A/N - I'm so sorry you guys had to wait, I had this part done but it was on my laptop and well since I was sick it didn't leave my bedroom lol! Anyway...this is a quick post because I'm beat and tomorrow is yet another day of traffic and work.
I will say that I thought, obviously I was sick, that this part would have the names of the winners, but it doesn't. However, rest assured the next part is almost done and the winners will be announced. I'd say expect an update on this one by Saturday!
Thanks for the awesome feedback...now this will tie up a few loose ends...or maybe just one 
*hugs*
Chapter 19
“Did you have a good time sweetheart?” I’m in the shower and she’s brushing her teeth. We got back from the party a few hours ago, and we stopped for some hot chocolate on the way home. Liz needed it. At least that’s what she told me. And you know me? I’ll bend over backwards to make her happy.
“Yes, it was so much fun. But it made it so much more real, you know?” I’m not sure I know what she means so I ask.
“Well we now have diapers and baby wipes, wash cloths, even baby clothes, we are completely prepared at least in those aspects. Now we have to wait for them,” she says and I can’t help but smile thinking about our children being born.
“I can’t wait to meet them,” I say as I pull back the shower curtain and smile at her. She turns to face me and nods, “Me too.”
“I love you.” I tell her before I slip back behind the curtain.
“I love you too, Max.” She leaves right after that and I’m now left with only my thoughts. Everyday I feel like I’m just waiting for Liz to tell me it’s time. We are as prepared as we could be, although I think there really isn’t a way to be completely prepared to have a baby. And we’re having two, which adds even more pressure, but I’m looking forward to it.
“We need to go over the names again, Max.” The moment I step into the bedroom she starts on me. I don’t understand why we need to pick a name right this moment.
“Liz,” I start but she cuts me off.
“Max, I know you think it’s logical for us to meet them and then name them, but that doesn’t leave me very much comfort. We need to at least narrow down this long lists of names.” I sigh heavily and pull on a pair of boxers then cross the room and slip under the covers with her.
“Oh damn! Hold on, I got you something.” I almost forgot. It’s nothing spectacular but I saw it and thought about Liz.
“You got me a present?” She asks as her eyes light up.
“Yes. Of course.” I quickly cross the room and open my closet. Now where the hell did I put it? Oh here it is!
“Sorry about the wrap job, I didn’t have a lot of time.” I shrug and hand her over a small yellow box. Her eyes are brimming with tears and she hasn’t opened it yet. I wonder if this is a good thing or a bad one. I guess I’m about to find out.
“Oh Max! It’s so cute! I love it!” It was good. I knew it would be. Did you have any doubt? Once again, I thought we established the fact that under no circumstances should my rhetorical questions be answered. Did you forget already?
“Really?” I ask because well usually I’m a bit more extravagant, as if you didn’t know, with Liz’s gifts.
“Max, they are the cutest koala bears I’ve ever seen.” She turns it over and shakes the snow globe, and then cranks the dial underneath. Now she really starts to cry. Her shoulders start shaking and tears are slipping down her cheeks steadily. I quickly hop on the bed and kneel down in front of her. I rest my forehead against hers and tilt her chin up to face me.
“Baby, I wanted you to know that even though things are going to change and we may not always have time for the things we used to do, that I’ll always love you. And I’ll always have time for you.” I kiss her lips softly as the soft melody of our wedding song filters through the room. I had it especially made for her. Wasn’t that sweet and thoughtful of me? I know it was, you don’t have to tell me.
“Thank you. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Max. I know I say that but I really mean it. I’m the luckiest woman in the world. I love you so much.” She smiles brightly and kisses me back with such passion. I want her so bad, but we can’t anymore. I sure as hell miss her but it’s become increasingly uncomfortable for her. So even though I might actually die, I will wait. Don’t laugh, because I think you know how serious it is for Mr. Snuggles and myself to wait.
“Now, let’s get back to the names.” I kiss her once more before taking my place beside her. She turns and places the snow globe on her nightstand. Then she pulls out this monster notebook and I roll my eyes. It’s going to be a long night.
