Eight months later...

'I've come to say goodnight momma.'

'Oh, give me a big kiss,' Tessa opened her arms to Lyndon.

'Can I get you milk and cookies momma?'

Tessa laughed, 'no thank you darling. Daddy just brought me dinner.'

'You look beautiful,' Lyndon smiled lovingly at his momma. 'Does it still hurt?' His eyes were filled with concern.

'Thank you my baby.' Tessa smiled. She was certain her son's compliments were biased. He loved his momma unconditionally. 'It's not so painful now,' Tessa was economical with the truth, not wanting Lyndon worrying about her health.

'You must call me in the night when you need help momma. Good night,' Lyndon kissed her cheek.

'I will angel, thank you; good night,' Tessa cupped his cheeks and kissed him full on the lips.

An hour later, Tessa looked up and smiled at Brad as he slipped into bed next to her.

'So, when are we increasing our family again?' Brad enquired.

'We're not,' Tessa laughed.

'Are you sure?' Brad grinned.

'You're never going to ever let me live that down are you?' Tessa looked across at him slyly.

'Non disclosure of material evidence,' Brad accused. 'No ma'am.'

'How was I to know I'd give birth to twins? Daddy never told me that he was one of a twin and that his twin brother died at birth,' Tessa announced sadly. 'And I never knew there was a history of twins going back like five generations.'

Brad sighed, 'there goes my plans for early retirement at fifty. Now I'm going to have to work till I'm one hundred. Cocktail dresses, fifty hand bags each and one hundred pairs of shoes ---.'

'Stop it!' Tessa chuckled softly. She reached over and kissed Brad. 'What's with these denominations of fifties and hundreds?'

Brad laughed. He kissed his wife back, tenderly brushing her hair away from her face.

'You have to admit Bradley Blakely we have given birth to the most gorgeous little girls,' Tessa bragged proudly, like only a parent could.

'I guess so,' Brad admitted, 'and they better not entertain any ideas about boyfriends until they are over twenty five,' he warned.

'And when did you have your first kiss?' Tessa questioned teasingly.

'That's not open for discussion,' Brad tried to keep a straight face.

'I am so happy it all went so well,' Tessa cupped Brad's face indulgently.

'Not as thrilled as me,' Brad drew Tessa to his chest and curved his arm around her neck. She laid her cheek on his chest and smiled at her husband.

The scans never revealed Tessa was carrying twins. So much for the advent of modern technology. At seven months when Tessa was carrying over four kilograms, Brad demanded her gynaecologist perform an emergency C-Section. Tessa pleaded with Brad to allow her to carry to full term as she was experiencing no problems whatsoever, but he had been adamant. He convinced her doctor to agree with him and based on Tessa's history, the doctor acceded to Brad's request to Tessa's disappointment.

Only in the theatre, after the delivery of the first baby, was the surgical team alerted to the cries of a second baby. Brad had been dazed and speechless. He would not have believed it, had he not been there in the delivery room against the doctor's request to wait outside. He had thought his wife had been carrying a four kilogram baby, instead the Blakely's had successfully and proudly given birth to bouncy, healthy twin girls, each weighing just over two kilograms. They had to be incubated for a whole week, before Tessa was allowed to bring them home. They were two weeks old today.

'Is Lyndon sleeping with daddy?' Tessa asked.

'No, he wanted to sleep in his own bed,' Brad stated somewhat surprised.

'He's so sweet,' Tessa smiled. 'When you went out after lunch, he asked me if he must help me feed the babies, and just now he wanted to bring me milk and cookies.'

Brad smiled, 'you know___ .'

Tessa and Brad were surprised at the knock on their bedroom door. Tessa was decently dressed in a night shirt, but still she pulled the sheets up. 'Daddy?' Tessa questioned Brad.

'Let's find out. Brad pulled his gown on and opened the door to find young Daniel at the door. 'It's your younger son,' Brad announced.

'Daniel! What are you still doing up sweetheart?'

'May I come in mum?'

'Yes of course darling.'

'No, go to bed.'

Tessa and Brad spoke simultaneously.

Daniel looked up quizzically at his daddy. Surely he heard him address mum, not daddy.

'Okay Brat, seems your mum has overruled me. Enter,' Brad relented.

Of course she's always going to overrule you where her children are concerned.

Brad did not see the smirk on his son's face.

'Is something wrong Daniel?' Tessa's face was filled with concern.

'No mum,' he smiled. 'You did not have dinner with us and I wanted a second helping of ice-cream,' Daniel looked over his shoulder accusingly at his daddy, 'and daddy said no.'

