Page 54 of Doctor's Surprise Twins

She rolls her eyes. “I know, I know. And that was the plan. But last night, I had a dream and it kind of sealed the deal for me.”

I sigh. “Alright. Tell me the name that fate says will be the love of my life,” I tease.

She smiles wide. “In my dream, I didn’t have a body. It was like I was the sunshine. I saw our backyard and the leaves blowing on the trees. I heard laughter, water splashing, and a little kid giggling. It was noisy for this house, and it made me feel so good because finally, this perfect family home had everything it should have. Then I heard your voice, and you said: I love you, Ally. So… what do you think?”

My brows lift. “Of what?”

She rolls her eyes. “I swear, you have to spell everything out for men.” She giggles. “My name isn’t Ally, so I can only believe that the love of your life—as you put it—is Ally. That’s our daughter’s name. It has to be.”

“Ally?” I question.

“Ally for short. Allison will be her name. Do you like it?”

“If you like it, I love it.”

I jump out of a dead sleep, my eyes sweeping the room as I wonder what the hell happened. I see the clock on the bedside table. It’s ten at night. I must have fallen asleep. Ally is still asleep and clinging to my arm, probably scared that I’ll sneak off and leave her.

I settle back against the pillow and close my eyes close again as I try to grasp everything that’s going on. My heart is racing, and I’m sweating like I’ve been trapped in a nightmare. What was I dreaming about? That’s when it hits me. It wasn’t a dream; it was a memory. It was the day Amelia told me that the baby was a girl and that she’d picked a name. I relive that moment once more, unable to believe it. What are the chances? Her words play over and over in my head.In my dream, I didn’t have a body. It was like I was the sunshine.Does that mean that some part of her knew that the end was coming? That she would be part of the universe rather than a physical being?

Then I heard your voice, and you said: I love you, Ally.

I had been teasing Amelia for years, telling her that if we ended up having a girl, she’d be the love of my life. I was teasing her about this because I was upset about the unnecessary risks she was taking to bring a child into the world. I always told Amelia that she was the love of my life, so I thought if she knew she’d be replaced, it would make her think harder about going through with it.

Is there some way that she saw a glimpse of the future in this dream? Even if she didn’t have the context right, the moving parts were there. Amelia isn’t here in the physical sense. Ally and I have a child on the way, so this house will soon be filled with laughter and love. And even though I’ve only told Ally those three little words once, I know now that they’re out, they’ll be easier and easier to say. I already want to say them over and over until she believes them.

Was this dream the sign I asked for? How did I ever forget this moment to begin with? Is Amelia giving me her blessing? She said herself that Ally is meant to be the love of my life. She’s saved me in more ways than I can count. As hard as it will be to move on from Amelia, I know that she’d never want me to be miserable. Maybe she brought Ally to me in the first place.

A warmth forms in my chest. It’s sharp and painful, making it hard to take a full breath. My eyes pop open and my head comes off the pillow, and then, as quickly as the pain forms, it’s gone. It feels like all the pain has been taken from my heart, like I’ve had a block there that’s finally removed. With the pain that’s dammed up my heart now gone, all the love and happiness comes flooding in. Every muscle goes limp, and I draw in a breath that’s deeper than I’ve been able to take for a long time. My lungs are full, and my heart is no longer cold. Every beat of my heart gets stronger. My blood warms. I turn my head and find Ally in my arms. Her eyes roll beneath her lids beforethey pop open, and she offers me a sleepy smile. “Why are you awake?” she asks softly.

“I had a dream,” I tell her rolling onto my side to face her.

“A good dream or a bad dream?”

I smile. “It was a good dream.”

“Good.” Her eyes close and she moves in, kissing my lips. “Let’s go back to sleep. I’m beat.” She nuzzles deeper into the pillow.

“Ally?”

“Hmmm?”

“I love you.”

Her eyes open. She smiles and her cheeks burn. “I love you, too.” She places her hand on my jaw.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Her brows lift. “I know.”

I frown. “How’d you know? I just realized it myself.”

She grins and shrugs one shoulder. “A little birdie told me.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

She wets her lips. “I was dreaming about laying in the lounge chair in the backyard, under the tree that flowers.”

I nod.

---