"How have you been?" Nikki asked Anne that afternoon as the older woman popped round for a visit, they hadn't seen in her in two days while she had been visiting a friend.
"I've been fine" Anne smiled as they walked into the kitchen "I'll make drinks, go and rest"
"I can make drinks perfectly fine" Nikki laughed and shook her head as she grabbed two mugs from the cupboard "I don't need rest, I get enough of it when Harry's here, he hardly lets me move"
"How are you all?" Anne then asked, relenting when she saw how stubborn Nikki was being even though she didn't want the young woman over exerting herself especially if she had been losing a lot of sleep with the babies. As a mother Anne knew all about sleepless nights but was happy that Nikki had Harry like she had had Edward.
"We're fine, the boys are upstairs asleep if you want to go and see them. Please don't wake them" she then added and rolled her eyes "They've only just.."
They then heard a loud cry through the baby monitor on the table and both women chuckled, Nikki shaking her head and sighing.
"Never mind" Nikki laughed and nodded towards the older woman, she knew which one of her sons it was crying "You can go and sort Donovan out, you haven't seen them for two days and I think they've missed you"
Anne laughed loudly and Nikki grinned at the older woman as she walked out of the room, Nikki turning back to the kettle and waiting for it to boil. A few minutes later Anne walked back into the room with Donovan in her arms, the baby still crying loudly and making Nikki's heart tug in her chest. She hated it when her babies cried, not because it annoyed her, far from it, but because it meant there was something wrong or missing.
"I think he's hungry, his nappy isn't dirty" Anne smiled at her future daughter-in-law as she handed the crying baby to her "I'll make drinks while you sort him out"
"Thank you" Nikki nodded as she cradled Donovan to her and undid her blouse with her other hand, freeing her breast from her bra as she walked into the living room and offered herself to the baby. Donovan attached himself to her instantly and began to suckle, his crying stopping as he looked up at his mother and clenched and unclenched his fist as it lay on the top of her breast, his arms and legs still un-coordinated when he moved. "How was Gabriel?"
"Still fast asleep" Anne called back from the kitchen and Nikki nodded.
"He'll need feeding soon as well"
"Have they been good?" Anne asked a few minutes later as she walked into the living room with two mugs in her hands, placing them both on the table in front of them and sitting down on the sofa.
"They've been perfect haven't you my darling?" Nikki cooed down at the feeding baby, an involuntary grin crossing her face as she leant down and kissed Donovan on the head. "You and your brother. All they do is sleep and eat, with a lot of crying and a bit of nappy messing in between" she added the last part for Anne who chuckled and nodded.
"Here" Anne then said and pulled Donovan's mittens out of his pocket, Nikki taking them and pulling them gently onto her son's hands as he fed from her.
"See, can't have you scratching up your handsome face now can we?"
"I take it Gabriel doesn't need.." Anne trailed off as they heard the other baby cry through the baby monitor.
Nikki laughed and Anne chuckled and smiling lovingly at the young woman and her grandson, shifting to the front of the sofa
"Could you go and get him?"
"Of course" Anne nodded as she stood up and gently patted Nikki on the shoulder as she passed the armchair. She sometimes wondered how Nikki and Harry did it, raising twins who were both very demanding. She knew that Nikki liked to feed them most of the time and lost a fair bit of sleep because of it despite Harry also bottle feeding them with Nikki's milk as well. Anne wondered how Nikki hadn't got exhausted even though they were only three weeks old, she knew how babies could be.
Nikki leant down and kissed the top of Donovan's head as she moved him to her shoulder and rubbed his back gently, he burped up a bit of milk after a few seconds and Nikki stroked his blonde hair gently as she supported his head against her.
