Twins, God’s way of saying buy one get one free.” — Anonymous

Dora's breath caught and her nose crinkled in confusion.

Leonardo's jaw clenched and he jabbed a finger in her direction. "Dad, what is she doing here?"

"Behave yourself!" Gerald said in a stern voice. A deep scowl marred his face. 

Ellie turned to Dora with an apologetic look. "I apologize on behalf of my brother."

"No need to do that,  sis, because I'm not in the least sorry." Leonardo retorted in a loud voice.

The volume of his voice drew the attention of the other guests and they turned in their direction.

Gerald's scowl deepened and he gritted out. "Keep it down."

"Why should I?" Leonardo fired back with narrowed eyes.

"Shut up!" Ellie's voice rose an octave.  "Come with me." She yanked his arm and tried to pull him. However, he snatched his hand.

"Don't stop me, Sis! I need to speak today." He turned to Dora and glared at her.

He opened his mouth to speak but Gerald's commanding voice stopped him.

"You can speak, son, but not here. I will not allow you to ruin your sister's occasion any further."

Leonardo's lips thinned. "Fine. Let's go inside."

Gerald gave a short nod and made a move but Leonardo's voice halted him.

"I want to talk to her as well." He threw Dora a glare. 

"No," Gerald said without looking at him.

"Yes. I need to tell her some things. Especially if she is going to stick around for long."

"I said n—"

"It's alright." Dora cut him off. "He can speak to me."

Gerald faced her with scrunched brows. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." She sent him a small smile.

"Okay," he murmured with dimmed eyes. "Let's go." He clasped her hand.

Dora turned to Chiaka, Kemi, and Tara. Worry shimmered in their eyes. She sent them a smile of reassurance before Gerald pulled her away.

Ellie informed her husband to handle the guests and then the group silently slipped into the house.

Their shoes clicked on the clandestine tiles. Finally, Ellie led them into a room that resembled a study.

"It's best if we talk here. No one can interrupt us," Ellie said.

Dora's eyes roamed around the room.
Shelves filled with books covered two walls. A huge oak desk sat in the middle of the room and a black chair was tucked behind it. Two cream armchairs sat facing a Television set.

After a long awkward silence, Gerald heaved a sigh.

"You can say what you want to say, son. There's no point prolonging it."

Dora's eyes drifted to the young man who looked so much like his father with the same color of eyes and same posture. But his sour attitude was far from his father's calm ambiance.

Leo cleared his throat and looked around with downcast eyes. "I apologize for my rude behavior. But seriously, dad, you have to understand my frustration. Why are you doing this?"

He stared at his father with grief dancing in his eyes.

Gerald's shoulders tensed and his jaw hardened. "I have explained things to you, son. I expected you would have accepted it by now."

Leonardo's face morphed into a frown. "How can I accept that you forgot mom so easily?" His voice rose and his frown deepened.

Dora's heart lurched and understanding dawned on her.

Gerald's shoulders slumped and he turned to his son. "I didn't forget your mother...I don't think I can ever forget her. But you need to understand that I want to be happy, and my happiness lies in Adaora."

Leo grimaced. "I can't believe this is happening," he muttered and shook his head.

Ellie stepped up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't you want Dad to be happy?"

"Of course, I do," he forced out. "But I wanted him and mom to be happy together." His eyes darkened.

A sad smile graced Ellie's lips. "I understand your feelings. I wanted the same thing. But mom is no longer here and we need to move on and live our lives."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Accept Ms. Dora." She squeezed his shoulder. "You will come to love her."

He stiffened. "No, Sis! I don't think I can do that." He shook his head. "She's the reason our mother was not happy when she was alive."

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is!" he said in a cold voice.

Ellie's shoulders slumped in defeat and she dropped her hands.

The awkward silence returned, thicker than before.

Dora fiddled with her fingers and her stomach squeezed with unease.

Say something," urged a small voice.

Dora's nervousness heightened and her eyes darted to a frowning Leonardo. Her heart pounded as she took timid steps toward him.

She stopped in front of him and her throat clogged up. Her heart churned as Leo's dark eyes fell on her.

She silently counted 1-5 to soothe her nerves. Her eyes darted to his face and she opened her mouth to speak. "You don't have to worry, dear, I won't try to replace your mother."

His lips thinned and his eyes hardened. "That's the problem there. My mother never had a place," Rage marred his face. "And it's all because of you," he spat out and sent her a glare.

Dora's breath hitched and she took a step back. "I am sorry."

He scoffed. "Your apologies won't change anything. Your apologies won't change the fact that my father couldn't love my mother because of you."

A gasp escaped Dora's lips and her eyes widened. Tears rushed forward but she blinked them away. She swung to face Gerald and sent him a questioning look.

Gerald shook his head. An unreadable expression danced in his eyes. He stepped beside her and pinned his son with a stare.

"It's no fault of hers that I couldn't love your mother."

" Really, Dad?" Leo arched a brow. "She's the reason you chose not to love my mother." He eyed Dora.

Gerald shook his head. "That's where you are wrong, son. I'm the reason I couldn't love her."

Leo scoffed and shook his head. "You are just trying to protect her."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Ellie spoke up in a serious voice. "What's wrong with you, Leo? It doesn't matter that Dad couldn't love Mom. He was a good husband and he gave her everything—"

"Except love," he cut her off. A pained smile graced his lips.

Ellie groaned. "Love is not something that can be forced, Leo." A sigh left Ellie's lips.

"And acceptance is not something that can be forced either." His jaw hardened. "So I  cannot accept her."

