1. The Past Year
Harper
After we got married, I was the happiest woman on the planet. We all moved into the old bed and breakfast a few weeks after we got married. I got all the properties in Waco sold within a month, and Caleb got a great offer on the house he had here in Weslaco. We updated the old bed and breakfast by painting the kids’ rooms, building a backyard fence, and putting a doggy door in for Daisy. We even set up a hangout spot in the backyard and an outdoor kitchen for Caleb when the weather was nice.
In mid-February, Janet and David came to see us and take care of the kids while Caleb and I went on a quick honeymoon. Caleb had suggested we go to the Bahamas for fun on the beach, but my morning sickness still affected me terribly. Instead, we drove to New Orleans to soak up the culture, explore the city, eat fantastic food and relax. It was one of the best times we had shared.
Being pregnant with twins was different for me. I went to the doctor’s office for more visits than any other pregnancy. Caleb could go with me at least once a month and enjoyed seeing the babies grow.
By the time I was four months along, we discovered we had two boys. I had been right about what I thought they were. Caleb was impressed and teased me by asking if I was a witch or something. I confidently told him yes and let him know I had put a spell on him. All he could do was grin at my answer.
We talked about names for the boys for the next three months and had issues finding the proper names that we both wanted. I liked the names Lucas and River, but Caleb made fun of them, letting me know that it was well suited to where we lived on the Rio Grande River and that everyone’s favorite sour candy was Lucas. I hated the fact that he was right. Damn him! They were cute names.
During my pregnancy, Caleb never disappointed me. He talked to the twins daily, helped with the kids, and did everything he could to keep me happy and comfortable. I would never have known he was such a caring person if we had never seen one another again several Christmases ago. It still blew my mind that he was mine after all this time.
My hormones did go a little wild during those nine months, and I started a few stupid fights with him. Caleb talking about a new girl in the office set me off one day. As soon as I assumed he was cheating on me, he quickly reassured me that he wasn’t. He would never, and I was the only one he wanted in life. Make-up sex with him was the hottest.
Archer, Raiden, Grace, and Olivia still get along amazingly well. With how well they get along, you would think that they have been siblings all their lives. They help around the house and help each other with everything. How did we get so lucky with these kids?
Caleb’s work has been going well this year. There were days that he was late coming home because of an issue, but I never fussed over it. It was part of the job. I got worried, wondering if something terrible had happened, but he would let me know. There has been a surge in traffic over the border lately, so he’s been swamped and stressed. I felt bad for him and wondered if he ever questioned why he did his job.
I’ve been considering buying the bed and breakfast next door to run as a business. I might do it if the building stayed up for sale long enough. I’m working on a new book series about a horror romance. It’s a bit sadistic, and it’s worrying Caleb about my mental status. I keep telling him it’s just a story and that I’m fine.
We updated my vehicle from the 4Runner to a giant Suburban that was comfortable as hell. Caleb kept his truck, which we mainly used when it was just us two or him going back and forth to work.
As I got further along with my pregnancy, it got more challenging for me to move around. I thought being pregnant with one kid at eight and nine months was terrible. Being pregnant with two at eight months was difficult. Caleb seemed to enjoy every minute of it until I complained.
I would sleep with a body pillow under my giant belly because of the weight at night. Caleb would sleep behind me with his hand on my stomach until he got too hot from being up against me. What can I say? While I’m pregnant, I’m warm.
~
Caleb
I could tell the day when Harper was going to give birth to the twins. She started having contractions early that morning even though she was only thirty-seven weeks pregnant. I called into work and stayed with her all day to ensure she wasn’t alone.
We called the nanny to handle the older kids for us that day. Harper had spent months looking for just the right person for the kids. She was picky, but for good reason, she found a fantastic person for them. Mrs. Shirley was like a grandmother to the kids. They love her, and she loves them.
After I took the kids to school that morning, I stuck to Harper’s side as much as she would let me. Watching her work in her office was boring as hell, though. She would hiss and cry in pain as contractions washed over her, but she kept on typing to get her new book further along. Each time it happened, I would get up and check on her. She called me a worrywart, and I told her I had a right to be.
She left her desk at lunchtime and walked into the kitchen to make us food. I was right behind her when another contraction came on, and her water broke. I quickly acted, grabbed the hospital bag, and picked her up. I got her into my truck and rushed her to the hospital.
I stood there in the delivery room and watched while my beautiful little wife pushed out our first son. Her grip on my hand was astounding. I couldn’t have been more in love with her at that moment. She is the strongest woman I know, and I was right there to keep holding her hand as she pushed our second son out a few minutes later. As she did, she hemorrhaged, and I freaked out. The doctor immediately had to take her to the OR to get her taken care of. My heart was racing in my chest, and I couldn’t even think about losing her.
I was stuck, not knowing what to do. I was torn in two. Should I go with her to the OR or stay with our two newborn sons? I looked down into her intense blue eyes, and it was like she read my mind as she stayed calm in the chaos.
“Stay with the boys. I’ll be fine,” she told me calmly, with sweat all over her face, making her hair stick to her forehead.
I tried to stay calm and not worry about her while I waited for the nurses to be done with the boys. Harper was my everything, and we couldn’t lose her. I would go insane if I lost her. How the hell could I do this on my own?
I was the first person to hold the boys after they were born. They were perfect at five pounds each, so tiny that I was afraid I would drop them or even break them. Raiden and Grace were big babies compared to the twins. The twins had Harper’s dark brown hair and my honey-colored eyes—perfect mixtures of the two of us.
In the OR, the doctor was able to get the bleeding of Harper’s uterus under control quickly. They also re-tied the tube that came loose that helped us get pregnant with the boys. I didn’t care about the tube getting tied again. I just cared about her being alright. Also, I had gotten a vasectomy months ago so that we wouldn’t get pregnant again. Six kids were enough.
When everything was under control, Shirley brought the older kids to the hospital to see us on the first day. They met their younger brothers, Torin and Kieran, while Harper rested. We had a complete family; I felt so lucky to have them all.
The stay in the hospital lasted several days. Harper was healing fast, which I was thankful for, and the boys were healthy. I took time off work to help her around the house for the first week. She told me she could manage things, but I didn’t want to chance it. I knew Shirley could help her, but I felt like she needed me at the moment, and I just needed her after almost losing her.
We had the twins in the bedroom with us for the next four months since they hadn’t slept through the night yet. This made it easier for Harper to breastfeed them, but it meant we were putting our relationship on the back burner. We hadn’t attempted to have sex in four months based on the twins being in the room with us, us being tired all the time, work, and life in general.
She was doing amazing things with all the kids, but I could tell she was overwhelmed even with Shirley helping her. The girls played soccer every season they could get in, and she had somehow talked both boys into playing football in athletics this year in school. The boys did great with football, and she was the model mom, being at every game to support them, even the away games. I couldn’t always be there, but Shirley was there for home games I couldn’t attend, and the girls helped any other time.
The girl’s games were in the same spot at the same time every Saturday, so it was easier for her. Harper was a fantastic mom, and I couldn’t ask for a better woman to be by my side. I just worried that she was doing too much.
During these past four months, I have noticed changes with Harper that have worried me. She had issues with her insomnia more and more, her appetite was all over the place, and her mood could be all over the place, too. I worried that she could be depressed for some reason, but that was a touchy subject with her, and I had no idea how to handle it. I hope my family being in town for the holidays helps her and she becomes more of herself again. I don’t like seeing her like this and don’t know how to help her. I’m a little lost, and it’s eating at me.
