“Cole!” I shout into his sleeping face. “Cole! Wake up!”
He groans and squints at me. Then he sees the item I am waving . A positive pregnancy test. “Really?” he says, sitting up. “Already?”
“I guess it’s not that hard, when you really put your back into it.”
He laughs and throws his arms around me, squeezing the life out of me.
“Okay, ouch, ouch, careful! Babies on board.”
“Babies?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Probably just one, right? I just got so used to the twins, I was sort of thinking maybe we’re just so clever and skilled that we only make multiples.”
“Crossing my fingers for triplets this time,” Cole says with a grin.
I smile at him. “Actually, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about. Since my biological mother is doing a bit better with her own treatment, maybe she can come live with us?”
Cole hesitates. “That woman tried to kill you, and you want her to live with us?”
“I don’t know. I mean, maybe it could be nice for her to spend some time with her grandchildren before she dies. Joy and Josh would really like to meet her.”
“But can you really forgive her for everything? We tried to forgive Levi, and look what happened.”
“I really think her heart was in the right place. She was right to try to kill me. She knew what I would suffer if I lived—she tried to save me from that, from people like Levi and Benjamin. But she didn’t know that dumping me in the snow would give me magical superpowers.”
“You do have superpowers,” Cole says, kissing my fingers.
“If I hadn’t been strong enough to survive the snow, I wouldn’t have been strong enough for any of this. The snow saved me, and she always will.”
“Okay, fine. We can test out having your mother come live with us. See how she gets along with the kids. But for now, let’s go wake up the twins and tell them the good news, that they have a new sibling, or hopefully two or three, on the way!”
I laugh, as I head for the door, but Cole intercepts me and picks me up.
“You shouldn’t walk,” he says. “You’re pregnant.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I tell him.
“You’re ridiculous.”
Then we grow quiet for a second.
“Did you ever think,” I muse, “that we’d be this happy? After everything?”
“I mean, I’m still a little jealous that you had robbed a Vegas casino for some other guy. But after killing him and taking his palace and all his servants—yeah. I do feel pretty happy.”
“I can try to rob something even bigger for you, if you prefer.”
“Just cook me up a batch of cute quadruplets, and we’ll call it even.”
“One order of quadruplets coming right up. Would you like fries with that?”
When he carries me into the room with the twins, the kids are already awake and playing with their new toys—3D puzzle sets and Legos, and a Nickelodeon kit for making slime. I never thought I would enjoy making slime until Joshua raided the kitchen for ingredients and held a giant slime-making competition for all the servants. We think he might make a good research scientist.
“Mommy!” Joy squeals, when she sees us. “Why is daddy carrying you? Did you hurt your leg?”
“Nope!” Cole answers, as he puts me down very carefully. “We just found out there’s a new baby growing inside your mom.”
Both of the kids run over with excitement, to press their ears against my completely flat stomach and ask questions.
“Can I teach him to make slime?” Joshua demands.
“Can I also get a puppy?” Joy asks. “And a kitten?”
“If you eat ice cream, will the baby get to eat some?” Joshua asks. “Can we all go for ice cream? Can I pick a flavor for the baby to try?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I say, “one question at a time. But to answer that last one—yes, we should all get our favorite ice cream, and watch Frozen together.”
Cole looks at me in surprise, that I remembered, and he leans over the kids to kiss me. There are tears in his eyes, as they shine at me. After everything we’ve been through, it’s hard to believe that we’re really here. We really got through it all, and came out on the other side. I reach for his hand, and interlace my fingers with his.
“Mommy,” Joy says, tugging my sleeve. “I want to get the cotton candy ice cream!”
“I choose bubblegum.” Joshua declares.
“I’ll have cookie dough,” Cole says, before leaning close to me. “And later on, I’ll have you.”
The End