Nathan was so focused on the situation that he could barely hear them. Just as he got in the car, Carter was hit with a contraction.
“Holy shit!” she screamed. “Holy fucking shit! Please drive fast, Nathan! Hurry!”
“I know, baby, I got it. I promise we’ll make it there in time.” The car roared to life and Nathan immediately put it into drive.
“Call my mom and Gabriel! Don’t forget to call my mom and Gabriel, Nathan!” she yelled frantically. Her mother and Gabriel had gone out for lunch and shopping earlier that day. “Call the dads, too.”
Nathan nodded as they finally turned onto the highway. It was a straight shot to the hospital now. He only needed her to hold on for about ten more minutes.
“I’m calling, I’m calling …”
He pressed the number on his car phone to call his mother-in-law, and she picked up after one ring.
“Is it time?” she asked.
“Yes!” Nathan answered. “We’ll be at the hospital in ten minutes.”
“Gabriel, hurry up and pay. Your sister is having the babies! Come,” she yelled excitedly.
“Are you serious?” Gabriel shouted the background. “Put the shit in the bag. Let’s go!”
“We are on our way, baby girl, everything will be fine,” Anastacia said.
“Don’t be late, Mama, you have to be there. You can’t miss— Ahh!” Carter doubled over in pain when another contraction hit her hard.
“Breathe, baby!” he encouraged her. “Breathe through it, just like the classes taught us.”
Carter nodded her head vigorously and began her breathing while Nathan thanked God he’d actually gone to those boring classes with her.
By the time they finally made it to the hospital, she was in tears and her contractions were only a minute apart. Immediately nurses came out, led Carter to a wheelchair, and wheeled her in. Nathan grabbed all of her stuff and whipped out his phone, ready to record everything he could. Was he now addicted to recording all of life’s precious moments? Yes. Did he give a fuck what anyone thought about it? Hell no!
They got Carter in the delivery room in record time. Once she got in, she had mere minutes to change into her birthing gown before the contractions began full force, one after the other. Nathan had never seen Carter in so much pain before. Even when she’d gone through the head injury, Carter had resisted showing any pain, but right now, as the doctor looked up at them and said it was time for Carter to begin pushing, she was screaming.
“What. In. The. Fuck!” she screamed. “Please take them out of me! Take them out.”
Nathan sat behind her and did all he could do; support her, remind her to breathe, and let her squeeze the life out of his hand. When she released his hand, he reached up and removed her damp hair from her sweat-covered forehead.
Her head dropped back on his chest. “Oh God it hurts,” she cried. “It hurts so bad …”
Nathan took her hand once more. “Take my hand, baby. Breathe, just breathe through it. It’ll be over soon, and we’ll have two beautiful sons.”
“It’s too hard. I can’t do it.”
“Yes, you can, baby. Look at me.” She did as he’d asked. “I’ll do it with you, let’s breathe together.”
Carter nodded and placed her forehead against his as they did her breathing exercises together.
“All right, Mrs. Salerno. We’re all ready to see these baby boys,” the doctor said. “Soon you’ll feel the need to push—”
“I feel it! I feel it!”
“Okay. On the count of three.”
She gripped Nathan’s hand tight, and when the doctor said three, she gritted her teeth and grunted through a long push.
“Good,” the doctor praised. “Now relax. I see the top of his head. If you give one more good push, he’ll come out.”
Carter fell back on Nathan’s chest again, trying to catch her breath. “Oh God, oh God, oh God …”
Wiping the sweat from her brow, he kissed her forehead. He whispered encouraging Russian words in her ear until it was time to push again. The doctor had been right. Carter gave one more long push, and their first son was born, screaming at the top of his lungs.
“It’s a boy,” the doctor announced joyfully.
The sudden rush of emotion hit Nathan, and it hit him hard the moment sound of his son’s—
his son’s
—crying hit his ears. A healthy, perfect, light caramel-colored baby boy with a full head of dark, dirty-blond curls.
