Jaded Hearts
Chapter 107

Taylor

After the doctor left the room, and I settled in to wait, the boys woke up, and the battle to be born first ensued. Kicks and rolls galore, tiny feet and fists kicking and punching me, and zero regard for my bladder or cervix—or any part of my body for that matter.

I honestly believe that their fighting was far more painful than the contractions themselves. We were going to have words once they were born, and I couldn’t wait to hang this over their heads for their entire lives. When all was said and done, it was Jaylon who dropped into position to be first born. Since he was bigger, this was the best outcome. Julian would have a much easier birth after his big brother stretched my v****a out like an old deflated balloon.

Thankfully, Dr. Bennett knew her stuff. It only took about an hour before I was fully dilated, and it was go time.

“Alright, Taylor, you know the drill. Push when the contraction hits and rest in between. This little boy is measuring close to twelve pounds, so we’re going to have to put in work here, but I know you can do it. You ready?”

“Ready to squeeze a twelve-pound watermelon out of a hole made to fit a large cucumber? Not at all,” I said sarcastically.

Tyson came up next to me and kissed my forehead. He then whispered the affirmations every woman about to push out a massive baby needed to hear. He told me about strength, resilience, and love. He told me I could do anything, that this was nothing for me, and that I gave him the courage to do the unthinkable. And I believed him.

“Well, here comes a contraction, sweetie. You’ve got this, now push!” she replied.

Holy f*****g s**t, this kid was huge. So huge that in that moment, I was seriously considering telling his father to keep his d**k to himself for the rest of our lives. But who was I kidding? Neither one of us would let that happen, and I was addicted to every inch of it.

So, I pushed and squeezed his hand as hard as I could. He needed to feel this pain. Sharing is caring, right? When the contraction ended, I fell backwards, exhausted after just one push.

“That was really good, babe. Just a few more, and he’ll be here,” he said in my ear.

“A few more. Just a few more,” I repeated as the next contraction tore through me.

It was almost an entire hour of pushing, ripping, bleeding, screaming, and dying. Or at least that’s what it felt like to me. In reality, it was just the pushing and screaming, but once we got a shoulder out, the rest of our son quickly followed.

Jaylon Frederick announced his birth with the loudest cry I’d ever heard. His lungs had absolutely matured if the sound carrying through the hospital was any indication. Tyson kissed my head again, then followed the nurse to where the baby was getting cleaned up. I watched him and Morgan gush over the little guy, but before I could ask to see him, another contraction reminded me that I still had a job to do.

“Alright, tesoro, this one should be a breeze,” Matt told me as he took Tyson’s recently vacated spot.

“It’s childbirth, it’s never a breeze, baby.”

“Maybe, but let’s do it anyway.”

* * *

Later on that night, after everyone finished visiting and had left me to settle in, I was sitting in bed looking down at the sweetest little faces. Jaylon looked exactly like Tyson. Big bright hazel eyes, olive-colored skin, and thick dark curly hair. It looked like his bear genes would dominate my wolf ones for sure because I saw very little of myself in him.

Julian looked just like his sister, so a perfect blend of Matt and me. He was a plump ten pounds of caramel skin, huge teal eyes, and light brown curls.

They were perfect. Beyond perfect.

“I wonder if Jaylon has the same protection as Genesis and Julian? He doesn’t have their eyes,” I thought out loud.

“He’s yours. She said all of your children, so I’m sure he does,” Matt replied with confidence.

I just smiled down into their beautiful faces. I was so in love.

“So handsome,” I whispered.

They began to fall asleep, so I passed them to their fathers so that they could be put down for a nap. Instead of putting them down, the guys sat next to each other, swapped babies, and began their own comparisons and examinations. I pulled out my phone and quietly snapped a picture. I wanted to keep this moment for the rest of my life.

A short while later, Morgan brought Gigi in and sat with us while she met her little brothers. At first, she seemed wary of them, like “what were these weird little bundles of pudge, and why were my mommy and daddy so happy about them?”

