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Cole sat on the ottoman in front of me, holding Astrid close as he watched me nurse Ember. The way he looked at me, with so much quiet admiration, made my chest ache in the best way.
“You’re incredible, you know that?” he said softly.
I raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on my lips. “For feeding our baby? I think the bar’s a little low, Dr. Hastings.”
He shook his head, his smile never fading. “Not just for this. For everything. For being the glue holding us all together. For believing in me when I didn’t deserve it. For saying yes.”
My throat tightened, but I managed to keep my voice steady. “You’re pretty incredible yourself, you know. For stepping up, for loving us the way you do. For letting me take over your pristine house with baby chaos.”
He grinned, glancing around the nursery. “It’s not chaos. It’s life. And it’s ours.”
I leaned my head back, letting the weight of his words settle over me. There was a time, not so long ago, when I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel this—this sense of belonging, of purpose, of hope. Yet here I was, surrounded by love in its purest, simplest form.
Once the girls were fed and burped, we laid them back down in their cribs, their tiny bodies curling into peaceful sleep. Cole draped an arm around my shoulders as we stood there watching them, his thumb brushing gentle circles against my arm.
“They’re perfect,” he whispered, his voice full of awe.
“They are,” I agreed, my voice barely above a breath. “And so are you.”
He turned to me, his eyes searching mine. “You know, I wasn’t sure I could do this, be a father. But you… you make me want to be better every day.”
My heart swelled, the vulnerability in his voice breaking down the last of my walls. “You’re already the best, Cole. For them, for me. For us.”
He pulled me close, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “I love you, Rose. I don’t say it enough, but I do. With everything I have.”
Tears pricked my eyes, but they were happy ones. “I love you too. And I always will.”
We stood there a moment longer, the soft sounds of the twins’ breathing filling the room, a quiet reminder of how far we’d come. The road hadn’t been easy, and there would undoubtedly be challenges ahead. But for the first time in a long time, the future felt bright.
Together, we could handle anything. Together, we were home.