Daniel paused to knock on the door.

The wooden surface swung inward, and Beth’s curls bounced into view. She winked and let him in. He stepped forward cautiously, uncertain what he was about to witness.

He didn’t expect the scene to involve a very pregnant Jaxi, decked out in a pretty blue robe, holding on to a tall pole that held a contraption with blinking lights. Wires led off the square and disappeared under her robe, but other than that she looked normal. She stood beside what looked to be a La-Z-boy rocker. Blake occupied the chair, stretched nearly flat with his feet raised and head back.

Daniel laughed. “You two got something mixed up from what I remember in the text books.”

Jaxi turned to greet him, the edges of her smile tighter than usual. “Hey, you. Did I call you away from something important?”

He crossed the distance between them and wrapped her in a hug. “Nothing more important than this. Don’t you worry. I’m here for however long you need and whatever you need me for.”

The bulk of her belly pressed him, the pole got in the way, and for a second he wasn’t sure where and what he was supposed to touch or not touch. She ignored his discomfort and buried her face against his chest, close for a brief moment before releasing him. She lifted her chin, and he squeezed the fingers she’d slipped into his hand.

“Come on, Jaxi.” Beth moved past him to duck under Jaxi’s arm and urge her toward the door, the pole rolling along with them. “We can walk the hall for another lap before the doctor gets back to check you.”

Jaxi poked out her tongue. “Yes, ma’am. You’re a slave driver.”

“Of course I am. And since I’m supposed to distract you, I’d love you to tell me another story about the boys when they were growing up. Something embarrassing. Know any more?”

“How about the time Daniel got himself locked in the girls’ bathroom at school?”

Oh God. Having Jaxi as a sister-in-law was dangerous. She knew every story worth knowing, having been around for most of their lives. Of course, half the town had the same memories as well, so it wasn’t as if he had any deep, dark secrets to keep.

Beth blew him a kiss over her shoulder just before the women exited the room.

There was an extra chair in the corner, so Daniel dragged it over and sat in it backward. He rested his arms along the top rail and stared at Blake.

His brother’s eyes were closed.

Daniel snorted. “Glad you’re able to relax and take it easy at a time like this.”

“I’m feeling good enough to belt you into tomorrow if I want.”

“That’s nice. You up for watching your son or daughter arrive?”

“Oh, God.” Blake dragged himself upright, a tinge of green under his skin. “Daniel, this is killing me.”

“Jaxi seems to be doing well.”

“Yeah, except when I’m walking the hall with her, and she stops and does that weird breathing thing and her fingers dig into my arm so hard I know it’s got to hurt like the blazes. And suddenly there’s these white spots swirling in front of my eyes, and if you tell anyone I’m a wimp, I’ll never forgive you.”

He tried to wipe the smile from his face, he really did. “You’re going to have to threaten at least a half-dozen relatives to achieve silence on this one, one of them your wife. I don’t think you’ll have much luck there.”

Daniel offered his hand and Blake accepted it sheepishly, rising to his feet uneasily. “Thanks for the sympathy.”

He pushed Blake in the direction of the attached bathroom. “I feel for you. I do. Got to be nothing worse than having to watch someone you love hurting and not be able to do anything about it.”

“Damn right.” Blake splashed his face with water.

Daniel leaned on the wall and tried to remember the last time his brother had ever lost control like this. “But you’re going to stay and do whatever you need to, right?”

Blake stopped in the middle of patting his face dry and pulled the towel away to frown at Daniel. “Of course, I’m staying. I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Only…” He took a big breath and spoke curtly. “If you notice me getting wobbly on my feet, poke me, hard. That should help.”

Permission to poke his brother. This got better and better. “No problem. I got you covered.”

The door swung open, and Blake hurried across the room to take over for Beth. He brushed a loose strand of hair off Jaxi’s face before kissing her tenderly.

Daniel got distracted by Beth making her way to his side. “What’s up?” he asked.

“She’s ‘feeling funny’ which is usually woman code for the next stage of the game. You ready?”

“I’ll be the one supporting Blake if needed.”

She planted a kiss on his cheek just before the room turned into a flurry of activity. The nurse arrived, then another, although not their cousin Tamara, and Jaxi reluctantly crawled on the bed. People checked her, the doctor slipped into the room. There was a lot more commotion and activity than Daniel expected. He watched everything with fascination until his big brother swayed on his feet.