But once she warmed up to them, and Jaylon grabbed on to her tiny little hand, she was in love just like the rest of us. She gave them both gentle k****s on their noses that made me melt. She was going to be the best big sister ever. When it was clear that it was past bedtime, Morgan took her up to her nursery and left the five of us to get comfortable for the night.

I was more than confident that the men could handle things from here, so I shut my eyes and drifted off to dreamland, reveling in the fact that there wasn’t a wrestling match currently underway in my uterus.

Yep, life was good.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up to see Giana and James in the room holding the babies, and both Matt and Tyson were gone.

“Good morning, bella, how are you feeling?” she asked me.

“Amazing. I’m haven’t had a full night’s sleep in months. What time is it?”

“Almost 10:00 a.m. We sent the men to go grab a shower and some breakfast while we got to know these little guys,” James replied.

“Which one do you have?” I asked as I pushed up in the bed.

“Julian. Named after the great Julius Caesar and conceived in the Colosseum. I’ve never been prouder of my son,” he replied with a wink.

“Ugh, I can’t believe he told you that.”

“They are beautiful boys. I’m sorry I wasn’t here for their birth,” Giana chimed in, easily redirecting the conversation.

“You’ve seen one, so you’ve seen them all, honestly. But thank you for coming so quickly. I didn’t mean to cut your vacation short.”

“Rio will always be there. The first few hours with my grandsons won’t be. Don’t apologize.”

She adjusted Jaylon in her arms and sat next to me to show me a few pictures from the trip. I really missed my mom, but having Giana here made the pain a little less intense. I truly loved this woman like a mother, and she loved me like a daughter.

“It looks like you had fun while you were there. I’ve always wanted to go during Carnival,” I told her.

“Me too! Let’s go next year if you don’t mind your mother-in-law tagging along. I’ve still got the body and moves for Carnival,” she said while shaking her shoulders to an imaginary beat.

“I’d love to party with you. James and Matt would freak out, but they’d get over it,” I laughed.

We talked for a while longer before Matt came back with the nurse who needed to take the babies for testing, leaving Giana and James to go catch a nap.

“Are you in any pain, tesoro?”

“Nothing too bad. Just a little sore, but it’s nothing a good hot shower and some rest won’t cure,” I replied.

He climbed in the bed with me and placed his forehead against mine. “You did so well last night, baby. You were a rock star, and the boys are perfect. I can’t wait to put another one inside you.”

“Seriously?!”

He laughed, then pulled me against his chest.

“Nah, I was just joking. We’ll have another when you’re ready. But the boys are amazing. I was serious about that part.”

I rested my head on his chest and listened to the sound of his heartbeat for a few uninterrupted minutes. “I’m engaged.”

“I know. He told me before he asked you.”

“Like he asked for your blessing or something?”

“No, not like that. He just gave me a heads up. A major change was coming to my wife, and he figured I should know about it.”

“I guess that makes sense. I’m hungry.”

“I know that too. Food’s on the way now,” he replied with a chuckle.

I couldn’t help but sigh. “You’re amazing.”

“I hope you really mean that and not because of the French toast I’ve got for you,” Tyson said when he walked in.

I shot up in the bed, barely missing crashing my head into Matt’s perfect face.

“Sorry, babe,” I quickly told him before my attention switched to Tyson.

“You’re amazing too, and not because of the yummies in your hand, I promise. Now gimmie.”

He passed the plate, and as soon as I was about to take the first bite, the boys were rolled back in, wailing because their little tummies were empty.

“Well, s**t …”

I gave the plate back to Tyson and remembered something Alaia showed me from when she was nursing her boys. I figured I’d give it a try.

“Pass me one,” I said to no one in particular.

I unbuttoned my robe, and Matt passed Jaylon over. He latched on like a pro and was happily suckling in no time.

“Okay, now Julian.”

Matt handed him over, and I set him up on the other boob. I was holding them both like chunky little footballs, and it wasn’t too bad.

“Perfect, now I need someone to feed me. I’m starving.”

“Damn, sunshine, you’re good at this. How many more sets of twins do you think we can make before we get too old?”

I looked over at Matt, shocked. I never thought he’d betray me, but he did. He just shrugged his shoulder and smiled.

“It’s a legitimate question. I was wondering the same thing myself.”