Brad stood with his arms folded, unfazed.

'Would you like more my baby?

'Yes please.'

'No Tessa. He's brushed his teeth already.'

Tessa looked at her husband pleadingly. Daniel pouted. Brad was unmoved by either.

'Darling please ___,' Tessa attempted to mediate on behalf of her son.

Tessa knew from the unwavering look on Brad's face, he was not impressed with her attempted mediation.

'Sorry,' she murmured to Brad contritely.

What the---! Daniel's eyes flew from his mum to his dad.

'Daniel, are you going to tell mummy, that you refused your supper and only wanted dessert?'

He pretended as if his daddy had not spoken. He fiddled with his pyjama top.

'Daniel why didn't you want your dinner?'

He shrugged his shoulders and grinned at his mum.

'You know the rules Daniel, dessert only after your dinner.'

'Sorry mum,' he smiled deviously.

'You need to say sorry to daddy, baby. You should not complain to mummy, when you don't follow the rules.'

He looked pleadingly at his daddy. 'Sorry dad,' he ran to his dad and lifted his arms up to be carried.

Brad laughed and scooped Daniel into his arms.

'Now will you give me more ice cream please daddy?'

'You're always going to test my patience, are you not, young Daniel?' Brad raised an eyebrow. 'Say goodnight to mummy, you're going to bed,' Brad instructed.

Knowing the battle was lost, Daniel gave up. 'Night mummy,' he puckered his lips, in his mother's direction.

Tessa laughed. Brad walked back to the bed so Daniel could kiss his mummy.

'Love you mum. Love you dad,' he grinned.

'Good night sweetheart. I love you too,' Tessa kissed his rosy lips.

'Would you like to sleep with mummy and daddy?' Brad invited.

'I have my own bed!' Daniel scowled, as if his father had made the most preposterous suggestion.

Brad carried Daniel to his room, kissed him good night and put out the light.

When Brad returned, he observed his wife was looking rather ill at ease. He removed his gown and climbed back into bed. No doubt she was displeased Daniel could not have his way.

'I'm sorry ___ I did not mean to undermine you,' Tessa murmured.

Brad hid his surprise well. He leaned over Tessa and smiled endearingly. 'That's okay, you didn't know the full story,' he began unbuttoning her shirt.

'Darling, wh___ what are you doing?'

It's only been two weeks!

Brad just smiled. He did not answer his wife. When he'd completely unbuttoned her sleep shirt. His fingers trailed over her well rounded breasts ... down her stomach.

'You're so beautiful,' he murmured huskily. 'No visible evidence of three pregnancies.'

He should not really be surprised. His wife was a fitness fanatic. She made sure, even during each pregnancy that she took care of her body.

Still Tessa wanted her husband to tell her she was beautiful. She wanted to know that he still found her attractive. She needed his affirmation. 'Thank you,' she whispered, noting the adoration in Brad's eyes, the tender love reflected there. His fingers moved upwards again, and feathered over her breasts.

'Sorry, am I being insensitive?' Brad apologized. 'I just needed to touch you.'

'No ___,' Tessa's hands closed over Brad's palm, stopping them moving away. 'Go ahead.'

Brad kissed her lips.

'I could always ___ pleasure you,' Tessa offered. She was incapacitated for the next few weeks. Brad need not suffer.

'I'll wait,' he smiled.

She knew he would not manage six weeks of abstinence. He didn't with Lyndon or Daniel.

'You don't need to babe,' Tessa reached towards Brad and indulged in a lingering kiss.

'I love when you call me that,' Brad murmured.

Tessa smiled and deepened the kiss. She stopped as a shrilling cry came from one of the cots in their bedroom. 'Sorry,' Tessa whispered, her lips still close to Brad's.

'That has to be Jessica!' Brad sighed. 'She has a fiery temper like her mummy.'

'Watch it,' Tessa laughed and slipped out of the bed to check on who was crying. 'It's Natalie,' Tessa smiled. 'She does not like being wet.'

'I better fix Jessica's bottle,' Brad climbed out of bed. 'She has a pair of lungs that can wake up the entire neighbourhood.'

'Darling stop saying unkind things about my baby,' Tessa complained.

Brad laughed. 'I have a lot of good things to say,' he began preparing the bottle. 'Like Jessica is the only one of my children that has her mummy's gorgeous emerald eyes,' Brad smiled.

'Keep going,' Tessa grinned as she changed Natalie's diaper.

