*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much!
Roman walked into the bedroom where Tayla was still sleeping soundly on their bed. She was curled up, gripping the sheets with one hand and covering her face with the other hand. She looked absolutely beautiful. Roman took a moment to take it in and admire his beautiful wife. There was no denying that he was the luckiest man in the world because he had her for a wife. He hated to wake her up but today was their big day; the day they were going to bring Lia and Leilani home. Roman walked over to the window and opened the curtains. Tayla didn't budge as the sun shined in on her face making her beauty shine brighter. Roman walked over to the bed with a smile on his face and sat down beside her. "Rise and shine," he said as he gently shook her. Tayla moaned indicating she was not ready to wake up and Roman was not surprised. She was not a morning person and hated to wake up before 10 in the morning. "Come on, Tay," he said trying to remove the covers from her. She pulled them back and moaned as she covered her face with the covers. "Tayla," he said. "Time to wake up."
"Go away," she moaned.
"I can't," he said. "It's time to wake up." He smiled at her as she fought him trying to take the covers from her again. "Come on, wake up."
Tayla removed the covers from her face by throwing them to her side exposing her grey cami and Roman's black basketball shorts she was wearing. She moaned and said, "what time is it?"
"8," said Roman.
"It's too early," she said. "I'm going back to sleep."
She tried to pull the covers back over her face but Roman stopped her. "Come on sleepy head. It's time to wake up. The girls are coming home today."
Tayla sat up and said, "I'm awake. I'm awake."
"Good morning," he said with a smile as he handed her a cup of coffee he had made. "I figured you needed this."
"Thanks," she said with a smile. "You know me so well," she said before taking a sip of it. "Mm. Thanks."
"You're welcome," he said with a smile. "So are you excited?"
"Of course," she said, "we have been waiting over 2 years for this. We're finally going to have our kids home with us. No doctors, no nurses, no tubes or wires just our family of 4," she said.
"I know," said Roman. "It has been a rough 3 months but they are finally ready. I'm so happy!"
"You're going to be a great daddy," she said.
"And you're going to be a great mommy," he said with a smile. "I love you."
"I love you too," she said as she leaned up and kissed his lips softly. "I should probably go take a shower."
"All right," he said before getting up off the bed. "Call me when you're ready to go."
"All right," she said as she got up. She kissed his lips once more before she went into their master bathroom to take a shower.
An hour or so later Tayla and Roman arrived at the hospital to get their baby girls. Tayla and Roman couldn't have been happier to finally have their family complete. There was a point in their lives they thought they would never have this and never have kids. They always thought it was always going to be the two of them unless they had chosen to adopt. Then that one night happened and Tayla ended up getting pregnant with twins. They had been told that they would never conceive and at the beginning of the pregnancy they had a small chance of actually having the baby. Then they got the surprise of their lives two wonderful baby girls that meant everything to them. They were little fighters. They had fought so hard to make it through life defeating all the odds against them. These two little girls were meant to be with Roman and Tayla. "Good morning," said the nurse as Roman and Tayla entered the room.
"Good morning," they said together.
"Today is the big day," she said with a smile.
"I know," said Roman. "I just can't wait to take them home."
"I bet," said the nurse. "They are ready to go. I love Lia and Leilani. I'm going to miss them."
"We will bring them back to visit," said Tayla.
"Please," she said.
"We promise," said Roman as he looked at the girls in their incubators. He had the proud father smile on his face. "So precious."
"I know," said Tayla as she admired her children. She felt bad that she ever thought she should be dead and thought they should be without a mother. They needed her as much as she needed them.
"We're going to do a final weigh in before you leave," said the nurse, "and we have all their stuff for you." She pointed to the bed where there were small pink outfits laying with pacifiers and tiny diapers. There was a box with blankets and wipes. There was also a box filled with tiny formula bottles for the two girls. The hospital had been their home for the last 3 months and it definitely showed.
"Thank-you," said Tayla. "Can we dress them before we take them home?"
"Absolutely but let me weigh them first for you," she said.
"All right," said Roman. He picked Lia up out of the incubator and handed her to the nurse.
The nurse quickly weighed her and said, "6lbs. 12 oz," she said before handing Lia to Roman so he could get her dressed. Tayla then handed Leilani to the nurse. "6lbs. 6oz," she said before handing her back to Tayla. "They have come a long way."
"They have," said Roman as he dressed the baby on the bed. "No one would ever believe that they were 1 ½ and 2lbs at birth. I knew from day 1 they were fighters." Lia smiled at her dad as he dressed her. He smiled back at her. When he had her dressed in her white sunsuit with tiny pink hearts he put a matching hat on her and put her in the car seat. His hands shook as he tried to fasten her into the seat. "I can't do this," he said. "Tay, help me."