"Good boy" she cooed and kissed him again, continuing to rub his back until she was sure there was no milk left. She then transferred the baby to her arms and moved the bib to the arm of the armchair, closing her blouse slightly, looking up at the doorway as Anne walked into the room with Gabriel in her arms, the baby crying loudly. "He's hungry as well" Nikki told Anne as she stood up and walked over to the Moses baskets that were always kept in the living room. She lay Donovan down and stroked his head lovingly, the baby still awake, before turning and accepting Gabriel from Anne, cradling him against her chest as she moved her blouse away and offered the baby her other breast. She sat down as her son latched onto her and began to drink greedily, his green eyes that matched his brother's and his father's staring up at her.
"You're a perfect mum Nikki" Anne told the younger woman as she sat down and picked up her mug of coffee, cradling it in her hands and sipping it as Nikki smiled happily.
"Thank you" Nikki replied as she looked away from her son who was making quiet whimpering noises as he fed "I don't know what I'd do without them now. It's going to be so difficult going back to school and leaving them" she sighed and Anne shook her head.
"You have until January to think about that. Just focus on your sons. Are you not tired?"
"I am a bit" Nikki sighed and rested her head on the back of her sofa, Gabriel still feeding greedily from her "I think that we'll get used to it after a while. But Harry's brilliant, he's loosing just as much sleep as I am"
"Well maybe a bit less because you're up all the time in the night to feed them aren't you?"
"Hmm" Nikki nodded "Harry helps as well but I like to feed them myself. And I have naps during the day when Harry looks after them"
They heard the front door open and Harry called out that he was home.
"Speak of the devil"
"In the living room" Nikki called out to him as she stifled a giggle and he walked into the room, a grin spreading over Harry's face as he saw his lover breastfeeding. He had confided in her on one of the twins first feeds that he loved watching her feed them because she looked perfect doing it and it seemed so natural for her.
"Hi mum" Harry then smiled as he spotted his mother, putting the two bags of shopping on the table as he passed.
"Hi dear" Anne smiled back as Harry leant over and kissed her on the head before making his way over to Nikki and leaning down to kiss her on the lips.
"Hello gorgeous"
"Hi" Nikki grinned as Harry gently took Gabriel's hand in his and kissed it gently.
"Hello to you as well" he cooed happily to the baby who had a vice like grip on his finger. Harry shook his arm gently as if shaking the baby's hand and Donovan suddenly let out a loud wail from the Moses basket.
Nikki was suddenly re-thinking what she and Harry had been talking about, about the babies not crying that much. She giggled to herself and shook her head.
"I'll put the shopping away" Anne told them as she stood up and grabbed both bags "Anything in here I shouldn't see?"
"Mum" Harry tutted and Nikki giggled loudly as Anne smirked at her son "No"
"Well I don't know" Anne rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen as Harry extracted himself from Gabriel and walked over to Donovan.
"Hello you" he cooed and reached down to pick the crying baby up, cradling him against his shoulder and supporting his head gently. "What's wrong hmm?"
"He's literally just been fed so he's not hungry" Nikki told her lover and Harry chuckled.
"Why he's crying after that I don't know"
Nikki rolled her eyes as Harry smirked at her and continued to try and calm their son down. Patting his back gently as he walked over to the mantelpiece.
"Look, there's Auntie Ada and your Uncle William and your Uncle Georg" Harry smiled as he talked to Donovan "Although they'd just make you cry even more so I shouldn't really show you that picture"
Nikki giggled and shook her head, relaxing back into the armchair as Gabriel continued to feed, keeping her eyes on her lover and Donovan who was starting to calm down in his father's arms.
"And that is your grandpa Edward and your grandma Anne" Harry continued as he moved along to the next picture which was of his mum and dad when they were younger "When they were younger of course, grandma Anne has a few more wrinkles now" he told the baby in a hushed voice "But don't tell her that" he added and Nikki giggled again. She loved hearing Harry talk to the babies like he was and often found him telling them stories when he was feeding them or when he was changing them. "And there is your beautiful mummy with your auntie and uncles"
Nikki smiled as she looked back down at Gabriel who was looking up at her imploringly, his hand flexing as it lay on her breast. Her smile grew as she leant down and kissed him on the forehead, breathing in his unique baby smell and she couldn't help but fall in love with her two boys all over again.
I'm on a role :P
xxx