"If I didn't love Jack and Hannah so much, I would have said to hell with this trip every year."Henry lamented on the drive over from the airport.

"It was a three and a half hour flight, stop whining you big baby."I scolded as I held Hazel tighter in my arms.

She had been fussy on the flight but thankfully she had fallen asleep as soon as we got into the uber. Oliver was asleep too in his dad's arms as he had been as soon as as we were airborne. That boy could sleep through an apocalypse unlike his twin who loved being awake more than she loved sleep. Probably got her insomnia from her father who stayed up all night playing video games.

"I had to catch a double flight to be here, so if anyone should be complaining it's me."Charlie complained from the front seat next to the driver.

He had been doing college tours all week and had just gotten back in time to catch a flight with us to Arkansas for Thanksgiving. He was hoping to study Game Design at either USC or NYU and I hoped he'd get accepted to either. The apple hadn't fallen far from the tree after all. Even though Colton was our father and into technology, I liked to tell myself that Henry was the major influence to Charlie's love for video games. He had raised him with me for the past ten years after all so in a way he was the father figure in Charlie's life since Colton was absent in ours. After we had cut off ties with Colton, we never heard from him again and we were all okay with that.

"Next time I'm leaving you two behind with the twins as I travel to see Jack and Hannah by myself."I declared readjusting Hazel in my arms.

For a three year old she was quite heavy but she was a healthy size as the doctor had assured me. Hazel and Oliver were identical twins and even though I'd been hoping for one child at a time, I wasn't surprised when I conceived twins since my husband was a twin himself. They both had Henry's blue eyes but everything else about them from their curly brown hair, to their cute noses and ears was all me. They were the perfect mix of Henry and I.

"That's okay, we'll finally get to hook Oliver and Hazel into gaming."Henry replied with a smirk.

"Not on my watch, they are too young."I scolded.

"Yes ma'am."Henry muttered knowing not to fight with me on the issue.

"Whipped."Charlie teased with a mocking grin.

"Says the fool who has been grinning at his lockscreen like a love sick puppy for hours."Henry retorted.

Charlie glared at Henry for his cheap shot but it's not like Henry was wrong.

"Why didn't you invite Lilah for thanksgiving, we'd have loved to have her over."I inquired.

"I did but her family travelled to Manchester to see her grandparents."Charlie replied sadly.

He had been dating Lilah for two years and the two were inseparable. Their love story was quite similar to mine and Henry's in the fact that Charlie was a nerd while Lilah was a cheerleader. She wasn't one of the snobbish ones though as I'd have already found a way to break the two up. Lilah was a beautiful blonde with brown eyes and an amazing personality. She loved Charlie and was obsessed with Oliver and Hazel since she was an only child.

"Don't worry bud you'll see her at school on Monday."I consoled.

Charlie grunted in displeasure from the nickname. He had tried severally to make us stop since he was apparently too old to be called such a juvenile name anymore but he had been unsuccessful.

Thirty minutes later we arrived at our destination so while Henry and I carried the twins in we left Charlie behind to pay and deal with all the luggage.

"Why do I always end up being the butler?"Charlie whined as he walked up the steps with us carrying more than five bags.

"Because we love you."I grinned cheekily at him.

"No you don't."He grumbled struggling with all the weight.

Before I could try and console him any further, the door flew open and Hannah walked out with a screaming toddler in tow. Anastasia immediately calmed down once she saw her little cousins sleeping. Looks like someone had been making a fuss and just missed us.

Hannah and Jack had stopped procreating at three kids. Will was now nine years old and the apple of my eye since he was named after me, Logan was six years old and a mama's boy to the core and the last born Anastasia was four years old and her daddy's little girl.

"Welcome everybody, come on in, it's already starting to get too cold here."Hannah said ushering us all in as Anastasia clung to her leg hiding behind her skirts.

She was still a little shy but once she got accustomed to having us around she would be all over us talking our ears off. Since the house was like our second home we headed directly to my old bedroom to put the twins down for a nap. Hannah had already set up two cribs for them down there so it was easy laying them to sleep. I set up the baby monitor so we could hear them when they woke up before Henry and I joined Jack and Hannah in the kitchen.

"Happy Thanksgiving guys. How was the flight?"Jack asked as he hugged us.

"Long."The both of us muttered uniformly remembering how Hazel had behaved.

"Hazel again?"Jack asked knowing how his goddaughter was.

"Yeah, she's always finding new way to test us."Henry replied helping himself to a glass of water.

"Well you're here and that's all that matters."Hannah replied pouring me my own glass of water.

Charlie walked into the kitchen a few minutes later with two boys hanging on his legs and a little girl in his arms. Once Will noticed me, he abandoned Charlie and ran to me hugging my legs.

"There's my handsome boy. How've you been?"I greeted bending over to his level.

"I've been good, I missed you."Will claimed hugging me again.

