“Daddy… why are you crying?” I froze under Sarah’s embrace as I locked eyes with one of the twins. Beside her, her sister-probably Harper or Hayden; I hadn’t really learned to differentiate them-stood with equal concern.
Sarah pulled away and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, turning to the girls. “Hey, I told you not to leave your room. Why are you still up?” She tried to sound stern, but her voice trembled.
The twins didn’t flinch. Instead, they stepped closer, their little hands clasped together. What they did next caught me off guard. Together, they wrapped their arms around my waist tightly and comfortingly.
Sarah and I exchanged surprised glances, both of us touched by the twins’ empathy.
“It’s okay, Dad,” Harper (or Hayden) said softly. “We’re here for you.”
The other twin nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we are here for you.”
I felt a lump form in my throat as I hugged them back, holding onto their bodies like they were my lifeline.
Sarah smiled warmly, her eyes shining with tears. “Nicole had a reason why she gave you the kids, Xavier. She sensed your pain.”
I looked down at the twins, seeing Damon’s smile in their faces. Guilt and grief still lingered, but for the first time, I felt a glimmer of hope.
“Thank you, girls,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “That was so nice of you.”
As we hugged, Sarah stepped back, observing us with a gentle smile.
Maybe Sarah was right: Nicole brought these children for a reason, but why bring them in a box that was a puzzle I couldn’t seem to piece together?
They pulled away, and I crouched down to their level, holding their hands in mine.
“Thanks again. Maybe I should stop denying the fact,” I said and glanced at Sarah with a smile. “They really are my miniatures.”
Sarah chuckled and teased, wiggling her eyebrows. “I told you so.”
I chuckled and turned back to the kids, my expression thoughtful. “There’s no need for a DNA test-it’s pretty clear now the twins are mine and Elizabeth isn’t. But I’ll take care of her like my own.”
“About that…” Harper or Hayden spoke up with an awkward smile as she turned to her twin. The other one nodded; it was like they were coming to a conclusion on something-one of their silent exchanges again.
“We are ready to talk now, Dad. We’ll tell you everything you need to know.”
“That’s great,” Sarah chimed in, her voice tinged with excitement as she rushed over to our side.
“We weren’t talking to you, Missy,” one of the girls said, playfully nudging Sarah’s hand away.
Sarah feigned offense, laughing. “Hey, I’m part of this conversation alright.”
I smiled, my heart swelling with gratitude for this little family I’d been given.
“Okay, girls, what do you want to tell me?” I asked, my voice filled with anticipation.
“Let’s go sit in the living room and talk like adults,” Harper (or Hayden) said with a sassy smirk as she struck a pose.
“Oh, little one, you are way too early to think you’re an adult,” Sarah snorted mockingly, and Harper or Hayden, instantly fired back.
“Don’t ruin my moment.”
I laughed, shaking my head as I stood upright. “Okay, but first, which one of you is Harper and which one is Hayden?”
“Yeah, I want to know how we can differentiate between you two,” Sarah added as she glanced at me with equal curiosity.
The girls rolled their eyes and replied flatly. “I am Harper.”
“And I am Hayden.”
“Yeah, we know your names-it’s just that we need a birthmark or something to know which one is who,” Sarah explained with emphasis as if frustrated by their similarity.
Harper (or Hayden) took a deep breath. “I am Harper. Now look at my ear.” Sarah and I leaned closer, and there was a mole beside her earlobe. Then she pointed towards the other girl. “This is Hayden, and she has no mole. Happy now?”
“They’re so sassy. I like that,” Sarah said, laughing, as she playfully ruffled Harper’s hair.
I chuckled, relieved to have a way to tell them apart. “Alright, now that we’ve settled that, let’s get to the important stuff.”
The girls nodded, leading us to the living room. We sat down, and Harper began.
“Mom had to leave to save us and herself,” Harper (I think) began, her voice steady. She glanced at Hayden before continuing. “We have a foster father who married Mom, but-”
“Wait a second, your mother remarried?” Sarah interrupted, her eyes widened in surprise. Then I began to wonder what was so surprising about that. It was obvious Elizabeth wasn’t mine, which only meant she belonged to someone else. But why bring her along with the twins? I couldn’t wrap my head around that.
I looked at Sarah, then back at the girls. I was desperate to know why she left me with the kids. Did she break up with her husband, or was it something else entirely?
“Is your mom still with that man?” I asked, intrigued and at the same time uneasy.
Hayden’s eyes locked onto mine, her expression serious. “No, Dad. Mom’s not with him anymore.”
Harper nodded in agreement. “She escaped from him.”
Sarah’s eyes widened further, her face pale. “Escaped? What do you mean?”
I felt a chill run down my spine. What kind of man had Nicole married?
“Wait, who is he? Why did she escape from him?”
Harper’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Mom said he was evil. She called him the devil many times. He hurt her and us.”
My heart sank, anger and protectiveness surging through me. How could anyone harm my family?
“Then how did you all escape?” I asked, my voice tight with tension.
Hayden’s eyes darted to Harper before responding. “Mom said she took care of him. But we had to leave…” She trailed off, then shook her head. “I didn’t really know what she did to escape from him.”
I exchanged a concerned glance with Sarah. What did Nicole mean by “took care of him”? And why did they have to leave? It seemed Sarah’s thoughts were in line with mine, as she was the one who spoke up.
“How did she take care of him? What could that mean?”
The girls shrugged, their expressions thoughtful, and it seemed they didn’t know much.
“Where did you live after leaving?” Sarah asked gently as she leaned closer, more intrigued.
Harper hesitated before answering. “From one hotel to another until she ran out of cash.”
I slumped back on the couch, reeling from everything I’d heard. Nicole, the woman I thought I knew, had been living a life I couldn’t even imagine.
“How long did you live in hotels?” Sarah asked, her voice soft and encouraging.
Harper’s eyes dropped, her voice barely above a whisper. “Months. Maybe a year. Mom was always looking over her shoulder.”
I couldn’t shake the image of Nicole, alone and scared, protecting our children.
“Did she ever say why she didn’t come to me for help?” I asked, my voice laced with regret.
Hayden shook her head. “Mom said you wouldn’t understand. She used to tell us about you all the time, though, and she said that you’d be angry.”
Sarah placed a comforting hand on my arm. “Xavier, maybe Nicole had an abusive marriage, and maybe she wanted to fight it alone.”
I nodded, trying to process this new information.
“What about Elizabeth?” I asked, uneasiness washing over me. “Why didn’t she leave her with her father?”
Harper’s expression turned somber. “Mom said she couldn’t leave Elizabeth behind with that man. She’s our sister.