They Didn't Listen
Wave after wave of pain overwhelmed her, but she was powerless to resist. While her sister was in the same agony, she knew she was not alone. Both women, however, could not claim they weren't warned.
All the dire warnings and counsel had been disregarded. Their choices and their lives were at stake. They were limited to praying for it to end and for them to learn the truth.
Struggle
As Brittney applied a light spritz of perfume, she couldn't help but giggle at her sister’s struggle to zip up the sparkling white gown. To be fair, she had the same problem only a few minutes ago.
The 33-year-old twin also wondered if the surrounding television crew had noticed her reaction. The whole church was surrounded by cameramen and reporters.
Making The News
Brittney and her twin sister, Briana, had made headlines when they got engaged to another set of identical twins. Clearly, aside from the endless list of things they had in common, they also had the same type.
The story went viral, and TLC offered to pay for the entire wedding if they could film the event. It was a magical experience that was so different from the years leading up to the special day.
Something In Common
The girls were unique women with their own likes, personality quirks, and attitudes. One big example was the fact that Brittney loved flying, but Briana was terrified, which made vacation quite a challenge.
However, their individuality didn’t spare them from something: they shared a great deal of numerous health problems they had no other option but to suffer through together.
Distrust
Brittney remembered one particularly scary hospital visit when they were very young. All she knew was that both of them were in pain and could barely breathe while their parents yelled at the doctors for not knowing what they were doing.
After countless trips to the emergency room, they had developed a distrust of health professionals.
Double Wedding
But even the darkest memory wasn’t going to tarnish their wedding day. She felt jitters and tears as they walked down the aisle and the wonderful euphoria all the way through the honeymoon.
It wasn’t long until they were both pregnant. When the two sisters saw the two lines on their tests, the first thing they did was call each other. The amazing news, however, was countered with an unpleasant reality.
Bad News?
They had to visit a doctor. All they wanted to do was talk to a midwife, but the entire family eventually pressured them into visiting a bland office that smelled of disinfectant.
Bad news had always filled places like these. When the doctor walked in, wearing a slight frown, her heart started racing. Was it more bad news?
Doctor’s Words
The doctor sat across from their group and sighed. “Ladies, I thought I told you to come and talk to me before you decided to start a family.”
Brittney felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up in anger. “No, you told our mother that.” He shook his head and pulled out a folder.
Problems
It was her and Briana’s medical history. He went on to use words like testing, health, pre-natal preparation, and a bunch of other medical jargon.
She tightened the grip on her husband’s hand. Who was he to say they shouldn’t have kids now?! She was about to tell him off, but the next piece of news was heartbreaking.
Genetic Issues
He went on to explain that because of their past genetic problems and the pending tests on their husbands, there was a chance that both hers and her sister’s baby could have the same defective gene passed down to them.
In short, their kids could be as sick as the girls had been when they were babies.
“Be Careful”
“It’s obviously your body and your choice,” the doctor said, “I just wish you would have come here so we could have prepared better. Now, all we can do is watch closely and be careful.”
She leaned into her husband and started to cry. Why hadn’t she thought of that possibility before? Two thoughts crashed and fought around in her head…
Against All Odds
First, she hated everything to do with hospitals. But second, it was her job to make sure her future children would be safe and healthy.
Babies might have been a grab bag of genetic materials, but their pairing of identical twins created an entirely different set of odds. The two sisters didn’t have a clue of what they were heading for.
Supporting Each Other
Still, at that point, all they could do was go on bedrest together. The two sisters supported each other all the way throughout the pregnancy journey.
They smiled at their growing bellies, giggled at their identical cravings for pickles and Starburst candies, and held each other tight when something felt “wrong.” Months passed by until, finally, the big day came.
Into Labor
Eight months and two weeks later, Brianna was the first to go into labor. And, in fine twin fashion, Brittney felt her water break only a few hours later.
The worst part, however, was being separated. She gripped her husband’s arm and gave one final push. Cries filled the delivery room. But was the newborn healthy, or would the journey end up leading to a heartbreaking conclusion?
Everything Worked Out Fine
Despite the high risk, she cried with joy as she learned that both babies were perfectly healthy. They had won the DNA lottery and wouldn’t have to suffer as they had.
Everything had worked out just fine in the end. However, as they held their tiny infants, they both agreed that they would check with a doctor before having another. But that was just the beginning.
A Life Together
For the next months, Briana, Brittney, and their respective husbands, Josh and Jeremy Salyers devoted themselves to building a life together, the six of them.
Yes, you read right: the six of them. The two twin couples and their kids are all living together in the same mansion, where they do everything you can think of in each other’s company.
Opening Up
Recently, this unconventional family of six opened the doors of their mansion to show it to the media and tell people more about their story.