“Oh my God,” he said, emotion causing his voice to shake as he stared at his son in awe. “He’s perfect, Carterina. He’s—“
Nathan’s words faltered when Carter’s grip tightened on his hands once again.
She gasped loudly. “I have to push, again!” she yelled. “He’s not waiting.”
Oh shit!
The doctor quickly handed their son off the nurses and turned back to Carter. “Hold on, hold on, Mrs. Salerno.”
Carter held her breath and focused on ignoring the urge to push. “I’m holding …” she said tightly. “Please hurry, please!”
“Okay, I need you to take a deep breath and give me a good push, all right?”
Carter nodded.
“On three …”
She took hold of Nathan’s hand once more and screamed through a push before the doctor said three. In a matter of seconds the cry of their second son filled the room. Baby boy number two was a bit lighter than his brother and had a full head of jet-black curls.
“Nathan,” she cried as she squeezed his hands and looked back at him. “He’s so beautiful, bubby.”
When Nathan looked into her tear-filled hazel eyes, he fell in love with her all over again. Carterina. His beautiful, perfect Carterina had just given him what he’d never knew he wanted, what he never thought he’d have.
He pushed her damp hair from her face and kissed her lips. “You were so amazing, baby.
So amazing
. I love you more than words can express.”
Carter brought her hand to his face and kissed him deeply. “I love you, too, Nathan Salerno,” she whispered. “So much …”
“All right, Mommy and Daddy. He’s a healthy six pounds five ounces. Would you like see your son?”
Carter and Nathan looked up, and reached out for their son together. Smiling, the nurse placed the newborn in their arms.
Nathan gazed at his son over Carter’s shoulder in awe. He was indeed absolutely beautiful. Carter opened the blanket and together they counted ten little fingers and ten little toes.
“He’s so handsome, Nathan,” Carter murmured as she ran her finger over his little nose. “And look at all of this blond hair.”
The baby squirmed and let out a small whimper before opening his eyes; a perfect pair of deep, stormy gray eyes identical to his own eyes.
“He has your eyes, bubby.”
Nathan smiled. His son had his eyes. “He has your nose,” he said, placing a light kiss on Carter’s cheek.
Carter giggled softly when their son scrunched up his nose and sneezed. “But he has your everything else.”
Nathan chuckled.
“You look so much like your daddy, baby,” Carter cooed to their child. “You have to name your sons, Nathan.”
Nathan hugged Carter and their baby closer as he continued to stare into his son’s eyes. “Maksim Alessandro Salerno.” He would be named after himself, his uncle, and his father.
“Maksim,” Carter whispered to their son as she leaned forward and placed a kiss on his forehead. “We love you so much our little Maksim.”
Soon the nurses came to take Maksim down to his check-up with the doctor.
“Ready to hold baby B, Mom and Dad? He’s six pounds and eleven ounces. A little bigger than his brother.”
They reached for their second son and when Nathan saw him up close, he chuckled. “Oh my God, baby B. We should just go ahead and name him Carter’s son.”
Curly, jet-black hair and the features of his mother.
Carter laughed softly. “Whatever. Look at those eyes.”
“He has my eye color, but they’re big, expressive eyes just like his mama” Nathan said, hugging them both closer to him. “This is our Aleksandr. Aleksandr Alexis Salerno.”
Carter looked up at him with a smile. “Alexis?”
Nathan nodded. “He looks like your grandfather.
You
look like your grandfather as well.”
She kissed his lips and grinned wide. “My mother will love that, Nathan. I love it, too,” she whispered, then she turned back to face their son. “Hello my little Aleksandr. Mommy and Daddy love you so much.”
It was admittedly hard for both of them when the nurses took the boys to get checked up, but they promised that the babies would be returned quickly after they were cleaned up and dressed. Carter had wanted the boys to stay with them through the night, but the doctor recommended that she let the nurses care for them in the nursery after they fed, while she got some rest. Nathan had agreed. Carter’s energy had depleted after delivering the twins. Nathan could see how exhausted she was just by looking into her tired eyes. Plus they had said that the babies would return for feeding. Carter had felt better after that.
