"What are you saying right now?" I asked, trying to keep a level head about this as I quickly turned back to the stove, just to make sure our breakfast didn't burn. "Are you saying what I think you're saying? Because jerking around a woman is really uncool, Nicholas. Jerking around your wife is even worse. And jerking around your pregnant wife, who is also a woman, is the worst thing you can do!"

Nicholas smiled then, and I realized that he was going to be patient with me. "I love you," he said, taking me by the waist and pulling me towards him, "and I love Iana. I want us to be a family, Murph."

I shake my head. "But..."

"Look, Murph, think about it. We're married now, but what if something, god forbid, were to happen to you. I know Ian would raise Iana right, I'm not disputing that," he said, resting his forehead against mine, "but don't you want Iana and the boys to stay together?"

I sighed, raising my eyes to his. "You're right," I said quietly, lowering my hands to my stomach, which Nicholas covered. "I know you're right. I want them to stay together, Nicholas, and I don't want the possibility of a convoluted separation. I just..."

"What?"

"I want your word that Ian, Fiona, Lip, and the rest of my family will be involved," I replied, "if anything does happen to me. No matter what, they're half-Gallagher, and I want my siblings to know about my kids as they grow up."

Nicholas smiled. "You don't even have to ask me that, Murph. Of course I would keep your family involved with the kids."

I nodded. "Okay," I replied, turning back to breakfast, which was nearly finished. "I'll finish this up and get it on the table. Can you somehow manage to drag Iana from the T.V. so we can have breakfast together?" I asked.

Nicholas grinned. "Can do," he replied, turning me around quickly to kiss me before he walked into the living room.

I shook my head then, smiling at myself as I took a platter out from a cabinet, putting the pancakes onto it and bringing it to the table as I heard Nicholas and Iana speaking to one another in the next room. I quickly brought the eggs and sausages to the table, working quickly to make sure that everyone had napkins and something to drink before I put the pans into the sink and made my way over to the living room.

"Hello, you two."

Nicholas made a grab for Iana then, surprising her so that she squealed with delight as he switched off the T.V. "Smells great, honey," he said, kissing me on the cheek as he walked past me and towards the table, setting Iana into her booster seat and sitting down at the head of the table, while I took the foot. "Wow, everything looks great!" he commented, lifting up the platters and serving everyone before he took some for himself.

"So, you go back to work on Monday, and Iana has preschool then, too," I said, turning to look at my daughter as she worked double-time to get a bite of eggs into her mouth.

"That's right," Nicholas replied, cutting into a sausage link. "I don't mind taking her in if you've got stuff to do."

I shook my head, buttering a pancake. "No, that's all right," I replied. "I'm taking her in bright and early, and then I'm coming back to vacuum the carpets," I said, proud at myself for having a set schedule in mind already. "Then, Iana's out at noon, so she and I are going to get some lunch, do some grocery shopping, and figure out what's for dinner so that I'll either be making it or have it cooked by the time you get home."

Nicholas grinned. "Have I mentioned to you lately how much I love your cooking?"

I laughed. "No, but please, don't stop," I replied. "Any requests from the store, or dinner at all this week?" I wanted to know.

"I love your meatloaf," Nicholas replied. "So, maybe you could make that and some mashed potatoes or something..."

I nodded at him, pleased that he felt comfortable requesting a meal. "Sure, I can," I replied. "I can even make you a meatloaf sandwich to take to work."

Nicholas smiled, his phone vibrating then, so he quickly lowered his utensils. "I'm sorry... Did we have a rule about phones at the table?"

"Only at dinner," I replied, "or during an important discussion."

He nodded for a moment, mulling over my words. "And is this considered to be an important discussion, Murph?" he asked.

I smiled, shaking my head. "Not really, but thank you for asking."

He rolled his eyes at me, chuckling to himself as he got out his phone. "Oh, a text from my brother-in-law," he said.

"Oh?" I asked, putting a bite of pancake in my mouth and chewing it, before allowing it to escape down my throat. "Did Lucas and Ben make it official?"

"Ha-ha," Nicholas said. "Remember when I said I wasn't the marrying kind?"

I nodded. "Sure."

"Lucas is worse," he informed me. "No, it was actually from your side of the family that sent me the text..."

"Which leaves four potential possibilities—Lip, Ian, Carl, and Liam," I said, considering them all in my mind. "You've got their numbers?"

"And Fiona and Debbie's," Nicholas confirmed.

"When?"

"The day we got married," Nicholas replied. "And the text was from Ian."

