Listen to Your Heart

***3 months later***

Shifting me body comfortably on the bed, I turned and watched the body lying next to me. With every breath he took his body rose with a steady pace. Long brown disheveled hair covered his green orbs.

It’s been 3 long happy months since he’d asked me to become his girlfriend. Even though I was on the verge of drifting into a coma, I was happy to say yes. I really didn’t really care for what people thought about our relationship. We’ve been through a lot to get to where we are now and I’m not going to let someone who hasn’t been in our shoes decide our faith. I am at the climax of my life right now, being with the person who I love the most, finding out who my real friends were and carrying a beautiful child within me. Nothing and I mean nothing and nobody could screw this up for us.

Scooting closer to his body, I snuggled my face into his bare chest, wrapping my arms around his lanky frame.

He seemed to have woken up, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Why, good morning.” He said a low raspy voice.

“You smell good.” I mumbled into his chest causing him to chuckle.

“I know right? I smell sexy as ever!” He said a little too enthusiastically.

I lifted my head and our eyes met, I leaned up and placed my lips onto his. Feeling his warm lips on mine sent shivers down my spine.

We stayed together, lips intact before I broke away from him. Now it’s a good morning.” I said snuggling back into his chest.

He let out another chuckle and kissed the top of my head. “What time is it?” I shrugged my shoulders and intertwined our legs. “Well I’m guessing it’s around noon, so we better get up.”

I let a groan and pulled the blanket up covering our bodies. “No!” I whined. “I want to stay here. Forever.”

“As attempting as that sound, we gotta go. We’re meeting Garrett and Rachel at his parent’s house; we get to meet the new baby!” He said cheerfully lifting up the blanket.

Ugh fine,” I groaned. “For the baby…”

“Outta girl,” He kissed me one last time and got out of bed. Going to the dresser he grabbed a pair of jeans and a v-neck and waltzed his way into the bathroom. “You’ve got an hour babe, take advantage of it!” He yelled back through the door.

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“Annie, John, it’s good to see you two again!”

“It’s nice to see you too Mr. Nickelson, how’ve you been?” I asked holding onto John’s arm.

He shrugged and laughed. “You know, same old same old. But why does it matter I’m old and uninteresting, you kids seem more exciting than this old man.”

“Oh yeah, things are exciting alright, Annie’s pregnant!” John exclaimed rubbing my belly.

“No shit John, I think he noticed the belly.”

Mr. Nickelson laughed and moved to the side. “It’s okay sweetie, he’s just stating the obvious.”

“Annie!” Rachel yelled at John and I, we were still standing on the front porch.” I missed you!”

“I missed you too Rach, I’m sorry I wasn’t there with you during the delivery.” She gave me a gentle hug.

“Oh it’s okay, I think Garrett did a pretty decent job by himself.” She said pulling me into the house.

Garrett popped his head of the kitchen. “ I pretty decent job? That’s all the credit you’re give me?” He ask offended. “I let you squeezed the life out of my hand, got everything you needed, and even rubbed your feet for 9 hours straight. And all I get is a ‘pretty decent’ job?”

Rachel rolled her eyes taking a seat on the sofa. “Yeah sure whatever, that was the least you could of done, I carried the baby for fucking 9 months! You didn’t even make it through the whole delivery without passing out!”

Garrett’s face flushed red and he walked back into the kitchen cursing under his breath.

“Well I’ll go talk to him.” John said walking away with Mr. Nickelson.

“Oh give the guy a break Rach, he’s just—just…I don’t know but just give him a break.”

She only laughed and rested her feet onto the coffee table. “Yeah right, maybe when he learns how to change a diaper.”

I only shook my head at her, she was one tough cookie.

“Anyways, enough of Garrett. How’s the pregnancy goin’?”

I took a seat next to her, sinking into the cushions. “Eh you know… it’s—it’s hell! “ She laughed and patted my hand. “I get sick so much I can’t even keep count, my feet are swollen 24/7, and I can’t fit into anything anymore!”

“Oh stop it, are you kidding me? You look smokin’ for a pregnant women!”

“Pffft yeah sure…” A mumbled.

She got up from the sofa and took my hand. “You wanna go see the baby?”

“Oh yeah! Yes, that’s the whole reason I came!” She gave me a weird look. “Well and for you too.”

She playfully scoffed and pulled me with her. “Garrett I’m going to go show Annie the babies, when you’re done in there bring John up with you!” She yelled walking pasted the kitchen.

“Yeah whatever!” Garrett muttered.

I stopped in my tracks. “What?” She asked confused. “Let’s go.”

“Old up, did you say babies?” She nodded. “As in plural, more than one?”

She nodded again but this time caught herself. Then Garrett’s head popped out of the kitchen. They started to give each other odd signals before Garrett’s mumbled, “Shit!”

“What’s going on?” I asked the two, suspiciously.

They looked at each other then back to me, Garrett pretended to be intrigued by the picture hanging on the wall and Rachel just stared at the ground.

“Um hello? What’s going on here?” I asked again, this time it was questioned towards Garrett, I knew Rachel wouldn’t tell me. “Well?”

“You wanna tell her?” Rachel asked Garrett.

“No!”

Rachel groaned and shifted. “Tell her!”

“But—“ She glared at him sharply causing him to shut up.

“Um—uh why don’t you take a look for yourself?” He said hesitantly.

“Take a look at what?” I felt like I was playing 21 questions, but this time I wasn’t getting any answers.

Garrett paused to think and stared at Rachel for help, but she only shook her head and went back to staring at the ground.

I began to get frustrated at the two. “Can someone just answer me already? Don’t leave me hanging here!” My voice began to stiffen.

