Chapter 1016: The End

chapter 1016: the end



tom lay wide awake, his head resting against the soft pillow as the faint light of dawn seeped through the curtains.

his gaze was on lucy, her face serene in her sleep. her hair fanned out across the pillow, her lips slightly parted as she slept with a pillow tucked between her legs. he couldn't help but marvel at her— a vision of beauty and strength. it was more than a year already since they met, and five months into their marriage, yet she was still a wonder to him.

the pregnancy was thirty six weeks old now, and her baby bump was fully formed. this made her have an even more difficult time sleeping comfortably because of the pressure on her bladder.

seeing her sleeping so peacefully now, he didn't have the heart to wake her even though it meant they would be running late.

as if she could hear his thoughts, her eyes fluttered open, and she caught him staring. a small smile curved her lips, soft and teasing. "morning."

"morning, wife," tom said with a grin, his voice warm and low as he leaned closer, brushing a soft kiss against her forehead.

lucy chuckled, shaking her head. "when are you going to stop calling me that?"

"hmm, i'm not sure." he tilted his head playfully. "maybe when i finally get used to the idea that you're my wife, mrs. hank."

her laughter filled the room, light and warm. "how long is it going to take you to get used to it then?"

"probably never."

lucy rolled her eyes, though her smile didn't waver. "we'll see about that." she shifted slightly, her hand resting on her rounded belly.

following the movement of her hand, he smiled, his heart swelling as it always did at the sight of her bump.

"i feel like i haven't slept in weeks," she said as she tried to sit up and tom assisted her. tom's expression softened. "i guess you didn't sleep enough last night."

she let out a small sigh, shaking her head. "barely. i finally dozed off some time around 4 a.m.," she said with a yawn as she glanced at the clock. it was past 8 a.m.

tom frowned, concern etched on his face. "why didn't you wake me up? i could've kept you company."

her eyes met his, tender and filled with love. "because you've been staying up too late as it is, tom. you needed the rest."

"so, what did you do?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"i tried to work on some new designs, and i also took a look at the records the manager sent. the yacht business is doing a lot better than i thought," she said with a proud smile.

"my millionaire wife," tom teased, and she giggled.

"i'm getting there," she said, watching as tom shifted slightly and placed his hand over her belly, feeling its warmth beneath his palm.

"after today, you'll finally be able to sleep," he murmured before leaning down to press a kiss against her baby bump.

lucy smiled, her hand instinctively covering his. "i hope so."

tom straightened, his brows knitting together as he studied her face. "you think we made the right call, opting for the elective c-section?"

her hand reached up to cup his cheek, her thumb brushing against his stubble. "stop worrying. it's the safest option, tom, damon said so, was especially since it's a multiple pregnancy. don't overthink it."

before he could respond, they both felt a sudden movement. tom paused, his grin spreading wide as he pulled his hand back to watch the subtle ripple across her belly.

"good morning, peanut butter and jelly," he said with a chuckle, addressing the twins. "i can't wait to see you today and play with you."

lucy laughed, resting her head back on the pillow as she watched him. "you're going to be such a doting dad. just don't let them steal all your attention from me."

tom looked at her, his smile softening. "you're my first baby, jewel. you'll always have my attention."

her heart melted at his words, and she reached out to squeeze his hand. "i can't wait to see everyone's faces when they find out we're having twins. we've done a good job making them believe otherwise."

tom laughed. "i'm glad we took our time with the nursery and kept it locked. otherwise, someone would've figured it out."

"between our moms, i don't know who is more eager to meet the baby," lucy giggled.

evelyn and janet had traveled down to stay with them two weeks ago, while their husbands went on a boys trip.

"i'm not sure either," tom laughed as he glanced at the clock on the wall. "as much as i don't want to ruin this moment, it's time to get going, love."nôv(el)b\\jnn

lucy groaned, stretching her legs slightly. "i feel too heavy to stand up. plus i think i'm going to miss this bump and the feeling of laziness. this pregnancy was the perfect excuse to be

lazy."

tom chuckled, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "lucky for you, i'm here to help with all of that. let's start by helping you get dressed, and then later we can talk about giving you

another bump."

lucy laughed as he carefully helped her sit up and began undressing her with gentle hands. then, with ease, he scooped her up and carried her to the bathroom.

lucy leaned against him, giggling. "you have spoilt me silly."

