My Saving Grace

Chapter 51

"Aww, you two are the cutest," I gushed, rubbing my twin nieces' tiny feet. They were wearing the matching onesies I'd bought them for Alyssa's baby shower back in late May. Things had been so good then, and I'd still been carrying my little pumpkin.

But dwelling on the past was meaningless now.

The night Alyssa had given birth, Nick had called me to come, and I'd driven to the hospital to meet them. I'd managed to make it to the waiting room before breaking down into tears, grieving the loss of my own child.

This was something I'd intentionally neglected to tell Chase during our call two weeks ago when he'd invited me to his event. Among other things, too, of course.

I'd wanted to meet my nieces...truly. But I simply hadn't been in the right mindset to do so. It felt utterly selfish, since Nick was my very own brother. Even our dad had hopped on the earliest flight from San Diego to welcome his granddaughters into the world.

Luckily, he'd been very understanding and had comforted me in the waiting room before telling me to go home.

"Alyssa and I knew this would be hard for you, sis. Don't stress about it. You can visit your nieces whenever you feel ready to," he'd said.

The twins were three weeks old, and here I was just now seeing them for the very first time. Their names were Ivy and Lily, which I was utterly obsessed with.

I poked at their round, chubby cheeks, making cooing sounds then I puffed my own cheeks like a blowfish, and they both giggled. I'd fallen in love with my nieces as soon as I'd lay eyes on them.

To my surprise, they hadn't wailed or cried when Alyssa had first placed them in my arms at the front door. Instead, they'd simply gazed up at me in wonder. Either Ivy and Lily were extremely easygoing babies, or their three-week old instincts had told them I was family and not someone to be afraid of.

I was thinking the former was the more plausible explanation.

Antonio and Nick were currently in the living room watching TV like the close brothers they were. Like me, Antonio had also fussed over the twins when we'd arrived earlier. And while holding them, he'd smiled an actual genuine smile. I was surprised he'd actually remembered how.

During lunch, however, it'd absolutely irked me how he had been able to switch over to his doting husband facade, as if the months he'd been spending distancing himself from me were all in my head. He'd kept refilling my plate with food, smiling whenever I spoke, and tossing around endearments.

Of course, I'd pretended everything was fine between us myself, out of fear of raising suspicion from Nick or Alyssa. Besides, I wanted to focus on bonding with my nieces, not dwelling on my marriage woes.

"Hey Sophia, do you mind taking the girls to the nursery for a nap?", Alyssa called from the kitchen. She'd nursed them earlier, and I could tell from their adorable yawns that they were ready to do just that.

"I'd be happy to," I replied.

I hefted up the two pink bundles, cradling one in each arm, then carefully made my way up the stairs.

"Don't worry, Auntie Soph will not drop you girls," I assured, smiling to myself.

I went into their Disney Princess-themed nursery and sat down on the rocking chair next to their crib—the one Antonio had bought what felt like a century ago. It went perfectly with all the other white furniture, too.