Max came into their bedroom after his shower that evening and saw Madra playing with the girls. His heart leapt at the sight of the beautiful women in his life! I really am a lucky man, he thought. I waited so long for her and the girls and now that they are in my life, I will make sure that they are happy!

	When he thought about how lonely his life was before he met Madra, he couldn't believe the transformation she had made in him. Before her, he thought he had it all. Women pursued him because of his power and wealth, but he never paid them any attention. He found them to be vapid and dull. Then, one miraculous day, he met this firecracker of a woman! He had gone to a party hosted by one of his clients, a film director, who was having an "open house" for the Christmas holidays. He really had no interest in attending, but thought he should make his appearance. He spotted her the moment he entered the room. She was surrounded by people, all clamoring to be near her. She had just won an award for her latest motion picture and was enjoying her rise to fame. As if sensing he was watching her, she turned and caught his eye. Raising one eyebrow, she gave him a little smile and a nod. That was all the opener he needed. It seemed as if everyone else in the room disappeared as he made his way to her side. "Hello," he said, "I'm J. Peter Maxwell -- but please call me Max."
With that she extended her slender hand and said, "I'm Madra Lord, pleased to meet you." He took her hand in his and suddenly found himself lost in her expressive brown eyes. He didn't want to release her hand, but finally did saying, "May I get you a drink?" She replied that would be wonderful. A few seconds later, he returned with two glasses of champagne and said, "To the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship." She smiled demurely at him and his heart was lost to her forever. The rest was history, he thought. Their whirlwind romance, and then sneaking off to Aspen to get married on Valentine's Day. He had never been an impulsive man, but it seemed so right to him. Like a dream come true. A dream I never thought I would have. She was truly his soulmate. He had never met a woman who could challenge him mentally as she did. Not only was she gorgeous, both inside and out, but she was intelligent and witty. And, when she told him she was pregnant, he found himself practically giddy. He had lifted her in the air, twirled her around, and then gently put her down so as not to harm her. She laughed at him saying that she wouldn't break. Then she admitted that she was afraid that he would not be pleased by the prospect of her having a baby. Silly girl, he thought, who wouldn't want those two beautiful little girls who look so much like their mother! How blessed I am, he thought.
	As if sensing his presence, both Madra and the twins turned to see him watching them. "Come and play, Daddy" said Emma. "Mommy let me brush her hair, and then she let us try her makeup on!" she giggled. "That sounds like a lot of fun for you two," Max said. He bent down and scooped little Emma in his arms. "But," he said, "it's getting very late and tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We are going to have lots of company tomorrow! So, I think it's time you two went to bed." The girls were excited about Thanksgiving. It gave them another chance to see their "Aunt Gene and Uncle Jax" who they had become quite attached to. And, mommy had told them that there would even be a little girl there for them to play with! A friend of mommy's was coming with her little girl. They were already tired from the activities of the bridal shower, so did not put up a fuss. "Ok, Daddy," they both said in unison. Madra took Meg and Max took Emma and they brought them to their room and tucked them into their little beds. "Goodnight darlings," Madra said, "Mommy and Daddy love you both very, very much!" "We love you too," said the sleepy little girls. Madra and Max left their room, closed the door slightly and returned to their bedroom.
As they entered the room, Madra turned and looked at Max. She sat on the edge of the bed, patted the spot next to her and said, "Darling, come and sit with me." He crossed the room to where she was, scooped her up in his arms and kissed her passionately. "My God, Madra," he said, "I didn't think it was possible to love you even more that I did the day I married you, but I do. I am so completely in love with you...." "I love you, too, darling..." she cooed. "I feel the same way."
As they lay on the bed together, Max ran his fingers through Madra's beautiful dark hair, taking in the scent of her lavender shampoo, Madra grew pensive. "What's wrong, my sweet," he said. "Max," she began, "I feel so bad that I won't be able to have more children. I know how much you love them, and I so want to give you a houseful...." her voice trailed off. "Madra, darling, please don't worry. I am so happy with you and the girls -- my heart and life are full! I don't need more children." he said. "But Max - if only....." "If only nothing," he said. "I wouldn't change anything for the world. I was so frightened that I would lose you when the twins were born! I never want to go through that again! You and the girls are my life!" She turned to look at him then and he wiped a tear from her cheek as he kissed her gently.
"Well," he said, "we'll have no more talk about Mummy tonight, dear." With that he pulled her into his arms and began kissing her. She stroked his cheek and he whispered in her ear his love for her. Everything else seemed not to matter any longer. They were together and very much in love and all was right with the world. Tomorrow was Thanksgiving and what they were most thankful for was each other and their beautiful little girls. Max reached over, turned off the light, and they were lost in each other's arms......	Max propped himself up in the bed and pulled Madra onto his lap. "Madra," he began. "Do you doubt that I love you? I don't care if we never have another child! I love you and the twins. The night the girls were born were both the most exciting and most horrifying night of my life! The girls were so beautiful. I was so proud that you had made me a father, but then....." his voice got low, "when you began to hemorhage and the doctors couldn't stop it...and then they made me leave the room....I felt so helpless. You were so pale and weak. I was so frightened I would lose you forever. Darling, please, I need you too much. I can't take that chance again. I couldn't live without you. You and the girls ARE my life! If you really want another child, perhaps we can adopt...." "Oh, Max!" she said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. It's not that I need another child to be happy. It's just not fair! I can't have more children, while my sister, who doesn't want to have a child, is pregnant! I'm happy with my life with you and the girls." "Are you sure Glynis is pregnant," he said. "Well," she began, "I don't think she's entirely positive, but it certainly appears that way. I must say, she doesn't appear to be happy about it either. She keeps worrying that she will get 'fat' and that it will interfere with her social life. I can't believe my sister has changed so much in the past year, Max. I'm beginning to worry, she's beginning to sound like my Mummy!"

To Be Continued.....