Tattooed in Moonlight

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The first thing everyone asked after the delivery wasn't "Are you okay?" or "How do you feel?"

It was, of course, "What are their names?"

Names. Plural. Because surprise—I hadn't known if I was carrying boys, girls, or some cosmic combo. We'd decided not to check. Suspense, we called it. Torture, I realized, when the doctor announced, "Congratulations, you have a boy and a girl."

A boy. A girl.

One of each.

It felt like the universe had dealt me the perfect hand.

Except... we had zero names ready.

So there we were, in the hospital room, me propped up with two tiny, perfect little bundles tucked into my arms, Travis sitting beside me with that maddeningly calm expression like we weren't about to make a lifelong branding decision.

The room was crowded, but not in the bad way—in the oh God, I'm surrounded by too many people who actually care kind of way.

Marcella had been pacing the floor for hours, clutching her tablet like she could draft a press release between my contractions. Lila was half-hanging off the hospital bed, taking selfies with me looking like I'd been run over by a jeepney.

And then the door opened, and everything shifted.

Mavis swept in first, elegant even after a flight, pearls glinting against her throat. She didn't say anything dramatic—just came to my side, brushed my sweaty hair back, and kissed my forehead like I was her own daughter.

Thaddeus followed, calm and steady, carrying flowers that somehow didn't feel cliché when he handed them to me. "You did well," he said simply, and I swear, my throat nearly closed.

I'd never heard those words from my own father.

And then, in my arms, the twins stirred—as if they knew their grandparents had arrived.

"They're here," I whispered. "Our Sky babies."

Everyone leaned closer. The boy, tiny fists curled against his cheek. The girl, making the faintest squeak like she already had an opinion about the world.

"We didn't know the genders," I added quickly, my voice wobbling. "Suspense, you know? So when they were born and it turned out one boy and one girl..." I trailed off, tears pricking again.

Mavis smiled, eyes wet. "Perfect balance."

Thaddeus nodded. "A miracle."

Marcella sniffled noisily from the corner. "And what are their names, darling?"

I hesitated, then laughed through the tears. "Sky Angelo and Sky Angela."

Lila snorted. "Oh my God. Airline babies confirmed."

"Shut up, Lila," I muttered, but softer this time. I kissed the boy's head. "Sky Angelo. Because he's our little angel, and because the sky carried him safely here."

Then I kissed the girl's head. "Sky Angela. Because she's the other half of the miracle. Our little angel, too."

Mavis clasped her hands, glowing. "Beautiful. They'll grow into those names with grace."

Lila leaned dramatically toward Marcella. "Or as I like to call them, Boeing and Airbus."

"LILA!" I hissed, while Marcella swatted her with a rolled-up hospital brochure.

Through the chaos, Travis stayed steady at my side, one hand resting over mine. He looked at the twins, then at me.

"Sky Angelo. Sky Angela," he repeated, his voice calm but reverent. "Our angels."