As Ryan slowly came awake he had the distinct feeling that he was being watched. Not unfamiliar with the sensation, he smiled.
Opening his eyes leisurely, he saw the beautiful brown eyes of his wife, but now they were reflected in the faces of their four year old twins, Christopher and Gabriela.
Seeing that he was awake, the twins said in unison, "Hi, Daddy."
"Morning, brats," Ryan said, reaching out to ruffle their hair. These two were a handful, but you couldn't find two sweeter kids on the planet, in their father's opinion.
Gabby was a tomboy who often fooled people with her love of girly clothing. When she got older there was no doubt that her wardrobe would rival her mother's, but keeping her clean was another matter. She was a rough and tumble kind of girl who wanted to do everything her brother did. She'd gotten as many bumps and bruises as Christopher to prove it.
Christopher was every boy; he wanted to be like his daddy. He even had his own set of camo wear. As tough a kid as he was, he was always gentle with his sister and tried to protect her. The little angel, however, sometimes made it difficult for him. But they were a team and got along well with each other and with other kids.
Feeling Christopher pat his shoulder, Ryan gave him his attention.
"Mommy said to see if you had woken up, but not to wake you. Are we in trouble?" he asked with a small frown.
"No. You're not in trouble," Ryan assured him.
Gabby crawled into the bed and kissed Ryan on the cheek. She was quickly followed by Christopher who did likewise. The kids were very loving and secure in their parents love.
Sometimes they would knock on their parents' door when they woke up in the morning. Dani would make breakfast while the kids entertained Ryan or vice versa.
There were changes in their lives, but they were good ones. One thing that had to be remedied right away was the sleeping arrangements for the twins. All of the guest rooms were on the far side of the house, too far away for young children. To help the situation, Dani moved her studio to one of the guest bedrooms and the large den, which was close to the master bedroom, became the twins' room.
In the back of their minds, Ryan and Dani thought their sex life would be severely curtailed when they became parents, but thankfully, with a little planning and creativity they still enjoyed a very erotic and romantic sexual relationship.
"Where's mommy?" Ryan asked.
"She's changing Jordan's clothes. He spit up all over," Christopher said.
"Ewww," exclaimed Gabby.
Gabriela was too refined to tolerate spit up, but she didn't mind getting grimy and squashing bugs. Ryan thought she was quite the paradox.
Yawning he asked, "Have you guys eaten breakfast yet?"
Both twins nodded, yes.
"Mommy said she would make you breakfast when you got up. Are you getting up now?" Gabby asked.
"Yep, I'm getting up. You can tell mommy I'm awake and I'll be out in a few minutes. Tell her I need coffee," Ryan instructed.
Both twins nodded, said "Ok, Daddy," and scrambled off the bed to deliver the message to their mother.
Ryan lay back, reflecting for a moment.
The time leading up to the birth of the twins was peaceful for the most part. They decided not to learn the sex of the babies before their birth. However, that didn't mean that the debate among the family members didn't go on for months. In the end, they were all surprised that the babies weren't both boys.
Dani was on bed rest for a month, but at thirty nine weeks, labor was induced. Ryan stayed home the entire time and conducted business from his office there. They had plenty of volunteers, but he needed to be near her to make sure she was all right. If anything happened, he didn't want to receive second hand information.
It was a great time for both of them, filled with laughter, love and long talks. It was during those times that the reality of children hit them. They talked about their fears and expectations and the type of parents they wanted to be.
It was a heavy responsibility, but it was one they accepted gladly.
The only thing to mar their happiness was the sentencing of Keith Hall. Dani decided that she wanted to speak during the sentencing phase. Ryan was adamantly opposed because of her condition and on general principle, but she'd explained to him that this was something she needed to do for herself, not Keith.
She'd told Keith that she forgave him, but had she lost the babies, she wouldn't have been there and she might not have ever been able to forgive him. He hung his head at that point. She asked the judge to take in consideration his background and personal issues. She said it wasn't an excuse for what he did, but she did feel sorry for him and what he had gone through.
That being done, she never talked about Keith Hall again. It was in the past, one that would never be allowed to influence their future again. She was at peace now, which was the reason behind her actions. She wanted to purge herself of the bad feelings she had toward him.
Keith was sentenced to seven years in prison. If he kept out of trouble, he could possibly be out in five. He would have on going psychiatric sessions and evaluations for the duration of his sentence.
