Bhumi's pov!

"More more," Abhi screamed in excitement as I splashed water on him.

"Me too," Sammy demanded and I did the same to him.

This evening, I operated on autopilot. 

This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation. But instead, I am a ball of nerves.

The sun was going down and my boys were in no mood to get out of the pool.

"Okay. That's enough for the day, darlings. You need to have dinner and get into bed," I told them.

"No mommy, no," they both cried, looking at me with their puppy eyes.

I sighed, knowing that I have no other option.

"Sorry darlings. We need to get out now," I said and took Sammy out first and then Abhi.

They were both looking so darn adorable in their little swimming trunks.

I quickly dried them with a towel and made them wear identical tee shirts and shorts.

I am one of those mommies who is obsessive about making her twins wear everything identical. 

When I say obsessive, I mean it literally. 

No one other than me would be able to differentiate between them.

Even Ansh, who has been seeing them since they were born, still gets confused.

And my boys! They absolutely love to prank people with their special capability. 

I took them to our suite and fed them their dinner, and put them to bed.

"Peter pan mommy," Sammy demanded.

The boys absolutely loved Peter Pan and his adventures. 

"Okay. Peter pan it is," I said and read the part where they save Wendy from Captain Hook.

Soon they fell asleep, probably dreaming about Tinker bell fairies and lost boys.

"It is time to meet Arya-devil-mann, Bhumi," I said to myself, looking in the mirror.

***********

Aryamann's pov!

I simply couldn’t wait until dinner time.

I knocked on Bhumi's door impatiently. 

She opened the room, after a couple of minutes, with an irritated frown on her face.

Her lips thinned in annoyance, when she spotted me there.

"What is it? It is not dinner time yet," she said angrily.

I was fascinated by the angry reddish hue spreading across her cheeks.

Damn it, Aryamann. Don't start it all over again.

Last time, you couldn't control yourself against her and look where it had ended.

I shook my head to dispel the images of intimate memories I shared with Bhumi, three years ago.

Time has only enhanced her beauty.

The slender form of Bhumi has turned slightly curvy and her breasts are bigger now. Probably the result of pregnancy and feeding.

Whatever it is, I like the look of this new Bhumi better.

Bhumi snapped her fingers in front of my face and an embarrassed flush appeared on my face.

I cleared my throat and walked past her into her suite.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" She asked furiously as she walked behind me, trying to stop me from going further.

"Making myself comfortable," I said, as I took a seat on the couch. 

"I am not ready for this now", Bhumi said.

"You are not ready? Damn it Bhumi, I am a father." I said, still trying to digest that piece of information. 

"Biologically," she said, looking everywhere but at me.

I sucked in a sharp breath at what she meant by that single word.

Hurt made me look at her with incredulous scorn.

"You don't think a child needs a father?" I asked her accusingly. 

"It depends on the father," she said in a low voice.

That quiet rebuttal made my breath hitch. 

Wasn't she right?

My parents have been marginally involved in my life, when I was growing up. They have simply been focused on business. By the time they realised what they had missed out on, it was too late. Now whatever redemption they do, it is impossible to make things all better.

Would I be any better?

Self doubt was not something that kept me awake at night!

I have had my fair share of bad decisions in life. But this one wasn't my decision. It has happened and I have to deal with it.

"So, you decided to take me out of the equation?" The thought itself made my blood boil.

How dare she make that decision for me.

She simply shrugged.

"And what about what they want?" I asked.

She looked up at me uneasily.

"What do you mean?" 

"A child shouldn't have to grow up feeling unloved and unwanted," I said vehemently. 

"They are not," she denied hotly.

"You were happy to let them think that their father doesn't love or want them. Did you ever think about what they would feel, a few years down the lane? When they are old enough to understand that every normal kid has two sets of parents. That they might think that their father rejected them. Did you wonder how that might affect their emotional development, their future relationships? Are you ready to deprive them of what we didn't have growing up? Well, I am not." 

That statement had more impact than anything I said so far. Because she visibly paled, thinking about all the circumstances that I just pointed out.

Well, time for reality check, darling!

*******************

Bhumi's pov!

Goodness!

I never thought of all these things.

All I ever thought was, they are better off without a father, rather than with a father who doesn't want them.

"I am going to make damn sure that my sons aren't going to grow up thinking that they are to blame. They will have everything a kid deserves. What I—" he trailed off

But I know what he was about to say.

‘What I didn't have.’ 

"I am sorry, you were an unhappy child," I said softly.

"This is not about me. It is about our children. You may think it is a badge of honour to struggle alone-"

"I don't." I shot back angrily and he scoffed.

"You never wanted children. You told me that," I cried out angrily.

