goes through with labor, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Having my two perfect babies was worth every second of pain I went through to get them.

  I eventually wash my hair and body, staying in the shower until the water starts to run cold. Once out and dried off, I pull out some comfortable lounge clothes. All I want to do now is hang out with my favorite people on the planet.

  Chapter Twelve

  Madison

  “Here you go,” Richard says, handing me a can of ginger ale. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like death has taken over.” I groan. “I didn’t realize that a little bundle could make me so sick.”

  “I’m sorry, honey. What can I do to make you feel better? Do you want to try some cracker
s or anything?”

  “Not right now. I think I’ll take a few sips of this and try to lay back down.”

  “All right, I’ll help you up and back to bed.” Richard slips his hands under my armpits and picks me up, stopping once I’m on my feet. I’ve been sitting next to the toilet for way too long this morning, heaving up every last thing that could possibly come up. Morning sickness hit me hard two days ago and hasn’t let up yet. I don’t know how much longer I can manage this. “Have you called your doctor yet? I don’t think this much morning sickness is normal. Maybe they can give you something to help.”

  “Yes, I left a message with her nurse. Hopefully, they’ll call me back soon,” I tell him as he helps me into bed. I sit up and take a few slow sips of the ginger ale. Thankfully, my stomach tolerates it pretty well.

  “I’m going to try and take a nap,” I say, yawning. “I’m feeling exhausted after the last couple of hours.”

  “Okay, babe. Holler if you need anything. I’ll take your cell with me, in case the doctor’s office calls back while you’re sleeping.”

  “Thanks,” I tell him before nodding off to sleep.

  “Madison, good to see you,” Dr. Abbott greets me as she walks into the exam room. “I understand things are not going great for you these past couple of days.”

  “Not at all, I found out I was pregnant last week and felt great for the first couple of days. I woke up two days ago, puking, and haven’t been able to keep anything down since.”

  “Sounds like a strong case of morning sickness. Let me do a quick exam and then we can discuss some options,” she says, stopping to wash her hands before she puts gloves on. “Go ahead and slide down on the table. We’ll get the pelvic exam out of the way first. Your urine tests were mostly normal, but your ketones were a little elevated, which isn’t surprising if you’re having issues keeping anything down and are a little dehydrated.”

  I do as instructed, and we get the pelvic exam out of the way.

  “I’ll do a quick ultrasound just to confirm dates and make sure everything on the inside looks good.” She moves a portable machine closer to the table. “Richard, you can come over here, if you’d like to see the screen. Due to you being so early in your pregnancy, we’ll need to do a transvaginal ultrasound, so I apologize in advance if the gel is cold,” she says as she applies gel to the end of the wand before inserting it.

  Dr. Abbott moves it around and the screen fills with what looks like white snow. She measures a few things; I have no clue how she can even pick whatever it is she’s measuring.

  “Right here,” she says, pointing to the screen at a black circle, “is your baby. This little spot that’s flickering is the heart beating! And this right here is a second sac, with a second heartbeat. Congratulations, you’re having twins!”

  “Wait…what?!” I question, not hearing her correctly.

  “You’re pregnant with twins!” she says again.

  “Oh my god. How are we going to have two babies? At once?” I say, sounding dazed.

  “I know it’s a shock, but trust me, many people have done this before you and you’ll be fine! We’ll watch you closely for preterm labor once you’ve made it past twenty-four weeks, also referred to as viability or the threshold of when we can medically intervene and attempt to save a premature baby’s life.” She removes the probe and I’m able to sit back up on the table.

  “Good news is, everything from the pelvic and the ultrasound looked good. I’ll send a script for you for some anti-nausea medicine, to see if that helps you keep food and water down,” Dr. Abbott says as she removes her gloves and re-washes her hands before taking a seat again on her stool. “If the meds don’t help, please call and let me know. We’ve always got a doctor on call in the practice, so don’t hesitate to call anytime of day. If it continues, we can send you into the triage area of labor and delivery at the hospital, and administer some IV fluids and meds that will help you get back on track.”

  “Thank you,” I say, still shocked about the two babies. Twins. Holy crap. I look over to Richard and find him with a huge smile on his face. In my stupor, I haven’t even noticed if he’s said anything this entire time. “Can you believe it?”

  “You’re going to be a rock star, babe.” He leans over to plant a kiss on my lips. “We’re going to be parents to two amazing kids.”

  “If you don’t have any other questions, I’ll let the two of you get out of here. You can start taking the meds as soon as you pick them up.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Abbott.”

