Page 75 of Sweet Twins For My Brother's Best Friend

“So we’re doing this?” she asks me, her hands touching her stomach as the tech performs the internal ultrasound.

“We’re doing this,” I tell her firmly, nodding.

“Well, that’s good,” the ultrasound tech interrupts, a broad smile on her face.

“Because I’m pregnant?” Hannah asks, turning her head to squint at the ultrasound on the screen.

“I think I already knew even before I took the tests.” She looks over at me, squeezing my fingers, “I could feel it.”

“Well, you were right, Mama, you are pregnant. But it’s also good because…”

The technician points at a black dot on the screen, a tiny little mark that I would have missed a thousand times.

Then she points at another, “You’re having twins.”

Chapter Thirty Three

Hannah

My heart drops out of my throat and into my stomach. I shake my head as my mouth dries while I take in the ultrasound technician’s words.

“I’m sorry,” I laugh, “I think I misheard you. What did you say?”

“No, you didn’t mishear me. I know, a lot of people have this reaction, but there they are.” She points at the dark spot on the screen again like it means anything to me.

“There’s one, and there’s two. Two little babies. Twins.”

“Twins,” I say and look over at Chris, whose eyes have gone as wide as plates, his eyebrows furrowed deeply. He catches me looking and smiles generally, as though I’m a child who needs placating.

“Twins? How could this happen?”

“Well, do twins run in your family?”

“No! No, they don’t. I’m not a twin. Are you a twin, Chris?”

“No, I’m not a twin. You know I’m not a twin.”

“I don’t know that. I don’t know what’s going on at all.” I sit up all the way, dragging jelly across the blanket, and lower my gown over my stomach.

Right on time as always, my mom comes waltzing in through the door, her eyes on the phone in her hand, “Sorry, sorry I’m late. I was talking to your dad, and he started asking me about this and that, and I swear he needs me for everythingng, he’d fall apart without me, so I…what’s wrong? You two look like you’ve seen a ghost. There’s a baby, isn’t there? Oh God, is the baby okay? What’s wrong? Goddamnit, somebody answer me!” she’s chattering too quickly for me to even process it and I’m grateful for the momentary distraction of following her train of thought.

“Babies,” Chris responds, standing up to allow my mother to take his seat.

It’s a sweet gesture that she barely seems to even realize happened.

She drops her phone into her purse and sets her purse on her lap. “Babies? What do you mean?” Confusion crosses her face, her eyes and nose scrunching.

“Twins,” I tell her from my place on the bed. “Do we have twins in the family?”

“Twins? Oh, my God, Hannah, that’s amazing!” She perks up. “Oh, that’ll be so fun!”

She stands up, her purse falling from her lap to the floor, and hugs me, squashing my face against her breast. She sways me from side to side affectionately. “Oh, that’ll be so so fun. Are you happy? Is the panic gone?”

I look over at Chris, who seems to be bathed in amusement, watching my face contort as my mother squeezes me.

“I don’t know! Do we have twins in the family or not?”

“Oh, yeah, I guess so. My mom was a twin.” She shrugs.

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