“Okay we have it narrowed down to forty names.” You may think that’s a lot but we had a list of over a hundred. I wanted to cry the night she decided to make this list. Naturally I told her whatever she likes, but then when she started giving me these off the wall names, I knew there was no way I would subject my daughter’s to the names she was coming up with.
I settle a little more comfortably on the bed and prop my head up on my pillows as she runs down the current list.
“We have Madisyn, Kaylie, Daniella, Lily, Sydney, Haley, Faith…” And she rattles off all of the names. To be honest I like some of them but they just don’t seem right. Then again I don’t know what my daughters will look like so how do I know the names we pick will suit them? See, I have obviously thought about this way too much, which is why I can’t decide.
“Max, are you paying attention?” she asks and she’s giving me that look. You know what look I mean too. The one where it says, ‘I know you weren’t paying attention’.
“No, sorry. Liz we went over this already. I don’t know.” Finally I tell her and pray that she lets it drop.
“Okay, Max. If you don’t want to pick their names now that’s fine. But we don’t have that much longer for you to decide.”
“Me? I thought you wanted to decide too and then we’d compromise.” Obviously I’m confused, is this not what she and I talked about?
“I’ve been thinking about that. I want you to choose. I trust your judgment and honestly if I have to sit up another night looking over these names they will ultimately be called Jane and Susie, and I’m not really happy with those. So you see you’ll be doing me a favor,” she reasons. And can I just take a moment and say, I’ll be damned! She’s going to let me decide?
“Max, stop smiling so much! You act like I wouldn’t have let you decide anyway.” She rolls her eyes and pushes me a little.
“I can’t help it. I just really want them to have the perfect names. I promise Liz, I’ll do good.” I swear as I lean up and kiss her softly.
“Good! Now, let’s get some rest. We’re going to have a full house tomorrow.” I wait until she settles down next to me and I wrap my arms around her as best as possible.
“Night baby.” I begin to rub her belly as I usually go. I don’t think I mentioned this, but at night when she’s sleeping I rest my hands where our daughters lay and I can feel them move. I can only imagine how amazing it must feel like to be Liz and feel them inside her, but at least I feel like I get to share a part of that with them as well.
“Hmm…night Max.” And she’s out a minute later. I lay awake a little while longer just thinking about tomorrow. It’s New Year’s Eve, Sarah and Zan are leaving the day after and then Liz and I will be waiting for the twins to be born. It’s a new day, a new year full of endless possibilities.
****
“What the hell is this?!” I come to a dead halt upon entering the kitchen. Tell me why my wife is cooking?
“Morning! I made you breakfast,” she smiles brightly and I groan. The kitchen is destroyed! I don’t have time for this.
“Thank you baby, but what happened to the kitchen?” I ask with as much of a steady voice as I can muster.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she blinks and eyes the counters surrounding her. “I made pancakes first, but then I remembered that I didn’t know how to make them from scratch. I wish you would just buy that one that comes in a box that I have to just add water to,” she flips her hands wildly around in the air. She’s trying to distract me, but why?
“Liz, what’s wrong?” I see her visibly tense and I eye her suspiciously.
“Nothing. I just wanted to make you breakfast.” She smiles but I can see it in her eyes. I enter the room more fully and that’s when I see it. What the fuck is that?!
“What is that?” I point to the huge, and I’m not exaggerating, this monstrous sized floral arrangement sitting outside on our patio.
“What’s what?” she asks and I roll my eyes at her. She knows that mama didn’t raise no fool.
“That,” I point to it once again and I walk over to it. I have to give her credit for trying to distract me by throwing a dishrag at me, oh and then she tries to beat me to the sliding doors, but yeah no such luck.
I quickly open the doors and see a card sticking out. I reach to pull it out, but a noise to the left distracts me. I turn to see a pair of sneakers sticking out from behind a bush.
“Come the hell out,” I growl out.
“Max, it’s not what you think.” I turn my furious eyes towards my wife. Just what the hell is she talking about?
“Liz…” My eyes go wide, my back straightens and my hands begin to form fists.
“I thought he was gone,” she says to me softly and I whip my head around to face her. I’m beyond pissed off at this point, but the second and I do mean the second that I see who it is that was hiding behind the bushes, I practically throttle his ass.