"Okay," she said, "Take Leilani." Roman and Tayla switched babies. Roman dressed Leilani in the same outfit as Lia but in purple. "There you go," said Tayla as she buckled Lia into her seat. "You're going to need to learn, Roman," she said with a smile as she took care of Leilani and put her in the other car seat.
"My hands are just so big," he said, "and those buckles are so small."
"You'll learn," said Tayla. "Can you take a picture of us?" she asked the nurse.
"Absolutely," she said before Tayla handed her cell phone to her. Roman and Tayla each stood behind the two girls as the nurse snapped their picture. It was a day they never wanted to forget because it was a day they never thought they would have.
When they got to the car Roman got the car seats into the car with no problem and said, "yes! I did it."
Tayla laughed at him and said, "all the baby doll practice?"
"Shh," he said, "I didn't play with dolls. I was learning how to be a dad."
"Okay," she said with a smile. "I love you."
"I love you too," said Roman before he kissed her lips softly.
They were surprised when they arrived at their home. There were pink streamers hanging off their porch and a banner that said Welcome Home Lia and Leilani. Tayla smiled as her and Roman got the girls out of the car. They walked up to the front door and opened it. "Welcome home!" yelled a majority of Roman's family.
"Thank-you," said Roman as he and Tayla walked into the house each of them holding a car seat in their hand.
His father Sika and his mother came over to them and hugged them both. "Congratulations, Roman," said Sika.
"Thank-you," said Roman with a smile. He continued to have the proud daddy look on his face.
"Tayla," said Roman's mother, "congratulations."
"Thank-you," said Tayla with a smile.
Their house was filled with Roman's family from his sisters, his parents, his aunt and uncle and even his cousins. It seemed like most of Roman's family came to visit and meet the new members of their family. Tayla wasn't too comfortable with the idea of Lia and Leilani being passed around from one person to the next especially after their long stay in the NICU. They were vulnerable to diseases but she respected his family's traditions. She didn't have to do anything at all but take it easy while the female members of Roman's family took care of the babies. "Lia looks JUST like Roman," said his sister.
"Doesn't she?" asked Tayla. "She is his mini me for sure."
"They are identical," said Roman's mom. "I remember Roman's baby face perfectly."
Lia yawned and Tayla said, "And look when she opens her mouth she looks just like him when he does it."
"Stop," said Roman, "you're embarrassing me."
"Yeah right," said his sister, "you are the biggest ham in the family."
"Not true," he said, "not true at all."
"Keep telling yourself that," she said.
"Whatever," he said. "Look at my other little princess, she looks just like Tayla. That I'm thankful for."
"You two have beautiful children," said his mom. "So Tay, how are you feeling? How does it feel to be a mom?"
"I'm feeling all right. I haven't really gotten the chance to be a mom but I'm sure it's going to be awesome."
"It is," said his mom. "Being a mom is the best gift you could ever ask for."
"I hope so," said Tayla, "these two angels are 2 years in the making."
"It is so rewarding," said his mom. "All the hugs and kisses, all the I love yous and all the things you're going to see them do. It is rewarding but it goes so fast. I miss my children being little but I'm glad they have all married someone that makes them happy and are being able to experience having children of their own."
"I think Lia may need a diaper change," said Roman's sister.
"I got her," said Tayla as she reached for Lia.
"I have her," said Roman.
"You're going to change a diaper?"
"Um yeah," he said.
"All right," said Tayla with a smile. "Go ahead."
"I will," he said as he took Lia. Tayla handed him a diaper as he laid her down on the floor to change her diaper. Tayla wasn't expecting him to be able to do it but he changed it perfectly with no problem at all. "I told you I could do it."
"Must have been because you played with my dolls when you were little," said his sister.
"I did not play with dolls," he said as he handed Lia to Tayla, "I was practicing being a dad. Don't turn it into something it's not," he said as he stood up to throw away the diaper and to wash his hands.
"Whatever you say," said his sister.
"Tayla, you have a good man," said his mom. "Most men don't change diapers and don't feed their kids. They depend on the woman to do that. They don't dress them either but Roman is different than most men in this family. He is a going to be a great dad."
"I know," said Tayla with a smile. She was happy that Roman was ready to be involved and help in any way that he could even if it meant changing diapers. "Thanks, Baby," she said as Roman walked back into the living room.
"You're welcome," he said, "next time it's your turn."
"All right," said Tayla with a smile. "I love you, Baby."
"I love you too, Baby Girl," he said as he leaned over and kissed her lips. "I love all my girls," he said as he was in the presence of the 5 most important women in his life and the 5 women he loved the most.
*A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. I felt that we should see Roman in a different light and thought you guys deserved a happy chapter. I hope that you enjoyed it. :)
