Erica gripped Matthew's hand tightly and said, "I think it's possible that there is a set of twins in my belly. Didn't Mom say that my baby bump is showing a little too early?"
Debbie, a mother of three children, knew enough to glance at Erica's abdomen and tell that it was protruding sooner than expected. The young woman was thin, and she was just two months pregnant, but her belly had already begun to bulge.
So, the doctor's observation was probably right. It could be twins.
The doctor stared at the screen carefully, and after several anxious moments, confirmed. "I'm sure there's more than one baby in Mrs. Huo's belly. As the embryos are still too small, it is normal to have missed seeing twins in the previous examination, Mr. Huo. Even now, it is hard to see the other one clearly. When the babies get bigger, we'll be able to see them better."
Matthew tightened his grip on Erica's hand and nodded, "Okay, I see."
Erica was surprised, and excitement overwhelmed her. Unable to remain calm like Matthew, she kicked her legs happily and said, "Oh, my God! Twins! There are twins in my belly!"
Matthew immediately bent over and pressed her legs. "Don't move!" She was responsible for three lives now.
"Oh, okay!" Realizing that she had overreacted, Erica quickly calmed herself.
After the examination, as soon as Matthew settled her in the car, she couldn't help but throw herself into his arms again and proudly exclaim, "Matthew, aren't I great? I'm pregnant with two babies!"
With a faint smile, he touched her head, and lovingly said, "Yes, my Rika is awesome." He hadn't expected this to happen.
"Ha-ha! Hurry up and tell everyone the good news." She couldn't wait to tell everyone in their family.
A broad smile lit up Matthew's face as he pulled out his phone and sent a message to everyone in the WeChat group for the Huo family. "Twins!"
Erica, however, frowned when she saw the message in the WeChat group. The man was consistent, if nothing else. All this while, she had known and experienced that he rarely used words he considered unnecessary. Although everyone would understand what Matthew meant, she insisted that he send a more enthusiastic message. "Written poorly. You have to use a complete sentence. Redo it!"
Matthew was rendered speechless by her childish behavior and harsh tone. Nonetheless, he withdrew the message and rewrote it. "Rika is pregnant with twins."
"No, that's not right either. Don't say Rika. Say 'my wife Erica.' Please delete it and send the message again."
The smile left Matthew's face. This was more troublesome than he had expected. Traces of frustration reflected in his expression as he shook his head. But, he knew that it would be unwise to lose his temper. Now that his wife was pregnant, she was the boss. So, he sighed with resignation and withdrew the message again.
The messages had been sent and deleted so quickly that none of the other people in the WeChat group had been able to read them. Confusion coursed through them as they wondered what was happening.
Debbie wrote, "Matthew, what's going on?"
Sheffield asked, "What are you doing? Is your wife pregnant with Nezha*?"
(*TN: Nezha is the mythological boy who travels around on fiery wheels.)
Joshua teased, "Are you too excited?"
Soon, Matthew's third message brought everyone's phone to life. "Matthew Huo's wife, Erica Li, is pregnant with twins."
Terilynn's brows shot up at the formal declaration. "Wow, you're showing off your love in our group!"
Evelyn grinned, and her fingers flew across her screen as she typed, "Congratulations!"
Carlos' message followed soon after. "Rika is awesome!"
Even before anyone else could reply, Carlos dialed Wesley's number. "Hi, old buck!" How time flies! In the blink of an eye, the two good friends had become handsome old men with a house full of children and grandchildren.
The memory of being marooned on a desert island with Debbie and being rescued by Wesley was still fresh in Carlos' mind. It was as if it had happened just yesterday.
"Hey, Carlos, how are you?" Wesley's eyes twinkled as he also recalled the days when he and Blair, Carlos, Debbie, and their other friends had vacationed at the seaside resort.
In a flash, they were old and had even become in-laws.
The sentimental memories didn't sadden Carlos. After all, he had just gotten such good news. "Wesley, my daughter is carrying twins," he said smugly.
"What? You mean Erica? Hey, say it right. Isn't she my daughter? You can't just call her your daughter!" Wesley was filled with envy when he heard someone else refer to Erica as "daughter."
"Erica is my daughter now. Don't be jealous. After all, I have to thank you for raising such a good daughter for the Huo family," Carlos said proudly.
They were now old enough to tease each other and praise each other's daughters and sons.
"Who envies you? Gifford has a wife now, and she will give birth to his baby two or three months earlier than Rika. I bet you will envy me then. Ha-ha!" Wesley laughed happily. It was a fortunate turn of events that Chantel had conceived Gifford's baby first. Otherwise, Carlos' flaunting would have unsettled him.
Carlos could feel Wesley's smug smile from the other end of the line.
"Childish! Don't forget that Rika is having twins. My wife and I will each be holding a granddaughter by then."
"It doesn't matter. If you keep showing off, I'll ask Rika to come home. Then, I'll hold her two daughters, and my wife will hold our son's daughter. You will have to come to A Country if you want to see your granddaughters."
Carlos snorted at Wesley's comment, "I've never seen such a bad father-in-law like you."
"Oh, really? Well, now you have!" Wesley sat cross-legged in his seat and poured a cup of tea from a Yixing dark-red teapot.
Although Carlos had two sons-in-law who respected him very much, Wesley had Matthew. Carlos had raised his son for more than twenty years, and now, the excellent young man had become Wesley's son. His filial son-in-law always gave him many rare and precious gifts, and each was worth a lot.
For example, this Yixing dark-red teapot was as good as Carlos' azure mud teapot that Sheffield had gifted him a few years ago.
"Wesley, let's have a competition someday. After a few moves, you will know who the stronger one is," Carlos challenged.
"No, I don't need to know. Show Debbie your moves and strength. You and I should only battle a few rounds on the chessboard!"
"You are so naughty, old guy. I'm ashamed of you." When Wesley mentioned Debbie, Carlos glanced around in search of his wife. He found her standing not far away, watering the flowers while sending messages in the group chat. 'Wow, my wife is beautiful, just like the day I married her.' Suddenly, Carlos was driven by the urge to show Debbie how much he still desired her.
"What did I say that was so wrong?" Wesley deliberately sounded confused. But, a mischievous smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
Carlos had other plans. He didn't want to spend more time on Wesley. "I guess Rika should call Blair to tell her the good news. I'm going to end the call now."
"Hmm. We should catch up over drinks when I come to Y City later."
"Remember to bring your liquor."
"The older you get, the more stingy you become!"
With a chuckle, the two old men ended the call, and sought their wives.
Carlos glimpsed at Debbie's phone screen. She was chatting with Erica in private. "Come to the manor for dinner tonight. I'll ask a chef to cook for you."
"Okay, thank you, Mom!" Erica gleefully accepted.
Debbie put her phone away and turned to her husband. "Find two chefs to cook dinner. Rika is pregnant with two babies. She will definitely eat a lot!"
Obediently, Carlos took out his phone and arranged for two chefs.
When he was done, he remembered why he had come to her. He held Debbie in his arms and said, "Honey, I want you to know how strong I still am! Hey, don't pinch me!"
Debbie blushed and pushed him toward the living room. She glared at him, and with feigned anger, she said, "Our grandchildren will come out soon. What if they see you? Aren't you ashamed of your behavior?"
"That doesn't matter. No matter how many grandchildren we have, you will always be my little cutie." In his eyes, Debbie would always be his girl.
