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Beau's eyes widened.
"It's another boy! Twins!" the doctor added. "I thought it might be. One was hiding the other, covering his heartbeat with his own.
"Congratulations!" he said, and the nurses held two blond, blue-eyed baby boys in their arms.
"We're not giving either of them away," Beau joked. "Don't worry."
Twins, I thought. They're going to love each other from day one, I pledged, day one.
Pearl was overwhelmed with the news that she would have not one baby brother, but two. Our first great task was going to be finding names for them. We had already discussed the possibility of a girl and then a boy, thinking the boy would be called Pierre, after Daddy. I knew what I wanted to do, but I wasn't sure how Beau would feel. He surprised me in the hospital room afterward by suggesting it himself.
"We should call our second son Jean," he said. "Oh, Beau, I thought so, but. . ."
"But what?" He smiled. "I told you. I'm a believer now. It was meant to be."
Maybe, I thought. Maybe.
Beau had a photographer waiting at the house the day we brought the twins home. We had pictures taken of the five of us. We were quite the little family now. We hired a nurse to help with the twins in the beginning, but Beau thought we might keep her on longer.
"I don't want you neglecting your art," he insisted.
"Nothing's more important than my children, Beau. My art will take a backseat," I told him. I wanted to be close to my boys and make sure they were taught to love and cherish each other. Beau understood.
A week after I had returned from the hospital with our twins, I sat out in the gardens, relaxing and reading. Pearl was upstairs in the new nursery, intrigued and fascinated with her two infant brothers.
"Pardon, madame," Aubrey said, coming out to me, "but this just arrived special delivery for you."
"Thank you, Aubrey." I took the envelope. When I saw it came from Jeanne, I sat back, my fingers trembling as I tore it open. There was a photograph within and a note.
Dear Ruby,
Mother insisted every iota of anything that reminds us of you be thrown out. I couldn't find it in my heart to throw this away. Somehow, I think, Paul would have wanted you to have it.
Jeanne
I looked at the picture. I couldn't remember who had taken it, one of Paul's school friends, I thought. It was a picture of the two of us taken at the fais dodo hall when Paul had taken me to the dance. That had been my first real date, and it was before I had learned the truth about ourselves. Both of us looked so young and innocent and hopeful. We had nothing ahead of us but happiness and love.
I didn't realize I was crying until a tear fell on the photograph.
"Mommy!" I heard Pearl cry from the patio. I turned to see her running toward me, Beau coming along behind her. "They looked at me! Pierre and Jean! They both looked at me and they smiled!"
I quickly wiped any remaining tears from my cheeks and stuffed the picture and the note between the pages of my book.
"They did," Beau vouched. "I saw it myself."
"I'm glad, darling. Your brothers will love you forever and ever."
"Come on, Mommy. Let's go see them. Come on," she urged, pulling on my hand.
"I will, honey. In a moment."
Beau stared at me. "Are you all right?" he asked. "Yes." I smiled. "I am."
"I'll take her back. Let's go, princess. Give Mommy a little more rest, okay? And then she'll come."
"Will you, Mommy?"
"I will, honey. I promise."