"I missed you too champ."I replied with a smile.

"What about me?"Logan asked with a pout.

I pulled him in for a hug messing with his already unruly curls.

"I missed you too Logan, did you loose a tooth?"I asked noticing the gap in his teeth.

"Yeah and the tooth fairy left me five dollars for it."He declared showing off his missing tooth proudly.

"The tooth fairy ain't real."Will challenged.

"Yes he is."Logan insisted.

"No he's not."Will declared.

"Yes he is."Logan emphasized.

I realized that it was upto me to end the fight before they got into a fist fight. The boys loved each other to bits but they got into disagreements a lot which was to be expected for their age.

"Hey stop arguing and listen to me. We're all entitled to what we believe. Will it's okay if you believe that the tooth fairy isn't real just as Logan believes she's real. You have to respect each others believes and not fight about it."I advised ending the fight.

They both nodded shaking hands to end the fight as per house rules when they came to an agreement. I kissed both their heads and sent them to Henry to say hello. I took Anastasia from Charlie's hands and realized that she was growing big fast and it was getting harder to carry her.

"How's my beautiful princess doing?"I greeted kissing her face repeatedly making her laugh.

"I'm okay."She choked out amidst the laughter.

When she was out of breath I stopped torturing her to allow her to breath easier. She settled down in my arms and lay her head on my chest.

"I wish she was so docile with me."Hannah commented looking at us.

"I'll trade her for Hazel."I offered with a smile.

"Deal."Hannah smiled.

"Since when do we trade kids?"Jack asked.

"Since we carried them for nine months."I replied.

"Not in this household."Jack declared puffing out his chest to exert dominance.

Hannah and I just laughed at how easily fooled he was. Henry, Charlie and Jack got bored with our girl talk so they left us alone in the kitchen to go hang out in the gaming room taking Will and Logan with them. Hannah and I carried on our own conversation but after a while Anastasia got bored and wriggled out of my arms to go join the boys.

"How's balancing the delinquents at school and three kids at home treating you?"I asked Hannah as I helped her with the finishing touches on the food.

"Honestly it's so draining, I'm thinking about quitting work and being a full stay at home mom."Hannah replied.

"That's not a bad idea. Jack does make enough money nowadays to support all of you after opening that second gaming center so you won't have to worry about the money."I added.

"I know, I'm just worried that I won't know what to do with myself once I quit my job."Hannah expressed.

"You'll be okay, if anyone can figure it out its you."I consoled.

"Thanks, I hope so. What about you? How's raising four kids going?"Hannah teased.

I always complained how Henry and Charlie behaved like kids sometimes so she liked teasing me how I was raising four kids instead of two.

"I'm making it work but sometimes I just hide out in the laundry room for hours and take a nap. They don't even think to look there because for them that's one of the forbidden rooms."I replied making Hannah laugh.

"You go girl, I used to do that but then Will discovered me so now I just go old school and pick a different bathroom in the house each time to keep them in their toes. They don't think to check your room so I've been good the last couple of weeks. I hope I can keep it that way for a few more months."Hannah replied.

"To rebelling."I cheered clinking my glass of water to her glass of wine.

We talked for another hour as we finished cooking and setting the table. As soon as we were done the whole gang filed in without even being called. Hazel and Oliver had woken up from their nap so we had them join us at the table. Our family had grown over the years from a simple five to doubling within the course of seven years. It was all by the grace of God that we had achieved so much.

Henry and I never went to college, it had taken some time to figure out what to do after we moved to New Hampshire but after thinking about it extensively we'd settled into doing what we both loved most, video games. We'd started a video game company. It was hard at the beginning but with Henry working on design and me on management we'd made it work. Over the years we'd moved from our basement to an office building with about twenty employees. We didn't want to build a huge corporation, just a small family run company that made video games. Charlie helped out too that's why he wanted to study video game design so he could take over in a few years when Henry and I resigned.

"Okay guys you know the drill. We're going to go around the table and say what we're all grateful for."Hannah declared.

We always started with the kids since they always had the most hilarious things to be grateful for and they didn't disappoint. It was always fun hearing the ridiculous things they were grateful for but we never made fun of them. They were entitled to their feelings and we respected that.

After the kids were done it the adults turn. Charlie was the first to go and he was less chatty than usual which we understood as he seemed to be missing Lilah a lot. "I am grateful for my family and my girlfriend."

"This year marks ten years since you guys came into my life so I am grateful for all of you. Without you I'd not be where I am today and for that I am grateful for all of you."Jack said as he went next.

"I am grateful for my kids who even though drive me crazy half the time, I love to bits. I'm thankful for my husband who always steps up when needed and is always so supportive. I'm also grateful for you three and my godchildren who bring joy to my life."Hannah expressed making us all smile.

I looked at Henry and politely asked him to go first so I could conclude the whole thing.