“What the fuck are you doing here? And if these flowers are from you, take them the hell off my property!” I growl out into his face. I’m about to kick his ass in case he missed it.
“Max! Relax!” she screeches.
“Relax, Liz? You’re not serious are you? Why the fuck is your ex here?” I turn to face her, hurt has to be evident in my eyes, but when I turn back to Matt I look anything but hurt. In fact, I see him swallow nervously and I smirk in amusement. He better be afraid.
“I don’t know what he’s doing here. I heard a knock on the door and went to answer it, but no one was there. So I came back to the kitchen and saw the flowers, but as soon as I went over to see who they were from, he came out from behind the bushes.” She tries to explain, but honestly I don’t give a shit.
“I’m going to ask you one last time, what the fuck are you doing here?”
“I…I wanted to just tell Liz good luck and I wanted to give her these.”
“She doesn’t want shit from you.” I’m all in his face and I’m seriously ready to knock him the fuck out. I’m not violent but the fact that this asshole has the nerve to show up at my doorstep, giving flowers to my pregnant wife, well let’s just say it pisses me off big time. He’s got some fucking balls.
“Max, be nice.” I whip my head around pinning my wife with an incredulously glare.
This ends here.
“Liz, I think you need to go back inside and wait for me.” She doesn’t argue. She just turns and goes back inside the house. I turn back to Matt and as difficult as it is, I really don’t want to beat his ass, okay I do, but you know what I mean.
“I really think it would be a good idea for you to leave, and never come back.”
“Look Max. I just miss her. I didn’t know how good I had it with her until I lost her, to you.” Oh is he pissed off about that one? Too bad buddy boy I won the prize.
“That’s right. Now we’re married. Why are you suddenly so interested?” I ask because let’s be honest, the guy has been MIA for over two years and now he starts to surface.
“I’ve always been interested. I just took her for granted and when I saw her at the store the other day, I realized how much I missed her.” Chant with me here people…he’s an asshole!
“Too late man. She’s well over you, so stopping by unannounced, actually scratch that, stopping by ever is not a good idea. Let her go and walk away with a little fucking dignity.” I tell him as some of the aggression deflates from my body.
“Right. I hope you know how lucky you are.” Ha! Asshole I know, that’s why I got the girl. That’s what I want to tell him, but let’s be honest we already know how pathetic he is, I wouldn’t want to ruin his entire year, at least what’s left of it.
“Trust me. I know. Now you need leave…and take your flowers with you.” He nods and moves to lift the flowers but I have to say one thing before he leaves.
“Matt.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t come back…ever. Move on.” I tell him as I enter the kitchen and slam the door behind me.
“Max, I can explain.”
“Living room, Liz. Now.” I order. I’m not normally that callous with my words, or demanding for that matter, but this shit has got to be settled.
“Why didn’t you tell him to leave? And why the hell didn’t you tell me he was here?” I demand the moment she enters the room.
“I was trying, but then you came and I had to hurry up and distract you.”
I shake my head, I don’t understand. “Liz, if I did this with Michelle you would have blown a gasket and starting throwing shit at her. So why is it okay for Matt to be here?”
“It’s not okay for him to be here. I know that, and you’re right. I didn’t think about it like that Max. I knew Matt was just being stupid. He doesn’t see me like that anymore, Max. Not that he ever did.” She can’t be that blind. That guy is in love with her.
“Liz, I hate to break this to you. But he’s in love with you.”
“No…” she shakes her head vehemently.
“Yes. He is. But what I need to know is if you feel anything for him? I would understand if you did. After all you were engaged to be married and…” And that’s total bullshit! I would not understand.
“Max, oh my God! There is no way that I would feel anything for him. I love you, only you. I’m sorry…I’m so sorry.” She walks over to me and cups my face between her hands. I close my eyes and breath in her scent.
“It’s only ever been you, Max. You and our …oh….” Our oh? Huh?
“Liz?” I open my eyes and see an unreadable expression on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I rush out and she just swallows and bends her head down. I follow her gaze and…holy shit!
“My water just broke!”
Holy Shit! In this instance it bears being repeated.
TBC…
P.S. Did some of you see your names included? Cause I threw some of them in 
Hope you enjoy!