"Please, Leo, don't be stubborn." Ellie sent him a pleading look.

Leo exhaled and tucked his hands in his pockets. "Sorry, I gotta go. I can't do this." He sent them one more look and slipped out of the room.

Dora's heart landed in the pit of her stomach. Bile rose to her throat and she clamped her mouth down to suppress it.

The figure in front of her drew her attention and her eyes darted to the sad face of Ellie.

Ellie grasped her hand and squeezed it. "I apologize for the behavior and words of my brother. He'll come around. It just takes longer for him to accept change when it comes.'

Dora smiled and used her free hand to squeeze Ellie's arm. "No need to apologize, I understand."

Ellie smiled and embraced her. Dora patted her back softly. After the women pulled back, Gerald came to meet them.

"Thank you so much, dear," he said to Ellie and sent her an affectionate smile.

Ellie smirked, "Come on, Dad, she's not yours alone but mine as well." Her eyes twinkled.

Gerald's grin widened. "I am glad to hear that. It gives me satisfaction that someone in the family accepts her."

Ellie beamed. "I consider it a blessing to get a second mother. Even before I found out about the relationship you shared, I had come to love her." She turned to Dora and grinned.

Dora sent her a watery smile with appreciation gleaming in her eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered.

Ellie shook her head and laughed. "No, thank you."

The women smiled at each other as they renewed their relationship.

"You know what," Gerald said in an amused voice, "before my tear glands are activated, we should head back outside. I'm sure everyone is eager to know what the new family member is going to be."

Dora and Ellie produced a hearty laugh.

"Let's go then," Ellie remarked and headed towards the door.

Dora proceeded to follow Ellie but Gerald's hand stopped her. She turned to him with confused eyes.

"I want to talk to you."

Dora shook her head. "Not now; when the event is over."

Without waiting for his reply she pulled her hand away and ambled out the door.

She slipped into the backyard and maneuvered passed the guests scattered around.

"Is everything okay?" Kemi, Chiaka, and Tara chorused as she reached the table.

Her heart squeezed and Leo's angry face flashed in her mind. She pushed it to the back of her mind. "Everything is fine." She sent them a strained smile.

Doubt clouded their eyes but they weren't allowed to ask more questions.

"Let's concentrate on the event," Dora said as Ellie announced through the microphone that the occasion had officially begun.

The atmosphere lightened and Dora's tension eased as she got involved in the various games and activities. Everyone was made to anonymously pick a chit with either baby boy or baby girl written on it.

Dora chose the chit with baby boy scribbled on it and she couldn't wait to find out if her choice was right.

Minutes passed with excitement bubbling in the air. And finally, the big reveal happened.

Everyone gazed at the parents-to-be with anticipation. Mischief sparkled in the eyes of Ellie and her husband as they hid their hands behind their backs.

Time seemed to slow down as they brought their hands forward. Ellie held one placard and her husband held another one.

The guests traced the words on the placards.

"WE ARE HAVING TWINS!" Ellie and her husband exclaimed.

"A boy!" Ellie squealed.

"And a girl!" Her husband proclaimed.

Loud cheers and happy shrieks filled the space as everyone expressed their joy.

Dora's happiness doubled and her smile widened until her cheeks hurt.
She sauntered over to Ellie and gave her a tight hug.

"Congratulations, dear!" She beamed at the young mother.

"Thank you, thank you!" Ellie sent her a toothed grin. "I am still reeling in surprise." She laughed. 

"That's understandable." Dora smiled. 

Dora sent a quick congratulations to Ellie's husband before moving away for other guests. She returned to her seats and Kemi, Chiaka, and Tara excused themselves one after the other.

So Dora found herself alone and she watched everything unfold with a smile dancing on her lips.

A few minutes had barely passed when someone cleared their throat to gain her attention.

"Can I please get a few minutes of your time?"

Her eyes turned to the voice and surprise filled them. "Jide!" She exclaimed.

"I am glad you recognized me." A smile played on his lips.

You were quite impressionable," she wanted to say but held herself.

She sent him a smile. "It's good to see you again. I didn't know you were here."

He chuckled. "That's understandable. You were quite occupied." His eyes drifted across the room.

Dora followed his gaze and her eyes landed on Gerald who was engrossed in a conversation.

"I suppose that's why you never called me." His but muttered. 

She ducked her head as an embarrassed tint covered her cheeks.

"You don't need to be shy," he remarked and she looked at him.

"Gerald is a good guy. He will keep you happy." An unreadable flicker in his eyes.

Surprise washed over her but she suppressed it. "Thank you," she murmured.

Nervous butterflies danced in her stomach as silence reigned over them. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"So I guess I should be going." He heaved a sigh. "I will see you around."
He sent her one more smile and ambled off.

She watched as Jide Brown disappeared from her life just as fast as he came.

A feeling of being watched surged through her. Her eyes roamed around and her breath caught as they connected with Leo's dark eyes. He glared and turned away.

Father Lord, please soften his heart. She prayed.

                         ★★★★

Ooh, this was quite an intense chapter, wasn't it?😂

But aww, Ellie is having twins!💃😁 Who's excited about that?

I am excited. I squealed while writing that part 😂😂

Anyway, let's move to our Question of the chapter. It is very important. And it goes like this: What are your thoughts on what Leo said? Is he right for not accepting Dora and is his bitterness towards his father (Gerald) valid?

I look forward to your answers and opinions. XD

I also look forward to your 

Votes

Comments

Also, don't forget to share

Until next time, celebrate the twins around you😂😁