"Ten years is a long time but it seems like yesterday when my life turned around. I am grateful for my beautiful wife, my adorable kids, for Charlie, Hannah and Jack for being role models and guides to us. I'm also thankful for my niece and nephew's who never fail to make me smile."Henry concluded.

I was last to go so I got up with a smile on my face.

"Charlie and I were looking for a place to belong for a very long time and ten years ago we moved here and met you guys. I'm thankful that I have all of you in my life, Jack my guide and mentor, Hannah the mother figure slash big sister I've always desired, my niece and nephews for the bundles of joy they are, Charlie for being the best brother a girl can ask for, my two amazing kids who make me a proud mom and Henry for being the loving and supportive husband that he is. I love you all."I declared raising my glass of juice for a toast.

We all clinked our glasses together with permanent smiles on our faces grateful for each other. I waited for everyone to calm back down before I said what I'd been keeping to myself for a week.

"I have an announcement to make."I started clearing my throat so everyone could turn their attention to me.

"I am..." I continued but Hannah cut in interrupting me.

"You're pregnant."She exclaimed loudly making everyone gasp in surprise.

I glared at her for ruining my announcement but I nodded nonetheless. She had probably been waiting for that moment ever since I ruined her announcement of Will's pregnancy nine years ago.

"Yeah, I found out a few weeks ago."I confirmed making everyone cheer.

I expected Henry to be the first one out of his seat cheering excitedly but he just sat stunned in silence. Everyone else including the kids stood up to hug and congratulate me. Henry and I hadn't really discussed about having more kids but we knew that we wanted a large family with at least four kids. I thought he was going to be as happy as I was but his silence worried me.

After everyone settled back down I excused myself to go to the bathroom so I could breakdown on my own. Henry had always been supportive of me but maybe having another kid or kids if I had twins wasn't such a great idea. I didn't even make it to the bathroom before I was tugged back and pulled into a pair of familiar warm arms.

"I know what you're thinking and its all wrong so please stop thinking that."Henry whispered in my ear as I stood stiff in his arms.

"I'm sorry for my reaction, you just took me by surprise. I'm just getting the hang of finally being able to deal with the twins so you being pregnant was the last thing on my mind. One thing I'm sure of though is that I love you and I believe in us. We've been great with the twins and this child will be as loved and cherished as his siblings."Henry confessed making me sigh in relief.

I had been surprised too when I found out so it was harsh of me to expect him to have a different reaction.

"They might be kids, we can have another set of twins."I pointed out wiping away my tears so I could look up at him.

"Fuck, hadn't thought of that but it's still all okay. We'll manage and besides we have the most supportive family, it'll be fine."Henry said quietly as if he was trying to console himself.

I wrapped my hands around his waist and lay my head on his chest. He hugged me back tighter and we just stood there for some time in each others embrace.

Afterwards Henry and I went back to join everyone else in the dining room. We had lots to be grateful for so it was a festive celebration.

Later that night after we put all the kids to sleep, Henry and I sneaked out with a blanket and packet of Doritos to stargaze. Jack and Hannah were watching a movie and Henry had gone out with Alex so it was just the two of us outside.

The house next door was silent like it has been for the past few years. It still belonged to the Brown's but they had moved to Little Rock after Hunter became a Senator. Sophia was the perfect political wife and played her role incredibly. Matthew had gone back to playing football in college and was drafted into the NFL as soon as he graduated. We weren't super close but we got tickets to all his games and had gone to a few. He was married now with a one year old son. He was happy and that's all that mattered as we'd already buried the hatchet and let bygones be bygones.

"Have I told you how much I love and adore you?"Henry asked as I lay my head on his stomach looking up.

"Only everyday for the last nine years but I'll never tire to hear it."I replied making him smile.

He put his hand on my stomach caressing my non existent bump.

"I will love her, him or them so much. Thank you for this gift."Henry whispered making me smile.

"I love you and I believe in us. We'll be great parents."I replied.

Ten years seemed to have flown by yet so much had happened in that time. When we met, Henry and I had stargazed together and made wishes on shooting stars. A decade later, we lay in the same spot, enjoying the same snack and yet everything was different. Our wishes had come true after all. We had been married for seven years, we had kids now, a successful business and had no family baggage holding us back. Life was good.

"To infinity my nerdy twin."I confessed kissing the back of his left hand.

"And beyond my melanin queen."Henry replied making me smile.

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

That's it for The Nerdy Twin my beautiful human beings. It's been a wonderful two months and I'm grateful to all of you for joining me on this incredible journey. Special thanks to these four lovelies for being with me from day one; , , and Your support has been most appreciated.

To those who joined later or read after the book was complete I love you all and thanks for your support too.

If you enjoyed The Nerdy Twin please check out my other books.

Can't wait to see what I'll be writing but for now it's goodbye. Be blessed. I love y'all.