Andi’s eyes peeled open, and she glanced around.
“We’re at my friend Maddox’s house. You’re gonna play with his daughter while I unpack and then come over to our house later, okay?”
Her eyes scanned the SUV, and then she nodded.
I turned back in my seat and saw the main door swing open, Maddox came out, waving. He was wearing a faded SF Giants hoodie that seemed almost offensively casual for someone whose IQ was higher than 99.9% of the population and who had an obscene amount of zeroes in his bank account. He looked so unassuming and just like the ten-year-old I remembered.
I cut the ignition and got out, Maddox was already making his way down the driveway. He clapped me on the back. “You look good.”
“Thanks, man. You too.”
“Hi!” Joey was out of the booster and climbing down from the seat as she waved brightly.
Andi remained in her seat and silent. I helped her get out and helped her down.
“Joey, Andi, this is my friend, Mr. Cruz.”
“Just Maddox.”
I herded the girls up the path, which was lined with meticulously pruned succulents and two gorgeous golden retrievers met us at the door, tails wagging so hard their whole bodies vibrated.
“This is Honey and Dolly.”
Maddox’s daughter appeared from around the corner and he made introductions. “Hannah this is Joey, Andi, and my friend Adam.”
“Hi!” Hannah smiled widely then asked, “Do you guys want to play outside?”
The girls looked up at me, clearly wanting permission. I nodded.
“Yes!” Joey agreed for both of them.
The trio of giggling girls took off racing towards the back of the house with the dogs trailing after them.
Inside smelled like sunlight and espresso and something faintly herbal. Maddox ushered me through and introduced me to his wife, Peyton, who was in the kitchen. I had never met her, but she looked exactly like she did in the photos on Maddox’s social media.
“Adam, it’s so nice to meet you!” She walked over and wrapped me in a hug. “I’m so sorry to hear about your dad.”
My dad passed away a few months ago, but that had nothing to do with why I was in town. Or it sort of did. I inherited the house, and I knew it was a good place to raise kids, so…
“Thanks.” I hadn’t spoken to him in nearly a decade before he passed, but I didn’t feel the need to share that with her.
“Do you want some coffee?”
“I’d love some.”
I heard more giggling, and looking out the window, I saw the girls in a garden filled with a patchwork of flowers and lemon trees. I watched as Joey climbed the playhouse ladder two rungs at a time and Andi inspected every plant. The girls truly couldn’t be more different. But it seemed like they were both getting along with Hannah, so, for the first time in days, I felt a little something like hope.
“Here you go.” She handed me a cup of espresso.
“Thanks.” I took a sip, and the flavor lit up my senses. “This is so much better than the sludge I’ve been drinking on the road.”
“So twins, huh?” Maddox leaned against the counter. “That’s…new.”
I hadn’t planned on sharing how I’d learned about the girls, but when I opened my mouth, maybe because of stress, or notsleeping, or not being able to talk about it with anyone, it all just sort of spilled out. “Yeah, about a week ago, I got an email from a woman named Maureen Hicks saying she was the mother of Jasmine Hicks and she attached a photo. The name seemed familiar and so did the woman in the photo.
“She went on to explain that her daughter and I had a short relationship when she was in Australia, where I was stationed, six years ago. Jasmine was there working on her dissertation on the role of new renewable energy technologies in the marine environment. She said that she came home that summer and discovered she was pregnant.” I motioned outside. “Andrea and Josephine were born five months after she arrived back in the states. Their mom, Jasmine, raised them alone for three years before she died in a car accident. Maureen took custody of the girls and said that she was so focused on raising them, she ignored some symptoms she’d been having for about a year. Then, two weeks ago, she passed out and woke up in the ICU. The doctors told her she had an inoperable brain tumor with weeks, not months, left. She reached out to me because there was no one else.”
“Luckily, I was already retiring, so the timing was good. I had my life packed up and had already sold my house. I sent the moving truck here last week and drove to San Antonio to pick the girls up. I got there two days before Maureen passed and then stayed with the girls until after the funeral before heading here.”