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh. What does he say?"

"He suggested a Sunday night family dinner, alternating between here and his place," he said, and Nicholas looked surprised at the proclamation. "He says that he thinks it was strengthen our bond as a family."

I nodded. "I'm all for it, unless it makes you uncomfortable..."

Nicholas shook his head. "No, of course not," he replied. "I'm accepting right now. Besides, my parents do Sunday lunches every now and again, so it won't run into that."

I smiled, pleased that Nicholas and Ian were making an effort to mend fences as I continued eating my breakfast. Once everyone had finished, Nicholas volunteered to clean up while I took Iana upstairs to get ready, and myself ready. We didn't have any set plans for the day, but being that I was pregnant, Nicholas was willing to cater to my every whim, which I had no problem with, on a personal level. Once Iana and I were ready, Nicholas was finished cleaning up the kitchen and was in the shower, and I amused Iana by reading to her.

"Where's Nicky?" she wanted to know.

I put my thumb on the page of the Beatrix Potter story I was reading—Peter Rabbit had just escaped Mr. McGregor's garden, and I knew Iana would want to get back to the story rather quickly after her question had been answered. "He's in the shower, sweetheart. Don't worry—we'll see him soon."

"Okay," Iana said, leaning back against me then—which proved slightly difficult, due to my advanced stage of pregnancy. "Keep reading, please, Mama."

"All right," I replied.

Nicholas came and found us shortly thereafter, and, thankfully, we'd finished the story and Iana was more than ready to leave the house. We walked outside and into the snowy-covered area, and trudged across the street, letting ourselves in to my former house, as Ian had said I could hold onto my key, and trekked into the living room. Liam was on the couch, and looked pleased at our arrival, and his excitement brought Ian downstairs, who seemed surprised at our arrival, and was pleased.

"Hey," Ian said, scooping up Iana and pulling me in for a hug. He hesitated for a moment before letting me go, setting Iana back onto the ground before walking up to Nicholas, and put out his hand to him. "How's it going, man?" he asked.

Nicholas did his very best not to look too surprised as he took Ian's offered hand. "Fine, man. It was nice of you to let us know about Sundays."

Ian gave a nod. "Nice of you to accept the invitation."

"Liam," I said, turning to face my youngest sibling, "why don't you take Iana outside to build a snowman, okay?"

Liam looked between us then, but finally trudged over to the front door, pulling on his winter clothes before taking Iana by the hand and leading her outside.

"Everything okay?" Ian asked, watching as Liam pulled the door shut behind them. "Or did I miss something?"

"You didn't," I say, unwinding my scarf from around my neck and removing my hat, shaking out my hair as I loosened it from the confines of the earmuffs Nicholas had given me. "Nicholas and I actually have some news..."

Ian looked curious. "I'd ask if you were pregnant, but you are already. And you just got married, so it can't be that..." His gaze shifted from one of us to the next, and I quickly judged that he was thinking that we were divorcing, but thought it wouldn't be appropriate to ask. "So... Is one of you dying or something?"

Nicholas laughed. "No. Nothing like that, but maybe we could sit down..."

"Sure!" Ian said, immediately making sure the couch was in good condition before I managed to lower myself into it. "Sorry—I keep forgetting whenever you're here that you're not living here anymore. But we're family, Murph—you don't need my permission to sit down."

I smiled, getting my coat off from around my frame and placing my hands over my stomach in a protective manner. "Thanks for that," I say, leaning into Nicholas as he sits beside me.

"Don't mention it," Ian replied, sitting in the chair beside the couch. "So, tell me what's going on before I explode," he joked.

"Well..." Nicholas said, turning to look at me, wondering if it was best if I was the one to break the news to Ian.

I nodded, turning back to look at my brother. "Well, Nicholas brought up this morning that he would like to adopt Iana," I said carefully.

Ian raised his eyebrows. "Adopt Iana?"

I nodded again, wanting to break it to him gently, for I didn't know offhand how he would react to anything. "Yeah. He wants to adopt her."

Ian mulled it over for a moment. "I see."

"This wouldn't change anything—if something were to happen to me and to Murphy," Nicholas told Ian quickly. "You're still the number-one familial guardian, and I respect that."

"So, what does this mean exactly?" Ian asked.

"It's for the sole purpose of Iana and the boys being raised together," I replied. "As such, only I have legal custody over Iana; me being married to Nicholas has no bearing on it. If he were to adopt her, and if something were to happen to me, then he would raise both Iana and the boys together, as one family, without the courts getting involved, and potentially taking her away from the unit."

