Page 73 of Eternal Pieces

It takes the whole night and most of the next morning of Violet sleeping on and off before she’s able to get out of bed.

Mad and I help her into a wheelchair and take her to the NICU. He gushes the whole way there about the triplets. “Just wait until you see her little nose! It’s just like yours. I think she’s your Olive. They still all need names. I’ve been waiting for you to see them before we put anything solid down, but Olive is really sticking for me.”

I have to confess I’m a little jealous he’s created such a bond with them already, but I’d gladly wait however long it takes to make sure Violet isn’t the last one to meet her own children.

She smiles the whole way as she listens to Mad, but I see the sadness behind her eyes. As excited as she is for this moment, she feels guilty for not being here sooner.

“Do you think they’ll know who I am?” she asks as we near the doors.

Mad abruptly stops.

Squatting down in front of her, I grip her hands. “Of course, they will. You’re their Mama, and although they haven’t seen you, they know you’ve been looking after them for months already.”

She sniffles and nods. I wipe away her tears with my thumb. Mad leans over her shoulder and uses his index finger to angle her face his way. “Vi, you were brave enough to deal with so much shit this year, you’re more than ready to be the strongest Mama in the world to these three. They already love you.”

I move out of the way for Mad to take her inside.

When I saw our babies from a distance yesterday, I could tell how small they are, but up close, it’s striking. They’d all be able to fit in one arm if I had the chance to hold them. Various wires and tubes poke out of them all. A ventilator helps them to breathe. I hope they can’t feel any of it, or if they can, I pray that they’ll never have to remember it.

“Two girls and a boy!” Violet exclaims, all her worries instantly lifted. “I was imagining having more of you two, but the little guy’s outnumbered by his sisters. Is this Olive?” She leans closer to the middle incubator, and I join her.

“Wow, she really does have your button nose.” They don’t have their eyes open yet, but they wriggle around, making the softest sounds when we’re close. “God, they’re cute.”

“I kept telling you they are.” Mad bumps his shoulder into mine and smiles at me.

“Thanks for looking after them,” I tell him, and I swear he blushes as he awkwardly rubs the top of his head.

“Hi, my beautiful babies, I’m your mama,” Violet whispers to them. Mad and I hang back to give her the space she needs to introduce herself.

When I look at him, he’s crying. “Quit it, you’re going to make me start,” I joke, but I can feel the burn in the back of my throat.

“I can’t help it,” he says quietly to me. “Look at them all together. It’s what I always dreamed of. Our perfect little family. I never thought we’d get to have it together.”

He’s right. We’re so fucking lucky to finally be here. All of us as one. I’m never letting anything or anyone get between us again.

CHAPTER 28

VIOLET

SIX MONTHS LATER

“Ijust need to give them all one more kiss!”

Max has his hands on my shoulders and is leading me toward the front door as I try to push my way back to my babies.

“One more, please!”

“Okay, one more and then you’re going,” he says, letting me go with a tired sigh.

Maddox is standing behind him, Evie fast asleep strapped to his chest, Olive and Tobias gurgling away in each of his arms. I press the softest kiss to Evie’s head so I don’t wake her after Maddox finally got her to sleep after walking around the cabin singing every nursery rhyme he could think of for the last hour.

I rub my nose against both Olive and Tobias’ squishy cheeks, giving them each a kiss. They’re not identical like Max and Maddox, but the way all three take after their dads is uncanny, so they may as well be. They each have a dusting of fuzzy, light hair and golden eyes. And of course, the cutest chubbiest cheeks that I can’t help but squish.

“Mama’s going to miss you so much!”

“We’ll all miss you, too, but we’ve got this. Go enjoy your spa morning, you’ve more than earned it,” Maddox speaks softly as he gently bounces them.

Seems I’m not the only one who could do with a break. He looks exhausted. The past four months since we came home from the hospital have been nothing but babies. Feeding, changing, singing, spending hours trying to get one of them to sleep, only for another to wake them up after five minutes. An endless cycle. We’re all constantly tired. But we’re also all very much in love with our little life.

---