Chapter 14
SADIE
Iopened my mouth to speak. If he wanted to be a part of the babies’ lives, that was one thing, but I wasn’t about to sit there while he made commands to me. Not a chance.
I didn’t get the opportunity, however. The door opened and the nurse entered, wheelchair in front, ready to take me to the NICU.
Noah helped me out of bed and into the chair and the nurse wheeled me down to the NICU.
The three of us entered the room and one of my children was crying their head off. I sat up and craned my neck to see that it was Andrew.
When the chair was close to the bassinet, I leaned over and scooped up Andrew. To my surprise, Emmy was sleeping peacefully, as if content to snooze while her brother threw his little fit.
“Come here, sweet guy.” I held Andy close, pulling down my gown enough to expose skin that he could rest his head upon.
“Anything I can get for you?” the nurse asked. “We changed them just before bringing you in, so you don’t need to worry about that.”
“Thank you,” I said with a smile. “And no, I should be good for now.”
The nurse gave my hand a quick squeeze before heading out of the room, once again leaving Noah and me alone.
“He’s hungry,” Noah said, leaning down to get a better look at Andy.
“I got it,” I said. “I can figure it out on my own.” I was being too sharp, and I realized it right away. “Sorry.”
“You’ve always been one to figure things out on your own,” he said with a slight smile that let me know he hadn’t taken my tone too personally.
I smiled weakly back at him before turning my attention to Andy.
“I can leave,” Noah said. “If you want some privacy while breastfeeding.”
I shook my head. “Don’t bother – nothing you haven’t seen before.”
I took my breast out and brought it to Andy’s mouth. The little man suckled air a bit before latching. Once he was feeding, his temper calmed right away.
“Listen,” I said. “As far as your comment about raising the babies…” I trailed off, not knowing how to finish.
“It’s fine. Really. You’ve just become a mother and here you are, dealing with me coming in here and making demands.”
It was one of the things I’d always loved about Noah, how he was unflappable, always cool, calm, and in control of his emotions. Just being around him made me feel safe like he was a rock I could depend upon.
He slipped his glasses out of his coat pocket, opened them up, and placed them on his face. I loved how he looked in those things, just the right amount of nerdy to offset otherwise Greek god looks.
“All the same, we need to figure out what we’re going to do about this. We’re the parents to these two, and you bet I’m going to be there for them.”
I didn’t even get a chance to think about how to respond before Emmy began to cry in her bassinet.
Her cry was different than Andy’s – while his was sharp and insistent, hers was more pleading in a way that tugged at your heart. It was uncanny how soon they were already beginning to show signs of their own, unique personalities, despite being twins.
“She’s going to need to eat,” I said, craning my neck to get a look at her.
I shifted as I fed Andy. It was hell to hear my little girl crying, not sure what to do with her. I glanced over at the fridge, and the answer dawned on me.
“Listen, I’ve barely gotten the hang of breastfeeding one of these kids, let alone two. If you don’t mind, there’s a bottle of milk in the fridge that I pumped after delivery. They brought it down with the babies.”
His eyes flashed, and his excitement was palpable.
“Of course.”