Epilogue

Lisa's P.O.V.

"Are you guys ready to see your baby?" The technician asked as I held Mandy's hand with Davis' in my other.

Mandy was an angel, agreeing to be our surrogate when I still could not carry. Sadly, I couldn't defy those odds, but Mandy stepped right in. We inseminated her almost two months ago, finally getting to see our baby for the first time today. I didn't think this would work, but when Mandy called and told me she got the positive pregnancy test, I cried like a baby. It still astounds me how much my life had changed since Davis entered it. For once, I believed I could have a happy ending too, and it was only getting happier.

"Very!" I smiled, squeezing Mandy's hand in excitement. The technician squeezed the blue gel on Mandy's lower abdomen, placing the ultrasound wand over her skin. She moved the wand around until the image of a small baby appeared, but as she moved it around more, I could swear I saw another. They told us there was a possibility that we could end up with more than one baby, but I never imagined we'd luck out like that. "Is that- is it two?" I asked, trying not to let myself get too excited or too scared, for that matter.

"In fact, it is." The technician smiled as she continued staring at her monitor. "Here is baby A, and here is baby B." She pointed them out, adding the wording on the screen for us. "You're having twins!" she announced.

I screamed a little too loudly at the news. Honestly, I think that was the first time I had ever yelled in excitement about something. Davis hugged me tightly, kissing my temple, looking ready to cry alongside me.

"Thank you, Mandy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I know she didn't exactly make this happen, but it's thanks to her it was happening. I would forever love Mandy for this, be indebted to her even if she doesn't believe I need to be. She was allowing me to have my own children with Davis, all the while going through the pains of labor and having her body change for children that would not be her own.

"It's my honor, Lisa. You and Davis are family to me, and I am happy I can do this for you guys. I have a kid of my own, so it's not like my body hasn't been through this already." Her eyes were twinkling with emotions as she spoke to me, ready to cry herself. We were all an emotional mess for our own reasons.

The technician printed the ultrasound pictures for us and we held them like the precious treasures they were. We walked with Mandy to the patient room, all the while staring at the pictures, engraving them into my memory for the rest of my life while we waited for the doctor to come in. She spoke to us about the due date, things to look out for, and spoke about pregnancy with multiples. I paid close attention, as I planned to help Mandy in any way I could. Only an act of God could keep me away from Mandy for most of this pregnancy.

"I can't wait to show these to Calliope!" I told Davis, as we headed out of the office to our car. Mandy was at our side, as I refused to let her walk behind us. She could lead the way if she wanted, but she didn't. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, still feeling eternally grateful, and squeezed her tightly against my side. "Thank you, Mandy."

"Stop thanking me. I am not doing anything except housing a couple of munchkins inside me. Now people are going to give me good seats on the subway, and they'll move out of my way while I walk. At least once my stomach shows more, which will be sooner with there being two." She laughed, like she didn't care that these two babies were going to stretch her skin beyond belief.

"Not a lot of women would do this for their friends. We are forever grateful, Mandy." Davis joined in on our appreciation of our now forever best friend.

"Davis, I owe you a lot, so the fact I can do this small thing for you is more than enough for me."

"It's not a small thing. You're giving us our babies."

"You know what I mean. Now stop, you guys are going to make me feel weird." She laughed, waving us off and leading the way now. I smiled, staring at her small back in front of us, small but powerful.

"We're having twins, my Viking."

"We're having twins, my Warrior," he repeated, kissing the top of my head. I leaned into him, allowing him to hold me against his side as we walked.

"We're having twins." Davis and I announced it to the whole family after gathering them together for dinner. I couldn't hold the news in any longer, bursting at the seams before dinner had even started. We had already told Calliope this afternoon. She was excited, already making plans for her younger siblings, and how she would help care for them with me.

"That's great news!" Liv smiled at me, rubbing her own growing stomach. "They won't be too far apart in age from our Johnny." Lucas and Liv honored John and named their baby boy Johnny. I hadn't thought about it, but they were right. Our children won't be that much younger than Johnny.

"They'll be the new little trio," Lucas added, rubbing Liv's bump as well.

They were so in love with the baby, with each other, and little Abi, who sat quietly on Lucas' lap. Her hair was curling just like Liv's, only making her look even cuter. I hoped my babies were just as adorable, although I know I would be biased and think they were the cutest babies on the planet. "You guys are cute, but all I've gotta say now is good luck." Lucas and Liv laughed like it was the biggest inside joke they had.

"Sorry, I shouldn't laugh. We're about to have a heck of a time ourselves. Still, I know those first weeks with the babies are going to be hectic. Call us if you need anything, okay? Don't feel you have to handle it alone." Liv added, being her usual kind self.

