Page 57 of Doctor's Surprise Twins

“How should I know? The only family I have is my mom, and she’s never mentioned it.”

“I see.” She removes the wand and turns off the machine. “You can sit up. We’ll leave you alone to get dressed, and I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She and the nurse slip out, leaving Ethan and I alone.

“What the hell?” I whine.

“It’s okay,” he assures me. He steps up to the foot of the bed, standing at my knees. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me in for a hug. “I know it’s overwhelming, but everything will work out. We’ll make it work.”

I frown as I pull back and look at him. “Are you serious? Last week, you wanted to avoid one baby so badly that you were willing to sign your house over. Now, you’re just magically okay with two?”

He chuckles. “It’s a lot; I know. But you helped open my eyes. You showed me what’s important. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to be by your side, helping to raise these babies.” He gently kisses my lips.

I place my hand against his chest, pushing him back a step. “This is crazy, you know that?”

He grins. “I know. And for the first time in six years, I’m okay with it.”

“You’re okay with it? You’re okay with double the diapers? Double the formula? New parents withonebaby barely get any sleep. But when you have two?”

He places his fingers beneath my chin, tilting my head back. “Everything is going to be okay,” he tells me once more. Andthen he kisses me, but this time, it’s a real kiss. It’s long and deep. It’s intense, the kind of kiss that makes your toes tingle. The kind that leaves you breathless. When he pulls back, I’ve forgotten what we were talking about. All I can do is smile at him with hearts in my eyes.

He chuckles and taps the tip of my nose. “Come on. Let me help you down so you can get dressed. The doctor will be back soon.”

I place my hand in his, and he helps me from the table. Once I’m dressed, I hop back up on the table, and he moves back in, standing between my knees. He cups my jaw as he looks into my eyes. “I can’t even explain how much you’ve changed my life. One day I’m numb, living in a black-and-white world and every day is the same. Then you walked in. You set my world on fire and shook things up. I forgot how good it feels to be alive. I would say I love you, but it’s so much more than that. You saved me from my past, and you’ve given me a future. I don’t know where I’d be without you, but I know I never want to find out.”

I smile. “I love you, too,” I whisper, afraid of talking any louder because I can feel the emotion growing thick in my throat. I’m on the verge of tears.

He chuckles and leans in for another kiss, only he stops halfway like he’s just realized something.

“What?”

“Marry me.”

“What?” I ask, not sure if I heard him right.

“Marry me. I love you. I want to raise these babies with you. I want to know that you’ll be mine for the rest of my life. Will you please marry me?”

I roll my eyes. “Ethan…”

He shakes his head. “I’m not joking, Ally.”

The door opens and the doctor steps in, but she pauses when she sees Ethan and I staring at one another. “I’ll give you a few more minutes.”

“Say yes. Please, Ally. Will you marry me?”

I laugh. “This is crazier than being pregnant with twins.”

He chuckles and rests his forehead against mine. “Is that a yes?”

“Of course, it’s a yes,” I agree, and his mouth meets mine.

So much for taking it slow.

EPILOGUE

FIVE YEARS LATER

“Mommy ready now, Dada,” my four-year-old daughter Kate says as she runs into the dining room that’s now my home office.

I turn in my chair to face her, smiling when I see her in her white dress. Her dark hair is half up, held in place with a big bow. The rest of her hair is hanging down in soft baby curls that form perfect ringlets. “You look pretty,” I tell her, smiling.

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