NEWPORT—(August 27) It’s not every day that twins interrupt their parents’ wedding, but that’s what happened Tuesday.

Jack Harrington, co-owner of the Newport architectural firm Harrington Booth Associates, and his wife Andi welcomed twin sons, John Joseph Harrington IV and Robert Franklin Harrington. The twins arrived in the midst of their parents’ wedding at the Infinity Newport Hotel where their mother is the general manager. The hotel, which opened in December, was designed and built by Harrington Booth Associates.

“We thought we were just having a wedding, but I guess the babies didn’t want to miss it,” said Jamie Booth, Mr. Harrington’s business partner and brother-in-law. Mr. Booth is married to Mr. Harrington’s sister, Frannie. The Booths are also the parents of twins, one-year-old Owen and Olivia. “Andi and the babies are doing great,” Mr. Booth reported.

The new twins are the grandsons of John and Madeline Harrington of Greenwich, Conn., Betty Franklin of Chicago, Ill., and the late Robert Franklin. They join sisters Jill, Kate, and Maggie, and a brother, Eric.

Clare read it a second time. It was still so hard to believe that Jack was now married to someone else and had twin babies with her—twin sons, no less. And it was splashed all over the news. Anyone who didn’t already know she and Jack had recently gotten divorced did now.

Knowing how much her daughters loved babies, she could imagine their delight with their new brothers. No doubt she would hear all about it when they came to visit. Thinking back to the girls being born brought a smile to Clare’s face. Jill had just turned nineteen and was beginning her sophomore year at Brown University in Providence. Kate would be eighteen in November, and they had agreed to let her go to Nashville for a year after her birthday to pursue a career in country music. And Clare’s “baby,” Maggie, would be thirteen in December.

Clare reached over to the table next to the sofa to pick up the book Frannie had left. She had spent a few days working up the courage to look at it, and now the curiosity was overwhelming. Opening the book, she flipped to the first page, taking comfort in the familiarity of Frannie’s precise penmanship. The first item was dated June 20.

It’s late and the girls are finally in bed. They were wound up today—the last day of school. We now have an 11th grader, a 10th grader, and a 4th grader. I’m thrilled to see them excited and happy for a change. It’s been a while.

July 26

Jack sits by Clare’s bedside hour after hour, day after day. He talks to her until he’s hoarse and weak with fatigue. I look at him and wonder how he’ll ever live without her. But he’s not ready to think about that. I don’t know if he’ll ever be.