Ian nodded. "Well, I guess I understand," he replied. "I mean, obviously if anything happened to you, I would still want a relationship with Iana and the boys..."

"Of course," Nicholas said, his voice filled with concern. "I would never forbid or prevent Iana or the boys from seeing you, Ian, or anyone else who wanted to see him. You're family—all of you—and to keep someone away from their family is downright criminal. Unless it's someone like Frank..."

Ian's attention was immediately gained. "Yeah. Fuck Frank."

Nicholas grinned for a moment before returning to his traditional serious demeanor. "I never really got the opportunity to say how sorry I am about all the bullshit he put you through. I know it's not my fault, but you're all my family now, too, Ian, because of Murphy, and I need you to know that I'm standing by this. No matter what."

Ian looked shocked at the declaration. "Standing by this? As in, standing by us?"

Nicholas nodded. "Of course. Frank is a user who is a total asshole who shouldn't have been a parent. Although, selfishly, I'm glad he was, because I wouldn't have found Murphy if he wasn't."

Ian sighed. "I'd like to say Murphy being adopted was an escape..."

Nicholas smiled tightly then. "I know to the extent that Murphy has told me that it was far from the escape that the system intended. It's a fucked world, Ian, and I'm just glad she found her way back to you."

"You and me both," Ian replied. "Not that you need it, but you have my blessing—to adopt Iana, I mean."

I blinked. "Really?"

Ian smiled. "Yeah, really. I just think you should try and explain to Iana what's going on. She's a smart kid, and she has every right to know."

I bit my lip. "Look, I know you don't like talking about it, and even though his name isn't on the birth certificate, I'll have to find a way to reach out to Mickey... Let him know what's going on here." I scoff then, shaking my head. "You know, I never even told him that Iana was his, or that I kept her... I promised I would, but..."

"What?" Ian asked, obviously trying to keep it together.

"Something get in the way?" Nicholas wanted to know.

I nodded, the damned pregnancy hormones causing tears to enter my eyes, which I quickly managed to dash away. "Yeah. Yeah, life got in the way..."

. . .

Per Ian's request, Nicholas and I sat down with Iana that evening and told her what had been decided between the two of us. Iana, in her cheeky way, seemed to think that Nicholas was her father already—which wasn't so far-fetched, due to their similar colorings. Nicholas found the entire conversation amusing and, at the end of it, said that he would tell Allie and Hugo on that following Monday, and that they would figure out a way to expedite the paperwork.

I thought that was all well and good, but immediately felt guilty about not telling Mickey about Iana sooner. I'd promised him that I would, and I never went back on my word, as often as I could avoid doing so. As I sat on the couch in the living room that night of the new house, I considered all that had happened over the past few years, after discovering who I was, and the situations I'd found myself in because of it.

No matter how much I loved Iana, and no matter how many times Ian assured me that he'd forgiven me and that we needn't discuss the matter any longer, I couldn't get over the fact that I'd allow myself to get so drunk to just let all inhibitions go out the window. I was never like that completely, although I had certainly escaped the cocoon I'd made for myself over the years, once I discovered my identity. And while I understood that Mickey's and my combined hurt and pain had encapsulated itself to the point of no return, it was officially something that I could never take back and, whether I liked it or not, Iana was a part of all that. She was the manifestation of something that should never have happened under any circumstances, and while I couldn't have been happier to have such a child, I knew that, deep down, Ian must have harbored some resentment towards the situation, one that could never be taken back.

"Murph?"

I looked up then, seeing Nicholas standing on the stairs, in an old T-shirt and a pair of boxers and, had I not been pregnant, he would've looked pretty appetizing right about then. "Yeah?" I asked him, forcing myself to speak and not drool over my husband.

"It's getting close to midnight. You coming to bed?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "Didn't realize I had a curfew."

Nicholas smirked. "You don't—of course you don't. I just don't want to see you exhausted in the morning, for Iana's sake."

Rolling my eyes, I pushed myself to my feet, walking towards the stairs and carefully making my way up them. "Keep your shirt on, Blomqvist," I said, managing to just get past him. "I'm coming to bed."

Nicholas watched me as I walked around him. "No promises—like I always say, Murph, you've never looked more beautiful," he says as he follows me into our bedroom.

. . .