  “You’re welcome, and congratulations to the both of you. Make sure to make your next appointment when you check out. I’ll see you back in one month, unless you need something before then.”

  Once she leaves the room, I quickly slide off the exam table and get dressed. Richard has the new pregnancy packet the nurse gave us when we arrived. He opens the door once I’m ready and escorts me out of the exam room, his hand resting on my lower back. We make our way to the checkout desk, where I make my next appointment.

  “You feeling okay?” he asks, once we’re settled in the truck and backing out of the parking spot. “You’ve been a little quiet.”

  “Yeah, sorry. I’m just still in shock about the ‘twins’ part. I was just finally wrapping my head around one baby, so knowing we’re having two has me a little speechless.”

  “We’ll be fine, babe. We’ve got this,” he assures me, reaching over and squeezing my hand.

  “My dad is going to be over the moon excited when we tell him.”

  “When do you want to do that, with him already gone on his trip?”

  I blow out a huge breath. “I don’t know. I hate the idea of telling him over the phone, but we won’t see him until fall.”

  “We could always fly or drive and meet up with them somewhere along their trip. Play it off as us wanting to take a side trip and just conveniently make it so we can see them,” he suggests.

  “That’s pretty genius,” I tell my husband.

  “Are you planning on telling the girls anytime soon?”

  “I don’t know. I wasn’t going to, but if this morning sickness sticks around, I don’t know how I’m going to pull it off. So, I guess we’ll just have to see how things pan out.”

  “Okay. I’ll wait for you to be comfortable telling anyone before I spill the news to my parents and the guys.”

  “You can tell your parents whenever you want. I’m fine with family knowing,” I tell him as he pulls into the drive-thru of the pharmacy.

  With my nausea meds in hand, we head home. Max is waiting at the door when we arrive, and I plop myself down on the couch. Max jumps up next to me and rests his head in my lap. “Who’s a good boy?” I ask him as I rub his head. He sighs and gives a little stretch as he melts into my lap while I stroke his side.

  “Do you need something to drink so you can take your meds?” Richard asks from the kitchen.

  “Some water or ginger ale would be great,” I call back to him.

  Seconds later, he’s handing me a can of ginger ale and my bag from the pharmacy. “Can I get you anything else? Crackers? Toast?”

  “I’m good for now, just sit with me,” I tell him as I shift over on the couch, making room for him. He relaxes with his back against the armrest and I sit between his legs, leaning back on his chest.

  “Has the shock worn off yet?” he asks.

  “Not really. I mean, I understand what she told us, I just can’t believe we’re going from just us to us and two babies in seven or so months. We’ve got a lot to figure out by then. A lot to purchase. Just a lot to figure out.”

  “We’ll be fine, babe. We’ve got some great resources in our friends who’ve all been having kids the last few years. I’m sure the ladies will all be more than happy to take you out shopping one day, to make sure you get everything we’re going to need for the babies and a nursery.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” I agree with him. “But now we’ve got to figure out what y
ou’re going to do, what I’m going to do with my job. How am I going to be available for clients when I’m juggling two babies? I was worried about work when it was just one.”

  “We’ve got time to figure that all out,” he tells me, bringing his hands around to rest on my abdomen. “If you want to quit your job and stay home, then do it. You know we don’t need your income. If you want to just take maternity leave and return, then I’ll support you in that decision. If you want to take a few years off and then return, that’s an option, as well. Whatever it is that you want to do for your career, I’ll stand behind. You’re a damn good agent, and you’re going to be a damn good mother. Don’t feel like you can only be one or the other. You can be both if you want to be, or just one if that’s what you want.”

  “I know, but it’s something we’re going to have to start really thinking about. If I’m going to stop working, even if it’s for a year or two, or however long, I’ve got to help my clients transition over to new agents. It’s not an easy thing to do all the time, especially with my pain-in-the-ass clients who need their hands held on a daily basis.”

  “I understand that concern. But it isn’t something we need to decide today,” he reminds me.

  “I’m just panicking, and I know that I am. Give me a little while to wrap my head around everything and I’ll eventually get everything figured out.”

  We stay resting on the couch for a while, just snuggled up in each other’s arms, talking about everything that’s to come. What it’s going to be like to have two babies to bring home. What it’s going to be like when the new hockey season starts back up and Richard isn’t on the ice with the team. Thankfully, the meds my OB/GYN prescribed appear to be helping as my nausea has subsided and my stomach isn’t in knots.