"and i don't plan to stop." he washed her up tenderly, then dried her off and carried her back to bed.

once she was dressed and resting comfortably, he left her to go quickly freshen up.

by the time they were ready to leave, the sound of voices and laughter greeted them from the staircase before they saw evelyn and janet seated in the living room.

their laughter slowly trailed off, replaced with curious expressions on their faces.

"where are you two going?" evelyn asked, eyeing them suspiciously since it was unusual for

reached for the sleeping baby while the nurse picked up the second baby, swaddled in lavender and handed her to lucy.

as the tiny girl nestled into tom's arms, tom's chest rose and fell with a deep, unsteady

breath. "she's so beautiful," he murmured, his voice breaking. a tear slipped down his cheek, and he didn't bother to wipe it away. his thumb brushed over the baby's tiny hand, and she

instinctively wrapped her fingers around it. the simple gesture undid him completely. "ready for number two?" lucy asked, her tone light but reverent.

tom nodded, his throat too tight to speak. he gently handed the first baby back to the nurse

who placed her gently in her bassinet.

tom took the second into his arms. this one squirmed a little, her soft coos filling the air.

her eyes blinked open briefly, revealing a pretty set of gray eyes. tom's laugh came out shaky,

a mix of disbelief and joy. "she has your eyes," he said, glancing at lucy. lucy's gaze softened as she looked up from the baby boy in her arms to tom. "and your stubbornness," she teased, her voice a tender murmur. "look at her; she's already fighting

sleep."

tom leaned down to press a kiss to the baby's forehead, his tears landing softly on the lavender blanket. "i don't know how i got so lucky," he whispered, his voice cracking as he handed her to the nurse so that he could see the baby boy.

"and here's the boy who managed to surprise us all," tom said as he moved closer to lucy.

lucy cradled the baby boy close, her fingers tracing the curve of his cheek. he yawned, a tiny, content sound that made her heart ache with love.

"hi there, little man," tom whispered, his tears spilling over. "we didn't even know you were

in there, but we are glad to meet you," tom said as he sat beside her, his arms already reaching out.

she let him take the boy, and watched as he held him as if he were the most fragile thing in the

world. "my son," he murmured, the words tasting foreign yet right on his tongue. "jamal is going to be happy," lucy said, and tom chuckled.

the baby's tiny fist curled against his chest, and tom leaned down, kissing the soft tufts of

dark hair on his head.

"i love you," tom said, his voice trembling as he looked at lucy. "i love all four of you."

lucy smiled through her tears, her heart swelling at the sight of him cradling their son with their daughters beside them. "we love you too, ace."

"your family is waiting, tom," damon called from the doorway, reminding him that he had not spared them any thought.

"my wife and babies need to rest," tom said with a scowl, and lucy laughed softly.

"go bring them in," lucy urged the nurse with a yawn, "but don't tell them anything. i want

to see their reaction before i sleep off."

the nurse smiled and quietly stepped out of the room, leaving the new family to bask in the

moment.

"how's lucy? how's the baby?" janet asked as she hurried ahead of the others into the room.

tom's brows pulled together when he saw that it wasn't just their moms, but sonia, bryan, harry, jade, lucas, amy, and even andy had all come. "what are you all doing here?" he asked without answering janet's question. "get out of the way, we are not here for you," harry said, making the others laugh.

"always acting like he's the most caring husband," bryan muttered grudgingly, cradling his

son in a carrier. "why are there multiple bassinets in the room?" sonia asked, noticing it first.

"how's my baby and grand-baby?" janet asked with a beaming smile

lucy grinned. "you mean grand-babies." "you had twins?" jade asked, her jaw dropping.

"triplets!" tom exclaimed with a proud smile.

"oh my god!" sonia screeched as they all hurried forward at once to take a look at the babies.

cheers and laughter erupted, and tom found himself pulled into a tight embrace by harry. "congrats, man!"

"i'm the luckiest man alive," tom told him, and harry nodded, tears of joy dropping from his

eyes.

soon the others left so that lucy could get some sleep, and tom sat very close to her bed, holding her hand in his.

"thank you, jewel," he whispered, his lips brushing against her temple. "thank you for

giving me everything i ever hoped for and more."

lucy smiled, her eyes heavy with sleep. "we did this together, ace. it al started with that one

wild night, and now, we have forever to love them."

"i love you, jewel. forever."

"i love you, too."

the end.