“What’s going on in here?” John asked, walking up next to me.

“They’re hiding something and we’re going to get to the bottom of it. So Garrett, what is there you need to show us?”

“Well—I—Uh…” He started to stutter and stripped over his own words.

Rachel tossed her hands up into the air frustratingly. “I ask you to do one thing and you can’t even do it!” She grabbed John and mines hand and literally dragged us upstairs.

She shoved the two of us into the nursery and went over to the crib. Gingerly she reached in and picked up a baby girl, wrapped around a light pinky blanket.

“Awee” I cooed. The anger melted away from my body. She looked just like Garrett.

“You guys, meet Emma Nicole Nickelson, coming in at a whopping 7.5 lb.” She handed the bundle of joy to me. I really didn’t what she was freaking out about earlier.

Lightly I tapped Emma’s nose causing her to let out small precious giggles.

“And now meet Kayden Mitchell Nickelson, coming in close behind her with 7lb.” I looked up and my jaws dropped and so did John’s.

“T-There’s t-two?” John stuttered taking Kayden into his arms.

Garrett went over to Rachel and slung his arms over her shoulder. “Yeah I didn’t know till during the middle of the delivery.” Rachel said, tears prickling down her face.

“Oh my god, I have no words for this right now.” I said quietly. “I—wow.”

She wiped the final tears off her face. “Are you mad?”

I was taken back by her question. “What? Why would I be, this is wonderful!”

“I thought you would be, we did keep a pretty big secret from you guys.” She said wearily

“No we’re not made at you two, are we John?”. He shook his head cradling Kayden. “See we’re not mad, this by far is the best surprise ever!”

Rachel began to sob again, hanging onto Garrett’s arm. “I—god I love you guys!”

“Well I would too…” John said arrogantly, there was something wrong with this boy today!

I slapped him on the head a little harshly causing him to flinch. He gawked at me and pointed to the baby, whoops.

“Quick question though,” Garrett nodded. “How didn’t you know you were pregnant…with twins?” I asked curiously swaying my body back and fourth.

“Till this day we don’t know, I guess it just happened.” Rachel answered, she was now back to normal.

“Well, you two are blessed with two healthy beautiful babies and you’ll both be wonderful parent’s. And I with you too the best, good luck with the diapers.” I ask trying to put a smile on Rachel’s face, and it worked.

“Oh yeah, more practice for Garrett here.” John said patting his back with one hand and the other hanging onto Kayden.

“Ugh,” Let out a long drawn out groan.

“Hey, you know what I just realized?” John asked taking a seat on the rocker. We all rose our eye brows at him. “When Annie and I have out son…we could pair him with Emma!”

“Yeah!” Rachel cheered happily.

Put Garrett put his hands in the air in defense. “Whoa now, my little baby girl is going near an O’ Callaghan boy! Never in a million years!” He said sternly. “Over my dead body!”

“That, and friend can be arranged.” John said with a wink.

“Oh Garrett, loosen up it’s hasn’t even been a full two weeks yet and you’re already over protective of her!”

“I don’t care! Have you seen the latest generations of the O’ Callaghan? It’s crazy, you wouldn’t want the sixth John Oh to be like the fifth! That’s for sure.” John narrowed his eyes at Garrett. “No offense bro.” Garrett added.

John just laughed and brushed it off. “Hey! He’ll grow up and become a fine man.”

“Yeah hopefully,” I mumbled.

“Fine whatever, if I can’t keep her away from boys than I’ll just have to teach her how to become a player.” He said simply, taking Emma from me. “Isn’t that right my little angel, you’re gonna become a womanizer, you’re gonna have all the boys whipped, including the sixth O’ Callaghan.” He said in a baby voice bouncing her up and down.

Rachel swatted him with a blanket. “You are not teaching our to becoming a player.”

“Um yes I am.”

She moved all the toys from the dresser to the bins. “Not till the day I step off the face of this earth you’re not.”

Garrett sighed in defeat and continued rocking Emma.

“But you know what that means right Annie?” Rachel questioned me with a smirk on her face.

“What means what?” I asked confused.

“Well if your son and my daughter are gonna be a match, then who does it leave Kayden with?”

Garrett and John caught on and plastered a mischievous smirk on their faces. “What?”

“It means, you gotta have another kid…particularly a girl for Kayden.” Garrett informed me, with a weird look on his face. “That would make everything perfect, we’d be future in-laws!”

“Whoa hold you horses, who said I’m planning on having another baby?”

John looked over at me surprised. “Oh come on, one more won’t hurt. Ooh maybe two or three more, the more the merrier.”

“Pssh yeah, sounds easy for you. You don’t have to carry the baby for nine months then give birth to them!”

“Oh come on Annie, don’t be such a party pooper!” John said, shifting towards me.

“Um no, if you want more kids so badly, then carry them yourself. After that tell me if you want more.”

He sat there and pouted, his bottom lips jetted out causing me to laugh.

“Alright you two, lets not get at it now. John ask her in a couple of years if you’re lucky you’d get another child if not… you can have one of my dozen.” Garrett said reassuringly.

That’s when Rachel’s eyes pop out of her sockets. “Whoa there cow boy, your turn to hold your horses. You want a dozen.”

“Hell yeah! The more the merrier right John Oh?” John nodded and gave him a high-five.

“Hah, I guess luck’s not on your side. Two’s what we’ve got and that’s what we’re sticking with. Take it or leave it bucko.” Rachel laid down the law and slapped his back.

“Women these days, always trying to control us men.” Garrett ranted. “What happened to the human race when men were superior?”

“Yeah!” John agreed raising up his fist.

“Well it's time for a change sweetie.” I said to him. “We’re in charge now.”