Page 49 of Doctor’s Surprise Twins

“Jenson,” Maggie cooed as she picked him up, “meet your daddy.” She bounced him a moment then handed him over to me. His cries grew softer as she spoke to him, his little lip trembling. He was perfect. His nose and eyes were exactly like mine, but he got his heart-shaped face from his mother.

“He’s perfect.” I hadn’t even taken time to really look at them the day they were born because it was not my position to be their father at that point in time. I was their doctor, and I had to finish the surgery and sew Maggie up. So this moment to me was pivotal.

“And this is Isla.” She picked up my daughter and held her out to me. They looked so much alike. I was a proud papa.

“We have a whole family now, don’t we?” I bounced Jenson as he started to fuss again, and she grimaced.

“Let’s trade. I think he’s hungry.”

We swapped babies and found a place on the short sofa they had in the room. Maggie appeared to be a pro already. She settled in and got Jenson to latch on and her privacy cover in place just as we heard the front door open and shut.

“Mags?” Curt called her name, and I heard his boots tromping on the ground headed down the hall. “Maggie?”

“In here!” she called, startling Isla. The baby fussed a bit, but I patted her back and swayed, calming her. “Sorry.” Maggie winced and looked up as Curt walked in.

“Oh, uh, sorry to interrupt. I saw your truck outside. I knew you were here.” Curt was dressed head to toe in camouflage. He held a sock hat in hand and his hair stood on end, drenched in sweat. “We got one!”

Maggie grinned. “A buck?” She tried to turn, but I could see her struggle with the little load on her lap. It had only been five weeks since her cesarean, so I knew she wasn’t fully healed yet.

“No, a big doe, though. Dad’s dragging her in now.” He ran a hand over his sweat-slicked head. “Derek, you need to put that baby down because we need to dress this dear and hoist her into Dad’s truck. He can’t do that sort of lifting anymore, and well, Maggie can’t do it right now.”

I grinned. It had been years since I’d helped with a kill. I was shocked Curt had agreed to go hunting with his father at all, given his recent move toward pacifism. “Sure, I’d love to help.” I rose and kissed Maggie on the head, then laid Isla in the crib. “But I’m not getting bloody. I cut up humans, not animals.” I winked at Maggie, and she rolled her eyes at me.

As I followed Curt out to the front of the house and put my boots back on, then my coat, I thought of how this had been the norm when we were in high school. Hunting trips, fishing trips, even camping and bonfires. We weren’t kids anymore, but we were still as close as we always had been, and now the man I once wished was my brother—instead of Peter—would really be my brother... if Maggie would agree to marry me. And gutting a deer for market was just about the most perfect task to be doing while asking Tony for Maggie’s hand in marriage.

EPILOGUE

Maggie

“And just makesure you don’t use the microwave for the bottles. Use the bottle warmer because of the—”

“Maggie.” Gypsy cut me off, staring me down. “I’m a nurse. I work in an obstetrics office and I’m doing my residency with a GP. We are the folks who tell you this stuff.” She smiled and pushed me with her free hand toward the door. Jenson wriggled in her arm, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Fine.” I reluctantly turned toward the door where Derek waited for me. He wore a black tux, complete with bowtie and cummerbund. Gypsy followed me carrying Jenson while Dad sat on the couch holding Isla. It was the first time I had left them alone since they were born, and a part of me felt like I was deserting them. Derek had tried to encourage me that all mothers go through this, but I knew I was the worst mother in the world.

“We’ll be great, Mags. Have a good night.” Dad waved a hand at me, blowing me a kiss. He had accepted Derek’s appearance in my life a lot quicker than Curt was. Dad always knew how Derek felt about me. At least, that was what Derek told me. They’d had talks when we were kids.

Curt, however, would take a bit of coaxing to come around fully. He told me he understood that we were adults and he couldn’t stop us, but he was still upset and hurt by the fact that I had lied to him. Only time would heal that wound, and Curt realizing that I was not dating Derek just to hurt him. Derek was the most amazing man I’d ever met. I owed it to myself to see where this went.

“Ready?” Derek offered his arm, and I slipped my hand around his bicep. He led me out the door and to his truck. I was grateful that for the first time in history, February wasn’t quite as cold as it should have been. With temps in the fifties, we were experiencing a warming trend, which I hoped meant spring was coming early this year. I needed only a light jacket over my black dress.

He opened the door, and I climbed in. He buckled in after me and headed out toward the restaurant. He seemed impatient to get there, but I didn’t complain. I was starving. Valentine’s dinner meant delicious food and adult conversation that wouldn’t get interrupted by crying and changing diapers. I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at him.

“What’s up?” he asked, eyes sparkling.

“Just thinking how grateful I am to Gypsy for babysitting so we could have this evening. Parenting is a full-time job. It’s good to have a short break.” I watched the scenery pass by as Derek drove. He hadn’t told me where we were going for dinner, just to dress in a formal gown. The most formal gown I had that fit me was a nice A-line off the shoulder, T-length dress. I felt like it flattered my curves well.

“Yes, Gypsy is a gem. I don’t know what we’d do without her.” Derek turned onto the highway headed toward Gatesville, the next largest city up the road. I smiled at him and clucked my tongue.

“What do you have up your sleeve?”

He winked at me. “I told you it’s fancy.” His boyish grin made me chuckle. Derek wasn’t one for putting on the ritz, but I did enjoy dressing up now and then. He probably did this for me, knowing my penchant for fancy dinners. After the children’s hospital benefit escapade, I deserved a redo.

“So, how is the birthing wing coming? I guess your dad told my dad in church last week. That is so amazing.” Small talk was overrated, but this was anything but. To hear that Derek’s father had donated the entirety of his inheritance savings to Hudson Valley was unbelievable. Derek had been commuting three days a week and staying only two days—insisting that he be close by in case I needed him. It was a sweet gesture.

“Well, we are almost done with the planning stages. I have only six weeks left on my contract, but it sounds like they found the new director, so I will likely be returning to Mercy full-time soon. I have Dr. Pritchert and a few CNMs to hold down the fort in Evansville. I think once that office is very stable, I might expand to the south.” He talked as he drove, adjusting the heat down a bit.

“So you’re not going to comment about your dad?” I snickered. “Seems like you’d have a lot to say about that.”

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