They went into detail about how the two twin couples met, how their romances developed, and how they’re doing nowadays, raising their respective children. And even though there might be people who find their lifestyle strange or even uncanny, they don’t care about that at all.
Virginian Mansion
A few years ago, the family of six bought a mansion near picturesque Smith Mountain Lake in central Virginia. Their property includes a pool, vegetable gardens, and acres of lawns.
Inside the mansion, the sisters’ husbands, Josh and Jeremy, built a nursery for the two children. And ever since then, their lives have been absolutely blissful.
Sparks Flying
From the first time the two sisters saw their future husbands, they knew for sure it was meant to be. The four of them met at the same time and in the same place: it was at the 2017 Twins Day Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio.
The first time they saw each other, they were coming from a party at the hotel conference center. They locked eyes, and instantly, sparks flew.
Infatuated
Jeremy started talking to Briana while Brittney hit it off with Josh. "My reaction was like, 'Oh my gosh, we feel so drawn to them — I hope they feel like that about us too,'" says Brittany.
"We found out later that they went home after meeting us, and they told their mom that they were going to marry us." And that’s when it all started.
Immediate Connection
“When we stopped to talk, there was an immediate connection,” one of the twin brothers says. “I was attracted to Briana, and Josh was attracted to Brittany,” said Jeremy, the oldest of the brothers by five minutes.
“We exchanged phone numbers with each other and started to talk regularly via phone and social media,” he said.
It Was Their Dream
But it wasn’t casual: ever since they were little girls, Briana and Brittney dreamt of marrying twins. That was a dream they shared with the two men who would eventually become their husbands.
Briana commented: “Ever since we were little girls growing up in Delaware, we’d always dreamed of marrying identical twin brothers.” Sister Brittany added: “It seemed like a perfect next step because it really does take a pair of twins to understand the special relationship of twins.”
Incredible Joy
"It was an incredible joy for my husband and me to see our daughters and Josh and Jeremy fall in love," adds their mom, Debra Deane.
"Marrying twins is something Brittany and Briana had wanted since they were little girls, and I had begun to worry it might not happen," she says. "Because what are the odds, really? It was wonderful for all of us when it finally happened."
It Was The Same For The Brothers
But that isn’t all. Josh and Jeremy also had the very same dream since they were kids. One of the two brothers puts it this way:
“Both of us always knew that we wanted to marry twins,” says Jeremy. “We’d decided that if we couldn’t find twins to marry, then we just wouldn’t get married,” he said.
Wholesome Foursome
"It was something we all four wanted, and when we got engaged, we all wanted it that way," says Brittney. "It's something that's very nice. Josh and Jeremy understand the twin bond as we do. We get to have a lot of together time."
"Identical twins, in particular, come into this world never knowing what it was like to be alone," she adds. "Our more natural state is togetherness, and that helps us."
Inseparable
The Virginian mansion they share has enough room for the six of them; however, they often prefer to do things and stay together in the same room.
"We do everything as a family. We're really inseparable," says Briana. "It's like this magical existence. But each couple has their own bedroom. We do like to make that clear because we get a lot of weird creepy comments."
Twin Families
“We have the fortune of combining resources in an environment that allows everyone time to work, explore creative projects, and time to parent,” Briana told the media when she was asked what it was like to live with a twin family.
“Each of us gets to spend time with the children, one’s own spouse, one’s own twin, and with the group as a whole,” she said.
Their Routine
Every morning, Briana and Brittney wake up and drive together to the law firm where both of them work as attorneys while Josh and Jeremy stay home taking care of the babies, Jett and Jax.
The two kids can tell between their parents, but they seem to be almost equally bonded to each of them. "Sometimes they both want one mom, or they'll turn around, and both want the other mom," says Briana.
Tight
“We’re raising the kids together, so it feels like just one family unit,” Brittney says. “It’s a pretty unique situation, but to us, it seems really natural.”
"As far as our setup with being in a 'quaternary marriage' — identical twins married to identical twins, and we're all living together — of course, not everyone is a twin, but having family members who can support you and who you can support, it goes a really long way."
Future Plans
However, there’s still one question in the air. What do the two couples' future plans look like? Have they been thinking about having any more children and giving Jett and Jax siblings?
Until they make a decision, the wholesome foursome and the two kids will keep living their idyllic lives together in their Virginian mansion, which they also offer to host wedding ceremonies.
Idyllic Lives
"It's definitely a group decision," says Josh. "It would never be just one couple saying, 'Yeah, okay. We're going to try now.' It would just never happen like that."
Until they make a decision, the wholesome foursome and the two kids will keep living their idyllic lives together in their Virginian mansion, which they also offer to host wedding ceremonies.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.