The lethargy that I'd expected in my final days of my pregnancy surprisingly didn't come, and I found I was more energized than ever before. I was over at the house with Ian and Liam one afternoon, during the week of my due date, with Iana upstairs with Debbie and Franny. Nicholas was due back home from work at six, and Fiona and Lip were due to come by with Carl at some point later. I was sitting at the kitchen table with Ian, just talking, keeping a watchful eye on Liam as he sat in the living room, constantly going over his homework and some program on T.V. he absolutely had to watch.

"How are you feeling?"

My eyes immediately snapped to Ian. "Right now or generally?"

Ian grinned. "Let's start with generally."

"Generally, I'm pretty great," I replied, smiling. "Nicholas and I have begun filling out the paperwork for him to adopt Iana."

"That's great," Ian replied. "He's getting excited, I assume?"

I nodded. "Yeah," I reply, leaning back against my chair, running my hands along my stomach as I contemplated it. "I'm wondering if I need to explain to him that Iana's not going to be like a puppy to practice for the real thing..."

Ian grinned. "Please tell me that was a joke."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, that was a joke."

"And right now?" he asked, looking me up and down. "To be honest, you look like you're about to pop. When was your due date again?"

"It was open-ended," I reply. "Supposed to be anywhere from last Friday until this Friday so I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"Experiencing any pain?"

"No more than the usual kick to the gut," I confirmed.

"They've got Gallagher genes," Ian told me in an informative manner. "Speaking from the direct experience of being a Gallagher guy—"

"Hold up—you did not just say that," I said, trying and failing not to laugh.

"I did," Ian replied. "As I was saying, speaking from the direct experience of being a Gallagher guy, I know I tough guy when I see 'em. And these guys are gonna be tough, not just because they've got you as a mom, but they've got Nicholas as a dad, and me as an uncle."

I smiled at him, reaching across the table then and taking him by the hand. "It may just be the pregnancy hormones talking, Ian, but I can't tell you how much I love how you've embraced Nicholas since the wedding. I love how you've brought him into the fold and made him an honorary Gallagher family member. It really means a lot to me."

"I would say I did it for you—and it started out that way, believe me—but he really turned everything around for me. I see how much he loves you, Murph, and that kind of love... Well," he said, looking away from me in a moment of discomfort, "it's not like you can just walk out of your house and find it every day."

I scoffed. "Oh, really?"

Ian looked up. "What's your point?"

"Uh, well, for starters that Mickey lived in the neighborhood..."

Ian rolled his eyes. "That's beside the point."

"And not to mention that you literally met Trevor after a shift at work, on the street," I said, and shook my head. "It was about some signs or something, right?"

"Yeah, back when Frank had that homeless shelter."

"Jesus," I muttered. "He's definitely a master manipulator when it comes to the system, I'll give him that much..."

"I still think it's weird," Ian said then, as my eyes snapped back to his, "that he's your dad and not mine, and yet I'm the twin that got stuck with him."

I smiled then, squeezing his hand. "Really, you got the better end of the deal," I reply. "Sure, you had a shit ton more responsibility than I did growing up—pitching in financially and helping look after everybody—but you were loved. Me? I may have had a laptop and a car and all the spending money I could've asked for, but I was given to a family who shouldn't have been raising kids under any circumstances. It was a living hell, Ian."

"Guess we had different versions of hell, but still hell," Ian said quietly.

I nodded. "Still hell," I agreed. "But, at the end of the day, I wouldn't change a thing. Because even though we could've done better with the other growing up—who knows, maybe we wouldn't have freaked out as much—the bottom line is, we're here for each other now, at an age where one can't be taken from the other. We're in this, Ian, forever, because we're Gallagher's, and Gallagher's stick together."

Ian nodded, keeping a firm grip on my hand. "Always," he replied. He lowered his eyes to my grip on his hand, and blinked. "Murph?"

"Yeah?"

"You're gripping my hand really tightly..."

I blinked. "Am I? We were just having a moment there..."

He nodded. "No, I know. But it's... You're shaking..."

I swallowed then, unaware that I'd been doing so as I felt something pushing through me then and, when I lowered my eyes, I saw a flash of something. "Shit," I whispered.

"Murph?"

"Get me up—now!" I shouted then, and Ian got to his feet, dragging me out of the chair, as a gush of blood suddenly burst forth out of me. "Oh, my god..." I whispered.

"Murph?! Are you okay?!"

"They're coming," I whispered, my knees threatening to buckle. "Get Debbie down here, and tell Liam to watch the girls!" I said, bracing myself against the table, fumbling for my phone in my pocket and, as I found it, pressed the number three—which I'd reserved for Fiona's number. As my hands trembled, I dragged my phone to my ear, willing for her to answer...