Daniel rushed forward to sling an arm around him. “You okay?”

Blake’s face had gone totally white. “Yes. No.”

Jaxi slapped her husband on the arm and glared between panting breaths. “Blake Coleman, if you faint, I’ll never forgive you.”

Daniel laughed out loud. He couldn’t hold it in anymore.

A sharp jab in his side was enough to help him stifle his amusement, at least a little. Beth muttered, “You’re here to make sure he stays on his feet, not provide us with a laugh track.”

The nurse and doctor were in position, voices raised, not in anger but excitement. Daniel didn’t pay much attention to what they were saying, instead he alternated between watching the progress of the newest family member, and making sure Blake kept vertical.

The noises shifted from encouragement and hollering to the sturdy cry of a newborn, and a rush of something indescribable hit.

Blake shifted forward, and for one horrible second Daniel thought his brother had passed out. Thankfully, Blake was only moving into position to accept a squalling baby girl into his arms, the hugest grin pasted on his face.

“Well, damn. She’s beautiful.”

He leaned on the side of the bed, and Jaxi kissed him and their daughter before squeezing her eyes shut. “Oh boy, that was tough.”

“Get ready for round two,” the doctor warned. Blinking lights and monitors continued as he turned and spoke to the nurses. A flurry of activity followed even as Daniel choked to a stop, and Beth’s arms around his waist tightened in surprise.

“Round two?” Daniel gasped, confusion crowding in.

Blake turned and grinned, all traces of his squeamishness vanished. “You didn’t think I was freaking out over Jaxi having a baby, did you? She’s made me keep the twins a secret for the past four months, and I’ve been just about ready to burst.”

“You two are incredible.” Beth snuck past the action and kissed Jaxi’s cheek, wiping her forehead. “Only you, Jaxi.”

She smiled, more than a little tired. “Hey, a girl’s gotta have some fun. Figured the baby pool needed a kick in the teeth.”

It took awhile, but when things got moving, they went and did the last bit all over again, with an air of celebration as the second Coleman daughter arrived and proceeded to out-scream her sister.

Beth turned and hugged Daniel tight, hiding her tears from the room as the medical staff finished up all the things they needed to deal with. Daniel cradled her close, brushing her hair and soothing her the best he could without saying a word. It was a bit of heaven to have witnessed this miracle, and a shot of hell to know that he’d never experience the situation for himself.

The room finally quieted until just family remained. Jaxi met Daniel’s gaze, and she lifted one of the girls, the one swaddled tight in her arms. She raised a brow but didn’t say anything, and he wondered again how she figured things out without anyone telling her.

“Hey, you want a chance to hold the babies, or take off and let Jaxi and Blake have time to themselves?” Daniel wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Up to you. Don’t feel any need to rush.”

Beth’s smile was watery but real. “I’d love to hold them.”

They moved back to the bedside, and Jaxi handed over one bundle to Beth. She sat and stared at the little girl whose mouth was pulled into a perfect pucker.

Daniel turned toward Blake and laughed. His older brother looked shell-shocked and hopelessly in love at the same time. “You gonna let me have her for a few minutes?”

“What?” Blake peeled his gaze off the baby and shook himself alert. “Oh, right.”

He passed over the tiny bundle, stroking a finger over the newborn’s cheek before turning to Jaxi and hugging her, his mouth went close to her ear as they spoke quietly together.

Daniel carried his precious burden over to sit next to Beth. The warm bundle wiggled until he settled her tighter against him. “Shh. You’d better get used to being cuddled because there’s an awful lot of people who are going to want to love on you.”

To hold a newborn, sitting beside the woman he loved—Daniel sighed with happiness and regret. For the things he couldn’t change that were a part of his life, for the things he knew he could do something about. He turned from admiring the dark-haired beauty in his arms to make sure Beth was okay.

She was staring back. Her eyes were huge, tears hovering there. But it wasn’t pain or regret, but something rich and meaningful beyond his wildest dreams.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”

He didn’t trust himself to speak. Just nodded. Reached out and draped an arm around her shoulders and pressed his lips to her forehead and kissed her.