Page 116 of Vince
“You okay, Vin?”
My voice is thick when I answer, “Yeah. Just wishing my parents could be here to see this.”
“I wish that for you, too. They’re still so much a part of you, so our kids will know them,” she reminds me.
The doctor takes Sydney’s attention for a few minutes to ensure everything is the way it should be after delivering the twins. While the nurses clean and examine our beautiful children, I’m left to stare in awe as she’s examined, realizing life as we know it will never be the same.
Once the twins are cleaned, diapered, and swaddled, the nurses bring them over for us to hold.
“Do they have names?” one of the nurses asks, handing my son over for me to cradle in my arms.
Sydney grins proudly as she reaches for our baby girl. “This sweet girl is Emery Ann, and Vince is holding Everett Daniel.”
“Oh, how precious! I love that both names start with the same letter,” the nurse closest to me gushes.
Grinning, I admit, “Just keeping with tradition. My twin’s name is Vanessa. Her kids are named Julia, Jordan, and Jasper. Can’t be outdone by them.”
“I was an only child until I met Vince,” Sydney admits. “But I’m lucky enough to have joined a family that started as small, but we’re growing exponentially.”
No kidding. Van’s family is officially up by one compared to ours, but her extended family has adopted Syd and me into the fold as well. We spend our holidays together, and I’m fairly certain if I were to walk into the waiting room at this moment, there would be a few of them waiting to greet our newest family members.
It warms my heart to see how far Van and I’ve come since that fateful night after graduation. Determined not to be statistics, we most definitely pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps and made the dreams our parents had put into motion for us come true.
One thing is certain, I wouldn’t be where I am without this beautiful, headstrong, challenging woman beside me. From the moment we met, her feistiness wormed its way into my heart, and I’m proud to say I’ve never let her go.
Looking into my son’s eyes, I can’t help but notice they almost mirror Sydney’s. The rest of his coloring matches mine, but he’s definitely his Momma’s boy.
“You ready to switch so I can meet my little man?” Sydney asks, kissing the top of Emery’s head. “I wanna see for myself which one of these two will be the soccer player of the family.”
Wanting quality time with my daughter, I expertly relinquish Everett to Sydney’s waiting arms as I maneuver Emery to the crook of my opposite arm. Most dads would be afraid of handling new babies, but after my nieces and nephew, I consider myself an expert. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still extremely careful, but Julia broke me of the fear of breaking them.
Leaning in to kiss Sydney once more, I offer, “You ready for me to bring in the cavalry? I’m sure the waiting room is full of family wanting to meet the latest additions.”
“With you by my side, Vin, I’m ready for anything.”
Stopping at the door, I turn as a thought hits me as I look at our twins. “Ha! I have a feeling we’re in for the ride of our lives with these two.”
“You and I against the world, Vin. You and I against the world,” Syd says as she rolls her eyes. “Especially when they’re teenagers.”
“Oh, God… let’s not borrow trouble,” I grumble.
Walking into the waiting room, I don’t think I could love this woman more if I tried. Family is everything, and I can’t wait to introduce Emery and Everett to the world.
THE END
If you want more from this series, be sure to check out Damien: Book Three of the Perfectly Independent Series where Vanessa’s story will continue…
When I walk into the diner, all I’m looking for is a decent meal. As a civil engineer for the largest project on campus, I just want to eat in peace. I’m happy to find this hidden gem since students are scarce. Don’t get me wrong, co-eds on campus are beautiful, but I was over that scene when I graduated three years ago. I need to finish this job and move onto the next one by the end of the year.
Then Vanessa walks up with a simple smile and takes my breath away. The next thing I know, I’m making every excuse imaginable to dine with this intriguing woman. She’s not only smart and sexy; she’s completely focused on reaching the goals she has set for herself.
The more I get to know her, the more I know she’s the one. I just have to find a way to make her deviate from her perfectly laid plans and take a chance on me.
Or if you haven’t read how Abby and Drew got together, be sure to check out Drew: Book One of the Perfectly Independent Series.
My heart races, palms sweat, and knees go weak.
I’ve never seen anyone like Drew in a science lab. He’s made me a firm believer in chemistry existing outside a textbook.
Then his ego and entourage show up.
Nope—No, thank you. Moving on. I mean… who has an entourage in college?
When our professor announces we’ll be stuck as lab partners, I nearly lose my mind—and not in a good way.
I can’t afford the type of distractions Drew brings.