"Hey, Murph!" she said, picking up on the second ring.

"Fi..." I whispered, my voice shaking as I tried to hold it together.

"You sound like you went for a run," she joked. "That's not a good idea—you're due any second now and heavy exercise when you only have one kidney—"

"Is ill-advised, I know," I said, trying to keep my temper with her. "Fi, that's actually why I'm calling... It's because I'm actually in labor right now..."

"Fuck!" she cried out. "Okay! I'm on my way! I'll call V and she'll come over and talk you through everything, okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah...okay..."

"Tell Ian to get you some towels... Is Debs there?"

"Yes, she's here," I confirmed, just as Debbie stepped into the room and, taking one look at me, turned around and headed back upstairs. "Well, she was here..."

"Oh shit—did she just run out of the room?!"

"Yeah..." I said, gritting my teeth as the pain intensified. "Shit... The contractions are coming like wildfire..."

"What do you mean?!" Fiona demanded.

"I mean I think I'm going to need to give birth on the fucking kitchen table, because I can no longer walk!" I shouted into the phone. "I'm barely holding it together as it is..."

"I'm texting V," Fiona said, obviously trying to keep me calm. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes, with Lip, so you don't need to worry about a thing, Murph..."

I nodded. "Yeah...okay..."

"I love you," she said. "See you soon, and remember to breathe."

I scoffed. "Yeah, I'll get right on that," I replied, cutting the call and bracing myself against the table as Ian returned to the room. "Hey..."

"Liam's all set upstairs with the girls," Ian said, and he quickly got everything off the table, as if he already knew what to expected. "And I called Nicholas..."

"Yeah?" I asked as Debbie emerged from upstairs, her arms filled with towels. "Gee, thanks," I said, and she flashed me a smile as Ian lifted me up onto the table.

"Nicholas is already on his way," Ian confirmed.

I nodded. "Okay," I said, trying to keep my voice together. "Fi's on her way, too, and she's coming with Lip... And she texted V..."

The front door opened then, and Kev and V sprinted into the room then, and I tried my best to smile at the two of them. Although not as close to me as they were to Fiona, Kev and V had definitely proven to be good allies in my life, and I was so relieved that they could be here. V immediately stepped forward then, taking charge with Debbie to spread out the towels, and Ian stood by my face, gripping tightly to my hand, while Kev tried not to get in the way.

"Hey, Kev," I said, doing my best to remain calm. "All good?"

"Yeah," he said, trying to focus on my face. "Part of me wants to know if you can still sing while in pain..."

"Kev!" V said, whipping around her head and glaring at him.

"...but I obviously won't, because that would be rude," he said, giving V a look. "So, how've you all been?"

"Oh, great, Kev," Ian replied. "I just love watching my twin sister writhe in pain..."

"Wow. I didn't know adult siblings had that kind of relationship..."

"Kevin!" V barked.

"And what about you, Debs? How's everything going?" Kev wanted to know.

"Oh, yeah, everything's great," Debbie said, finally finishing the organizing of the towels as she and V pulled down my pregnancy pants, and Kev and Ian immediately looked away.

"Nope," Kev said.

"Jesus," Ian whispered.

"Trying to remember how to breathe here..." I said, gripping tightly to Ian's hand. "Just, please, whatever you do, do not tell me what it looks like..."

"That's a given," Ian replied.

I raised my eyebrows. "I swear to god, if you're going to play the gay card right now, so help me, Ian Gallagher..."

"Hey, it gives me PTSD," Ian shot back. "Cut me some slack!"

There was a slam from the living room then and Fiona and Lip fly into the room, with Lip regulating himself onto the sidelines, making small talk with Kev as Fiona dashed over to my other side. "Did we miss anything?!" she asked.

I shook my head, gritting my teeth to try and stop the pain. "Not that I'm aware of, no," I replied, trying to keep myself from screaming.

"Breathe," Fiona said and, for once, I was not put-off by her bossing me around. "It's all going to be okay," she said, gently pulling her fingers through my hair. "You're okay. And you're going to have a pair of beautiful baby boys after this, Murph. Breathe..."

"Breathe," I said to myself then, forcing the breath out of my lungs and back in again. "I'm doing my best, Fi..." I whispered, my lip trembling as my vision clouded with tears. "I just wish it didn't fucking hurt so much..."

"It's all okay," Fiona said.

"Okay, we're almost at push," V said from down under, and I felt my entire body spasming then as my nerves threatened to take over.

