Muttli began to bark crazily, alerting MaryBeth and the girls that the Reid family had arrived home. Spencer parked in the driveway rather than in the garage where the cousins met them. MaryBeth was right behind them, hurrying to Melissa's door to open it and help her exit the car.
Spencer opened the trunk and Maddie took the bag from him, "I'll get it, Uncle Spencer," she told him.
He opened the rear door and reached past Erin to get the floral arrangement, which he passed to Maya to take into the house. After unbuckling Erin, he picked the sleeping girl out of the car seat and handed her into Melissa's arms. MaryBeth accompanied them into the house and Spencer went around to car's other side. He removed Spencer from the car seat, stood up and kicked the car door shut, locked it with the remote and followed the others into the house.
"This way," MaryBeth directed them to the living room. She'd set up the portable baby bed against one wall, and Melissa and Spencer laid the two babies down in it.
MaryBeth slipped into the kitchen and returned several minutes later with a mug of herbal tea for Melissa. She looked at Spencer and apologised, "Whoops, sorry, guess I should've asked you if you wanted some too."
"It's okay," he told her.
"All right then, you're on your own for tea," she laughed. "I'll be back in a few minutes, I need to tidy up the mess I made in the dining room," she waved a hand towards that room and both Melissa and Spencer laughed,
"Look, MaryBeth," Melissa directed.
The dining room had been tidied. Maya and Maddie stood in the doorway and giggled, "You said to clean the house, Mom, so we did after we saw that you were finished."
"They're so good!" Melissa praised.
Spencer chose that moment to wake up and start wailing for feeding and Melissa picked him up to do so. His crying woke Erin up and her father lifted her out of the bed and carried her around until she settled.
Melissa nursed Spencer, and Maya and Maddie shyly watched from the doorway. Their aunt beckoned them closer.
"Come, sit down. We don't mind if you want to watch, see how it's done. If it's okay with M-B," she added. Their mother nodded and the girls quickly sat on either side of Melissa, enthralled by the process. Spencer nursed eagerly, putting his little hand out on Melissa's chest and she covered his hand with one of her fingers, stroking it as he fed. After he was done, she burped him and then she asked Maddie if she'd like to hold him.
MaryBeth's youngest was ecstatic and immediately positioned herself as Melissa directed and held her baby cousin. He was comfortable and secure and didn't cry as Maddie cuddled him.
Spencer handed Erin to her mother and Melissa nursed her daughter. They all laughed as Erin managed to fall asleep while feeding. Gently, Melissa laid Erin over her shoulder to burp her, and then offered Maya the opportunity to hold her. MaryBeth quickly got out her cell phone and took several photos of her daughters with their cousins.
After each of them had a chance to hold the babies, Melissa asked them to put the twins back into the portable bed to let them sleep.
Spencer supervised this move and then MaryBeth ushered the girls out of the living room.
"Melissa, why don't you take advantage of them sleeping and have a nap, too?" her husband suggested, offering an arm to help her up.
"I will, but actually, I'd rather just nap here, Spence," she told him, indicating the couch.
She curled up on it and he covered her with the same blanket that had arranged over her favourite chair earlier while they were preparing the house for the homecoming.
"I'm gonna go get Anna from school," Spencer told MaryBeth, "I'll text JJ so she knows. I missed her this morning and I don't want her to feel left out of things."
An hour later, the car pulled into the garage and Spencer brought Anna into the house. Melissa was sitting in the kitchen drinking a glass of milk and Anna joined her.
They shared a long hug and Anna played with Melissa's long hair. "I missed you, Mommy. Welcome home!"
"I missed you too, Sweet Pea, I'm so happy to be home again."
"Okay, girls, I suppose it's time," MaryBeth announced, knowing that her own girls had been itching since Melissa's arrival home to share their surprise. They peeked in on the babies to make sure they were both still soundly sleeping then the group headed upstairs to the babies' room.
Spencer opened the door to the twins' bedroom and motioned Melissa inside. Pinned along the length of one wall was a banner made by the three older girls and Melissa burst into tears at the sight:
'Welcome home baby Erin Diana Maeve and baby Spencer Jason Aaron with lots of love from your sister Anna and your cousins Maya and Maddie' was neatly lettered and coloured amidst a backdrop of rainbows and hearts. MaryBeth had discouraged the use of glitter for the babies' room and the girls complied, understanding the dangers.
"This is absolutely lovely, girls!" Melissa glowed with happiness. "Thank you so much! The colours are fabulous, and they match the room!"
There were hugs all around and then Melissa turned and noticed that fastened on the wall above the two cribs were the children's names, fashioned in puffy, cotton cloth multi-coloured letters, 'Spencer' and 'Erin.'
She reached out and touched one, and addressed her sister, "Oh my God, you made these, didn't you?"
MaryBeth nodded.
"They're gorgeous! And they're done in the primary colours like we did their room," Melissa noted. "Thank you so much!" she hugged her sister.
MaryBeth, knowing that Melissa planned to have the twins sleep together initially, asked, "Which crib are you planning on using for now?"
"This one," she indicated the one closer to the door. MaryBeth reached up and plucked the names off the wall, then held them both next to each other in front of the closer crib.
"It's a sticky hook system," she explained, moving the hooks from one spot to the new one and attaching the names in the new location.
"This is just fantastic," Melissa enthused, hugging them all again.
The moment was interrupted by a wail from downstairs.
"Stay here," Spencer directed, "I'll go get him."
He hurried out the door and down the stairs.
MaryBeth looked at Melissa, "How can he tell which one is crying like that?"
"He's a profiler, M-B. He studies behaviour," she laughed in reply.
He returned with baby Spencer, quickly changed his son's diaper then turned him over to his mother for feeding. She sat in the rocking chair in the twins' room and nursed him.
MaryBeth went downstairs for Erin and returned with her niece a moment later.
"All right girls, can we go back downstairs and finish making dinner?" MaryBeth requested and her daughters scurried downstairs after her to do as she asked.
Anna and Spencer gave Erin a tour of her room; although her young eyes were not yet focusing, her hearing was excellent and she found her father's voice particularly soothing.
He rocked her as he read a story by heart, lowering his face close to hers so the sound of his voice wouldn't distract her little brother.
After Spencer was done feeding, he was handed off to his father, who repeated the room tour. He read his son a story and Anna introduced him to all the stuffed toys in the crib.
Once both babies had fallen asleep, their parents put them down in the crib next to each other and then each took one hand of their older child and left the room.
Anna held their hands and looked up at them. "Thank you for giving me a brother and a sister," she said in a most solemn and serious voice.
"Anna," Melissa's voice cracked, "Thank you for being such a precious, wonderful big sister."
The threesome walked into the master bedroom. Melissa wanted to lie down for a while and Anna asked if she could stay with her.
"Of course!" Melissa invited, patting the bed beside her as she dropped down onto the bed. Anna climbed up next to her and Spencer covered them both with a blanket. He kissed each of them, and as they closed their eyes, he stepped out into the hall.
He stood by the closed door, grateful for the safe arrival of two healthy babies, the gift of Anna and Melissa, the love he never thought he'd find. Life was truly full of surprises, and Spencer was looking forward to the surprises to unfold in the next chapter of his life.
"There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved"—Charles Morgan
-fin-