'Jessica has your attractive hair colour as well,' Brad leaned over the cot and admired his elder daughter by three minutes. 'Both my girls are going to be strikingly attractive,' he pronounced proudly, admiring their chubby lengthy legs and beautiful facial bone structure.

Whilst Jessica splittingly, seemed to be a striking resemblance to her mother, Natalie seemed to have inherited her daddy's dark eyes, and hair colour and his well defined facial bone structure. Natalie seemed quiet, almost timid, whilst Jessica's preferred form of communication was howling her tiny lungs out until she was pacified. Mummy took it in her stride to fuss over her little girls. Daddy wished his elder daughter behaved in a more ladylike fashion. Screaming her lungs out and throwing tantrums was so not on. He tolerated his wife's fiery temper. He was not going to put up with Jessica's attempts at manipulation.

'Oh darling look at this,' Tessa choked on her breath, listening to Natalie's melodic sighs as she contentedly sucked on her tiny thumb.

Brad rushed over to see Natalie noisily sucking on her thumb. He lifted her into his arms and cradled her against his chest. Natalie's eyes opened. Her wet thumb curiously investigated daddy's prickly chin. Brad gushed and looked at his wife.

'I'm going to feed her Jessica's bottle,' Brad decided.

'Let me nurse Natalie darling. You can feed Jessica her bottle. You know she has no patience to be nursed.'

'In to bed then, I'll bring Natalie to you.'

Tessa made herself comfortable on the bed as Brad handed Natalie to her. She smiled and shook her head as Brad lifted the sleeping Jessica and brought her to bed.

'What?' Brad laughed, as he placed the sleeping Jessica on his broad muscular chest.

'Are you going to hold her until she awakes? She may only wake up in about half an hour.'

That's okay,' Brad kissed the top of Jessica's head.

'Why don't you rest darling?' Tessa urged Brad.

'I'm on leave to help you my love, not for you to slog by yourself.'

'Thank you. I do appreciate it,' Tessa assured her husband. 'Especially since most times both girls cry simultaneously, one wanting a diaper change, the other is hungry.'

It was a good thing Brad had wisely chosen to take a whole month of with this pregnancy. With Lyndon and Daniel, he'd only taken a week's leave, but this time he wanted to make sure Tessa rests, something not in his wife's vocabulary.

Without question, Brad's help was a blessing. Thank heavens Tessa's mom and dad had also arrived the day before she delivered. They were a tremendous help as well. Sweet adorable Brad ensured his wife had two hours of rest during the day, whilst he and his in-laws attended to the twin girls.

Additional help had also been hired to assist Stacy, now that the number doubled to four. Tessa planned on working from home during the twin's first year, but for the next three months she would enjoy being on leave.

'I am blessed with three gorgeous girls,' Brad bragged.

'You're an awesome daddy and the most awesome husband,' Tessa complimented him sincerely.

'Now my life is fulfilled. I can ask for nothing more,' Brad's voice was laced with emotion.

'I agree darling. God has blessed us beyond measure. We have the most gorgeous children and we have each other.'

They did have awesome children. Lyndon, in his father's absence always took over the role of protector to his mum and his little sisters. He seemed to have a special affinity to his sister Natalie, but nobody would dare accuse him of bias.

Daniel could not see what the fuss was about. All the girls did was sleep or cry. They were so boring!

Nobody could accuse Brad of loving one child more than the others, but clearly Jessica seemed to be the apple of Brad's eye. He could also not be accused of bias, but his eyes always lit up when he gazed adoringly at Jessica.

And how do you think Brad felt, when at eight months, the very first word Jessica uttered was "Dad."

THE REST OF THE CHARACTERS...

At Brad's persuasion, Joseph and Charlotte came to live permanently with the Blakely's.

At Tessa's persuasion, Aunt Bertha moved permanently into the Blakely mansion.

Tessa was still the proud owner of her Scarsdale home. They often travelled to New York for business purposes.

Bentley and Keri were blissfully married and loving every moment of it. They are expecting a baby girl after thirteen months of being married. Bentley had been impatient, and rather curious. He wanted to know the gender of their baby.

The mantle of Media Baron was without surprise enthroned upon Bradley Blakely. He successfully acquired new businesses in Beijing, Mumbai, Brazil, Germany, Argentina and France respectively. He was riding up a storm globally.

He was voted Newsmaker of the Year in every continent. Tessa was constantly pleading with her husband to stop with his acquisitions, but Brad used his own powers of persuasion to win his wife's approval and it worked every time.

Tessa eventually gave up trying and instead focused on being an excellent support system to her husband, a doting wife and a loving and caring mother to her four gorgeous children.

-THE END-