"How's the traffic out there?" I asked, wanting to discuss anything but the impending birth, minus the father present.

"There's a wreck on the freeway," Lip put in, trying his best to look anywhere but where all the action was. "I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it clears up soon..."

"Shit! A wreck?!" I cried out then, looking from Fiona to Ian and back again. "What if it's so backed up that Nicholas misses it?!"

Debbie stepped forward. "I could pull out my phone and record this if you..."

"No!" Fiona, Ian, V, Kev, Lip, and I screamed at once.

"Okay, Jesus," Debbie muttered.

"He is not going to miss it," Fiona said, and I turned to look up at her. "And even if he does, all that matters is that you and the boys come through this happy and healthy."

I nodded. "I'll try to keep all of us that way," I said.

"And we are at push, Murphy!" V said a moment later, and I gripped Ian and Fiona's hands tightly, literally bracing myself for the pain that I hadn't felt with Iana—well, to a lesser extent, due to the drugs pumping through my system. Now, all I had was good, old-fashioned adrenaline to help me out... "Push!" V shouted.

I bore down, as they said you were supposed to do in all those godforsaken mommy books, and did my best to focus on pushing, my breathing, and the notion that Fiona and Ian were gripping onto my hands and not leaving my side. "Fuck!" I screamed. "This fucking hurts! I want my husband here..."

"Murph!" came a shout then, and the thunderous sounds of footsteps on the back stairs as the back door flew open, and Nicholas stood on the threshold, covered in snow. "Did I miss it?!" he cried out, stepping forward, and Fiona considerately moved aside so that he could take my hand, which he did, immediately. "Are you okay?!"

"Fine," I whispered, and gasped aloud then as I pushed again. "Trying to be..."

"And we've got a baby!" V cried out then, as Debbie stepped forward with a towel to wrap my firstborn son in.

"Lip," I whispered, searching for my brother. "Would you hold him for me, please?" I asked as Debbie showed him to me briefly. I was overwhelmed by the dusting of copper hair on his head, but that was all I saw of him as Lip stepped forward to take him, and as he and Kev ogled my newborn, I felt a new rush of pain then as V bent back down.

"Let's go with baby boy number two!" she said, watching and waiting. After a few moments of working on my breathing, V straightened up then. "And we've got a head!" she shouted, pushing my legs further apart. "Come on, Murphy! Push!"

"Shit!" I yelled then, and I detected Nicholas and Ian reacting physically and audibly to my own pain, as I was quite literally crushing their hands. "Fuck! V, how much longer?!" I screamed, just wanting this all to be over.

"Just another moment... Ah-ha!" she said, grabbing the towel Debbie offered then and wrapped up the second boy—this time, he had a fine crop of raven hair on his head. "And you," she said, gathering the first from Lip's arms and bringing them both over to me, "have two beautiful boys, Murphy. Congratulations."

"I'll call an ambulance," Fiona said, and everyone else drifted to the doorway to the living room, close enough to see us, but far enough away to give us a moment.

"Well?" I asked, looking up at Nicholas.

Nicholas gently wrapped the towels around my legs to make sure I wasn't exposed completely to the world. "They're beautiful, Murphy," he said softly.

I smiled. "Do you like being a father?"

He grinned. "I love it," he said, looking at me. "And I love you."

"I love you, too," I replied, leaning upwards then as he kissed me.

"So... Any names come to mind?" he asked.

"Well, I was thinking, for the first one," I said, nodding to the redhead, "maybe Clayton Nicholas Blomqvist—after my uncle and after you."

Nicholas smiled. "That's lovely. I like it."

"And for the second boy," I said, turning and looking at Fiona, "I was thinking of Fionn," I said, and looked at Kevin, "Kevin Blomqvist. If there are no objections."

Everyone in my family who had been present for the birth—including Kev and V—immediately started talking at once in support, and I turned to look at Nicholas.

"Well?" I asked, hearing the sirens outside, announcing their presence, letting me know that I would be in the hospital again shortly. "What do you think, Dad?"

My husband smiled. "Clayton Nicholas and Fionn Kevin Blomqvist. They sound like a couple of daredevils already," he joked.

"So, that's a 'yes'?" I confirmed.

Nicholas laughed. "It's a hell yes," he replied.

I lowered my eyes, gazing at my sons at trying not to sob openly at howbeautiful the both of them truly were. "Hi, Clayton," I said to my first,before turning and looking over at my second born. "Hi, Fionn," I whispered."Welcome to the Gallagher-Blomqvist family...and are you two in for a hell of aride..."