When 3 turns into 4

Two futures

And he grinned.

"Good."

Wednesday Evening – Back Home, Living Room

The house was quiet, golden with the soft glow of early evening.

Lucy and Eli sat cross-legged on the living room floor, sharing a bowl of popcorn and watching cartoons — though Lucy was braiding one of Eli's shoelaces like it was a Barbie.

Ric came in with two glasses of water and nudged Elenora with his elbow.

"Ready?" he whispered.

She nodded, cheeks flushed, nerves buzzing.

"Okay, guys," she said, sitting cross-legged in front of them, Ric settling beside her. "We have something important to tell you."

Eli looked up. "Are we getting a dog?"

Lucy gasped. "Is the baby coming tonight?!"

"No and definitely no," Ric said quickly, holding in a laugh.

Elenora smiled. "We just came back from the baby doctor, and we found out something... really special."

Eli tilted his head. "Is the baby wearing a hat in your belly?"

"I wish."

Ric held up two fingers. "Okay. We're going to give you three clues. And if you guess it, you get—"

"—an extra chocolate biscuit," Elenora added.

Lucy clapped. "DEAL."

Ric winked. "Clue one: we saw two heartbeats today."

Eli's eyes narrowed. "One baby with two hearts?"

"Terrifying," Elenora said. "But no."

"Clue two," Ric said, "we're going to need a bigger car."

Lucy gasped. "Is the baby HUGE?! Like... a dinosaur?!"

"Clue three..." Elenora said, her voice softer now, hand brushing over her belly. "There's not just one baby."

Silence.

Eli blinked. Lucy blinked harder.

"Wait..." Lucy whispered. "There's... TWO?"

Ric nodded slowly. "There's two babies in there."

"TWO BABIES?!" Eli shouted, jumping up. "WE'RE GETTING TWO BABIES?!"

Lucy looked stunned. "But how? Where do they fit? Is there, like... bunk beds inside your tummy?"

Elenora laughed, full and bright. "No bunk beds. Just lots of stretching."

Eli dropped dramatically onto the rug. "We're gonna need so many snacks."

Ric leaned back on his elbows. "You two are going to be the best big brother and sister."

Lucy crawled over and wrapped her arms around Elenora's bump.

"Hi babies," she whispered. "I'll share my stuff with you."

Eli stood up again, eyes wide.

"Wait—do we get to help name them?!"

Ric groaned. "Oh no."

"Oh yes," Elenora said, laughing.

Because this?

This was joy.

This was family.

And this was only the beginning.

Wednesday Night – The Kids' Bedroom