"And you wanted to put your whole life on hold and get pregnant?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's not the point,"

"Exactly. Even if I am the total asshole that you think I am, I deserved to be given a choice. Even if I chose to not be a part of their lives, I still have a financial obligation to them," he said equally furious at me.

"This isn't about money, Aryamann."

"No. It is not. It is a hell lot more than that. Even more than your selfish pride. So save me the poor and proud of it speech. My children are Mehrotras. They are going to grow up with all the advantages that a Mehrotra deserves," he said with conviction. 

"You think you can appear out of nowhere and take control?" I asked angrily. 

What does he think of himself?

"I always do," he said arrogantly.

"Listen. I know you are in shock. And you won't mean any of this when you calm down." I tried to placate him.

He looked at me in disbelief. 

"Of course I had a shock. And nothing is going to change when I calm down," he said. 

"I want nothing from you. We need nothing from you. What was the need of telling you then." I asked helplessly. 

"Didn't you hear a single thing I said, Bhumi?"

Anger coursed through my veins, seeing him occupying the moral high ground.

He was acting as though it had been an easy choice. 

Acting as if the thought of bringing up two children alone had not terrified me.

"Yes. And the only thing that you are right about is that this is about the boys and what is best for them. And a father who doesn't want them is not," I told him scornfully.

The words are still ringing in my head like a tuning fork.

'I don't want a baby! Not with you anyway!'

"It is not about wanting, Bhumi. It has happened,"

That awful grim tone of acceptance was far far worse than his anger.

"I didn't do it on my own," I said in a quivering voice.

***********************

Aryamann's pov!

Guilt felt like a punch in my gut.

"I took precautions," I told her defensively, because I have always used condoms. That is one thing I made sure I never forget, after what happened with Harinee, all those years ago.

"Well, obviously they didn't work," she stated the obvious. 

Something in her expression made me pause.

I had been so caught up in my own feelings. For the first time, I wondered how this unplanned pregnancy had affected her.

Had she been scared? Angry?

Did she hate me?

Was, not telling me a form of punishment?

"You think I will be a bad father?" I asked, hurt coursing through my entire form.

I quickly hid my hurt under a casual shrug.

"We will find out quickly, anyway." I said, covering up my momentary expression of vulnerability. 

"But you don't want to—"

"Don't tell me what I want. And don't make this into a fight, Bhumi. Because, you know you will never win. The situation exists, so we have to deal with it and move on." I growled angrily.

"I can't," she cried and turned around and walked out onto the balcony.

I waited, giving her a moment to gather herself. 

And then I walked out and found her sitting on the floor Indian style.

"That was childish of me, sorry." I heard her mumble.

I tried to hold on to my anger, but those tears in her hazel brown eyes made it slip away.

I removed my shoes and sat next to her. She looked so vulnerable, I had to fight down the urge to gather her into my arms and hide her away.

"I know we need to talk. But can it wait until later," she asked and I watched as that drop of tear finally rolled down her eyes.

I couldn't fight myself anymore. I pulled her into my embrace and let her cry it out.

God knows how much emotions she had been bottling up inside her all these years. And I let her let it all out.

"Mommy." We heard a thin cry from the bedroom.

"Please leave, Aryamann. We will talk out of reach of the boys." Bhumi pleaded and hurried to the bedroom to tend to the twins.

I couldn't simply walk away. So I stood in the shadows, outside the bedroom and watched Bhumi lying down next to my sons.

Lightly patting them and humming soft music.

It was a dream sequence I never dreamt of before.

Good God!

Why don't I ever get happiness?

When I was finally getting it, after all the pain you gave me, you snatched Bhumi away from me.

And now that you have brought her back to me, you still keep her emotionally away from me.

Bhumi is too stubborn! She isn't ready to listen to anything I have to say.

I gotta do something to win her back. Win them back!

My family!

As I was about to walk out, I noticed Bhumi's handbag lying on the floor and its contents spilled out.

I quickly picked them all up and put them back into the bag.

Except for one photograph of Bhumi and the boys, grinning madly.

The photo is so darn adorable!

How I wish I was right behind them, wrapping my arms around all three of them, and grinning into the camera, like them.

Maybe soon!

Bhumika Basu Mehrotra, be ready to be Mrs Mehrotra again.

Because I am not going to stop until I win you back.

Now that all the anger and adrenaline has run its course, a thrill of excitement bloomed in me.

I am a father!

A father to a set of twins!

How awesome is that!

Oh goodness, they are going to be spoiled rotten.

I can even imagine a fight breaking out between the family members over the twins.

I chuckled imagining that scene.

Abhi and Sam!

My boys!

Bhumika Basu Mehrotra!

My love!

Darlings! Be ready to be smothered with love by an entire army!