Being the amazing woman that she was, Carterina cleaned up—with Nathan’s help—put on her gorgeous pink, floor-length night gown, and perked up for the numerous guest that came by to see them and the new additions to the family. The new grandparents and uncles, as well as Carter’s best girlfriends, filled the large room as they waited for the babies to return.
Carter sat on her bed giggling with her friends and Sofia. They were a group of seven beautiful, exceptionally smart and accomplished women. Carter and her six friends: Katherine Young, who was a stay-at-home mom in Pleasant View; Aria Hernandez, a young chef—who was a sweetheart, and kind of growing on Nathan—owned a successful restaurant in Manhattan; Brittany Sanders, an associate at a prominent New York law firm; Reanna Pierce, a very successful photographer; Tamara Pierce, a successful fashion prodigy and owner of a couture formal dress boutique in upper eastside Manhattan; and the personal assistant to the boss from the Salerno Organization, Aniyah Clark.
“I can’t believe you have two babies, Carter,” Katherine exclaimed. “I knew you would have babies fast. Every time a new couple moves out to the suburbs they get pregnant a few months after.”
Carter chuckled. “Why is that?”
Katherine smiled slyly. “Because S-E-X is the best past time in a boring ass town like Pleasant View.” She spelled out sex because little Sofia was sitting on Carter’s lap.
Carter and her girlfriends laughed.
“Pleasant View isn’t boring,” Carter said with a bright smile. “I love it.”
“I like it, too,” Reanna stated. “Tamara and I always dreamed of living in Pleasant View when we were little. Now we finally can afford it.”
Katherine shrugged. “I guess it’s better there now that I have money. The more money you have, the more they like you.”
“Did Matthew find a better job?” Carter asked. When she’d first met Katherine she was in financial trouble. Her husband, Matthew, had a job at Katherine’s brother’s hotel, but the hotel was doing badly.
Katherine’s grin stretched across her face. “They’re making money again,” she answered happily. “Something about a new investor in the hotel. This business man just gave them a shit load of money and bought half of the hotel. Now business is great. I can finally pay you back for all of the groceries and stuff you bought for Melanie and the baby.”
Frowning, Carter shook her head and reached out to grab her friend’s hand. “No you won’t. I’m so happy for you and your family, sweetheart. You don’t have to pay me back for anything. Friends help each other. I’m sure you would do the same for me.”
Katherine squeezed Carter’s hand and smiled warmly. “Yes, I would. In a heartbeat.”
“Aww,” Brittany sighed, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder and opening her arms for a group hug. “Sisterhood girls! Group hug.” They giggled and hugged each other. “And my husband said I’d never find friends that liked me.”
“My husband said that, too,” Katherine added.
“They were right,” Reanna teased. “We don’t like y’all. You both have attitudes.”
They laughed and nodded they were agreement with Reanna’s statement.
“Damn!” Tamara—Carter’s hilariously outspoken friend—exclaimed as Robert entered the room. “Carter, your father is fine as hell.”
“Shh … Tamara,” Aniyah chided. “He might hear you.”
“I will not shut up. Just because you have to be on your best behavior because your sexy ass boss is sitting over there doesn’t mean I have to, Niyah,” Tamara said, rolling her eyes. “I’m just trying figure out why Carter’s dad looks like a damn model. Hi, Mr. Steele,” she called, waving at Robert. “Lord please give me him for Christmas.”
Carter made a sound of disgust. “Eww! Stop, Mara.”
Tamara lifted her hand in defiance. “Hell no I won’t, Carter. Your dad is very sexy. He’s like smooth, sexy, dark chocolate—”
“You’re so nasty,” Carter muttered just as her father came to her side.
He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Sorry I’m late, sweetheart.”
“That’s okay, Daddy,” she said sweetly. “Your grandsons will be back up soon.”
“All right, baby girl.” He kissed her once more, then walked over to talk with Angelo.