"Thank you."

"Well shit, I went from being an only child to now having three younger siblings." Izzy sounded like she was complaining, but the smile on her face let you know she was thrilled about the fact. I think she enjoyed being an older sister, and having people to look after and teach. She was a really amazing big sister, and it made me happy to know my children would have her in their lives.

"I know you'll watch out for them." Davis told her with a proud look in his eyes as he stared at his oldest daughter.

"I get to be an older sister now, too!" Calliope chimed in from beside me. "I hope I'm as good as you, Izzy."

"I'm certain you will be." Izzy winked at her as she tore into another roll we had set out on the table to pick on.

"Congratulations. You guys are the best parents I know." Jared gave us a warm smile as he paid us the ultimate compliment, at least to me it was.

"Thank you, Jared."

My heart couldn't be anymore elated than it was at this moment. Davis' large hand grabbed mine under the table, squeezing it sweetly. I met his blue eyes, feeling the happiest and most loved right now. My lips couldn't help but spread wide and show my joy for everyone to see.

"I love you," Davis whispered to me.

"I love you, too."

"Okay, guys, Baby One has made its way down. Are you ready to push Mandy?" The doctor asked her, and the look she gave her in return could melt glass.

"Get these babies out of me already!" Mandy yelled.

The woman was strong as hell and all you could see was pure fury in her face. She was ready to push these kids out and be done with the pain. They had her lay the entire time she labored, only agitating her as she felt she could have walked around and gotten things going faster. I would forever owe Mandy everything for this gift.

"Alright, let's get this going then. Make sure on the next contraction you pull up on the back of your knees and push until I count to ten, okay?"

"I know the drill, Doc. I got this," Mandy snapped, but the doctor took no offense.

I guess she was used to it in this line of work. People handle pain differently, and this pain was apparently incomparable to any in this world. I would never feel it, but I could imagine how badly it hurt if the beginning of labor was apparently as bad as your worst period cramps. It may be crazy, but I was actually sad that I wouldn't get to experience this pain, to go through all that for my kids.

Mandy pulled at the back of her knees and pushed as the doctor counted to ten. She did this a few more times before the head came out. I watched in amazement as my little black-headed baby came out into this world. Mandy had done fabulously and delivered what we now know was a baby boy. We had kept the genders a secret, not wanting to know until they were born.

"We're not done yet. One more, you got this!" the doctor encouraged Mandy, as she let her rest for a moment before starting again. We took this time to watch them weigh and measure our boy.

"He's so beautiful." I cried, literally bawled my eyes out at his absolute beauty. He was so small, weighing five pounds and two ounces, but I could tell he was strong, and tall at twenty-two inches.

"Here you go, Mama." The nurse handed him to me, and my world finally felt whole again. There were no words that could describe this moment and do it justice. All I could say was that my heart was full of love, full of happiness, full of everything good in this world.

"Look at our boy." Davis' voice cracked with emotion as he looked down at our baby in my arms.

"It's good to have skin to skin contact with them when they are first born," the nurse encouraged me. I knew this, so I had actually worn one of Davis' shirts so that it was large enough to let our baby inside. His little head peaked out of the collar as I held his naked body against my chest.

"Okay, Mommy and Daddy, here comes the next one." The doctor called us over and Davis took Mandy's hands in support as I watched her birth our next baby.

A sweet baby girl, to make this family complete.

"Sorry Baby Boy, but it looks like we're outnumbered," Davis told our son as our daughter was being weighed and measured now.

She was larger at five pounds and seven ounces and measuring twenty-one inches. She was so beautiful, but she had little hair. I was guessing she would be blonde like her father, as the little hair she has shined bright in the light, barely noticeable.

Davis and I stared in awe of our children, holding them, switching between each child. We couldn't get enough of them, cooing over them and holding them tight. They were precious and filled with light and joy. I couldn't stop crying as I held them in my arms and finally felt them close.

"Thank you, Mandy. Thank you so much." I cried to her as they finished up with her.

"Let me see them." She said, sounding so exhausted after all she'd done. Davis and I walked over, holding them out for her to see.

"Strong, just like their parents. What are you naming them?"

"The warrior and the Viking." I laughed, joking, of course.

"Hilda and Henry," Davis and I said in unison, having already spoken about names to the lengths of time the past few weeks. We had two boy names and two girl names picked and we tried to make them all match in a way.

"Such perfect names."

With Hilda and Henry now in our arms, life felt full and complete. I would live my days out with my sweet family and eternally loving husband. We would raise these kids together and teach them all we could, give them all the wisdom we could impart before setting them loose on the world.

Watch out everyone, because the Havard family is coming.