“Whoa,” I breathed, squeezing my eyes shut as I reveled in the strength of our bond. “I’ve never felt anything like this before. Even after everything you told me about the claiming, I didn’t expect it to be so...so....”
“Overwhelming.”
I wasn’t surprised that he was able to finish my sentence. All our mental barriers had dropped, and we were totally open to each other. I had a front-row seat to all his thoughts and emotions, and quickly confirmed what I’d already known—I was the center of Jareth’s word. Just like he was mine.
Epilogue
Jareth
Amaia said goodbye and left the exam room with Liam right on her heels. They’d stopped in after their appointment with the OBGYN. We used the same doctor, and our appointment had ended up being right after theirs on the doctor’s schedule.
Narkissa sighed, and I frowned when I saw the frustrated expression on her face. I laced my fingers through hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Is your back hurting? Your feet? Do you need to go to the bathroom or throw up?”
She giggled and patted my hand. “I’m fine. I promise to let you know if any of those things come up.” I smiled and kissed her knuckles before resting our joined hands on the table by her side. I knew I hovered too much and could be a bit of a “worry wart,” as she called me. But she never got mad about it or asked me to stop. She said she loved that I was so invested in the pregnancy and cared for her so much that I was always intent on seeing her as happy and comfortable as possible.
The doctor came in before I could drag out whatever was bothering her.
“The results of your blood test look great, and your measurements are right on track.”
Narkissa’s frown deepened. “Are you sure?”
The doctor sat in a little rolling chair in front of the ultrasound machine and pulled it over to the side of the exam table. “Absolutely. Now, let's see how things are progressing inside Mommy’s tummy.”
She squeezed some gel onto Narkissa’s bump and began moving the wand around. The first thing she always did was take some measurements of pretty much everything but the baby, so I took the opportunity to grill my wife about what was bothering her.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” I demanded softly.
“It’s nothing.”
I drilled her with a hard stare. “It’s not nothing. Now tell me so I can fix it.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “You can’t fix this.”
My eyes narrowed. “Try me,” I challenged.
Narkissa sighed. “It’s just...I feel like a freaking elephant.”
“Sweetheart, you aren’t anywhere close to even the pinky toe of an elephant, but I’m told those feelings are normal.”
“But—” Her cheeks bloomed with pink.
I raised an eyebrow, and she sighed before continuing. “Amaia is only a month further along, and I’m so much bigger than her.” Moisture welled in her eyes, and I quickly cradled her face in my hands and kissed her before wiping away the tears with my thumbs.
“It doesn’t matter what anyone else looks like, sweetheart. You’re fucking gorgeous, and you outshine them all.”
She gave me a watery smile but still sighed. “I just don’t understand why I’m so much bigger than her!”
“It’s to be expected when you’re carrying twins,” the doctor interrupted in a conversational tone.
Narkissa and I were both speechless as we stared at the OBGYN who was still clicking and writing, taking measurements. She looked up when we were silent for an extended period and frowned. “You didn’t know?”
We shook our heads simultaneously.
“For Pete’s sake,” she grumbled. “Ever since my office manager mated and moved away, things have been slipping through the cracks.” She put her hand on her forehead and groaned. “I can’t believe the lab tech didn’t tell you at the last ultrasound.”
Our doctor had been delivering a baby during our last appointment, so an assistant had taken Narkissa’s stats and done the ultrasound. Then the doctor called after she’d looked everything over.
“Holy cow. That phone call makes so much more sense now…” Narkissa said.
I thought back, and she had a point. We’d been a little confused with some of the doctor’s questions and answers. In hindsight, I could now see that she’d been talking about twins.
“I guess she thought you’d want to give us all the results yourself?” Narkissa wondered.
“And I figured she told you at the appointment,” the doctor concluded. “I’m so sorry.”
“Twins,” I rasped, saying something for the first time since she dropped the double bomb on us.
“That’s what she said,” Narkissa giggled. “You okay there, Daddy?”
“Twins.”
Narkissa’s smile fell a little, and her brow puckered. “Are you okay? Does this upset you?”
Fuck. I hadn’t meant to make her think I was unhappy about the news, especially when I was the complete opposite. “I’m…” I jumped up and strutted to the door, flinging it open before putting my hands in the air. “We’re having twins!” I shouted with a giant smile. Then I shut the door and went to the window, yanking it open and shouting the news again. After I closed it, I swaggered back to Narkissa and perched on the table beside her on one hip, still grinning like a loon.