Hot Coffee (The Hollens)
Chapter 62 (Then And Now)

Ethan's POV

I watched them sleeping so soundly in the double crib in our bedroom. I had redecorated and arranged a bedroom across from ours for them, but Emma wanted them in the room with us so she could keep a very close eye on them. The first pregnancy was unsuccessful and I believed she would become very overprotective of the twins.

The twins had come into the world yesterday, July 8th, at 11:04 a.m and 11:07 a.m.

Emma's birthday was only four days away and I planned on making it extra special for her and my Nana.

As I watched my children Evan's eyes opened. They were a bright gray like mine. I couldn't help but smile as he looked up at me and gave a bright toothless smile. He was silent. He didn't make a sound, only stared as if he were judging me. I was tempted to pick him up and hold him in my arms. The son I'd always wanted was now here in my room looking up at me, and he was perfect.

I couldn't help myself anymore. I leaned in and picked him up very carefully, making sure I supported his back and his head with my hands. I laid him against my chest, softly.

"Hi Evan. Welcome to the world. I'm Ethan and I'm your daddy. I love you and your sister, though she's still sound asleep," I whispered as I peered down at Emily.

She was beautiful. She was sleeping so peacefully.

Emma was still also sleeping.

The girls.

"I love you and your sister and your mom so, so much and I'll always be there for the three of you, and we'll always be a family."

Evan made a small cooing sound like he was understanding what I was saying and replying in his baby language. His small figure was still in my hands and I didn't want to let him go.

When I put him back down in his crib to rest, he began to throw a small fit, and then he began to cry. I picked him up again and he immediately stopped.

"Kid are you serious?" I joked as I walked around the room with him in my arms.

Emily woke up too. Apparently she had heard her brother crying, so she was now up and crying too. Evan heard her crying and began to cry. I now had two crying babies in the room. I went back over to Emily and attempted to pick her up but got frightened when I saw she was really throwing a tantrum and it wouldn't be wise to have both crying babies in my arms like that.

"Baby. Baby wake up. The babies are crying," I said to Emma, shaking her out of her sleep.

She got up and attended to them both. Emily began nursing on her left and Evan on her right. It was really a sight. They were quiet as they fed from their mother. Their eyes closed and after a minute or so they released her nipples and were back asleep.

Thank you Jesus.

"Hold Emily and I'll hold Evan. We have to make sure they burp before putting them to bed."

"But they're sleeping," I said, taking my daughter.

I followed what Emma was doing, rubbing the baby's back gently with the palm of my hand. I was enjoying this-- fatherhood was awesome. I gave a giggle after the twins burped at the same time.

We put them back to bed and I took Emma into my arms. "I love you," I told her, burying my face into her neck like a big baby.

"I love you too, daddy," she said with a smile and gave me a kiss on my lips.

Flashback

Emma was six months pregnant. I came home from the office and met her in the bedroom-- the only place she enjoyed being.

"Hi baby. How was your day?" I greeted as I walked into the door.

"Babe, can you get me some sparkling water, two cubes of ice, not too cold?"

I didn't hesitate. I placed my bag on the bed and went downstairs to the kitchen. I had been thinking of putting a small fridge in the bedroom because she had the tendency of waking up in the middle of the night and asking me to fetch her something to eat or drink from the fridge. Once I had to make four trips back and forth to bring her something to eat. A man needed his sleep too!

But I'd vowed to do anything for her and my children. I didn't want her to be getting up in the middle of the night and going downstairs by herself in the dark. She could easily trip over something or knock her stomach against something, and that was a risk I was willing to take.

The next day, I had a fridge installed in the bedroom and stocked with everything she craved, needed and wanted-- protein shakes, juices, snacks, and especially her chocolate ice cream. I didn't want to forget her chocolate ice cream.

She had called me when I was leaving the office about a week ago and told me to pick up a tub of ice cream for her on my way home, but there was an accident on the main road so traffic was diverted. I didn't pass the route to the supermarkets so I forgot all about her ice cream. But when I showed up without it, she threw a hair dryer at me and shouted: "How can you forget the damn ice-cream? I called you and reminded you!"

"Baby, I'm sorry but there was an accident so--"

She cut me off by throwing an eye shadow palette at me. I wondered why was she only throwing her feminine things at me? I was not a chick; I was not interested in makeup and hair dryers.

"Baby, I'll go back and get your ice cream. Just, please, calm down and relax."

"I am calm! You wouldn't like to see me when I'm angry. I want my ice cream, and I want it now!"

"Okay."

It was the fastest I'd ever turned on my heels and driven to a supermarket, and she wouldn't allowed anyone else to get it but me.

"I got the ice cream," I said as I came back, panting.

"Oh, I don't want ice cream anymore. I want a yogurt instead."

The steam inside me was passing through my ears but I managed to smile, shove the ice cream into the fridge with a frown, and bring a yogurt to her.

"Baby, do you want anything to drink?" she asked, opening the fridge I had placed in the room, which was very convenient.

"Um, I want some orange juice." I never liked it but when I found it was her favorite thing to drink, I began drinking it.

"You don't want some coffee?"

"Okay. Sure."

She went over to the coffee machine that I also had installed in the room when she was eight months pregnant. She'd thrown a tantrum when I told her that Halley would make my coffee because I didn't want her downstairs in the kitchen where a busy chef was preparing meals with knives, hot ovens and blazing burners; she could've gotten injured or knocked over or something. I installed a coffee maker in the room like the one I had at the office. I didn't want her on swollen feet making coffee for me each morning but she insisted. The only way to satisfy her was to just let her make the coffee. "Here," she said.

I remembered the first time I tasted her coffee in the office. It took my breath away and, right then, I knew I needed her in my life.

"Are you alright?" she asked, combing my hair with her fingers.

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'm going and take a bath." She got up and went to the bathroom.

I heard small cooing noises shortly after. They were awake already. I stayed out of their sight. I didn't want them to see me and start acting up again. But that definitely wasn't the solution because they both started crying again, louder and louder.

"Emma!" I shouted.

"Just give them attention instead of hiding!" she called from the bathroom.

I walked over to the crib, their eyes latched on me and they stopped crying. They began smiling and moving their little hands around. My daughter and my son, my new pride and joy. I loved them.