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Beatrice shook her head again. Her cries were getting louder, and he pulled her into a hug.

Agnes then sniffed and burst into tears too.

I was entirely baffled, but I hurried over to help. I had one twin and Gabe had the other. While we held them, we met each other’s eyes. We had no idea what this was about.

Agnes finally spoke. “We’re leaving, aren’t we?” She asked it in a quiet voice. It was so muffled by my shirt that I almost missed it.

“Leaving?” I repeated so he could hear. “Where did you get that idea from?”

“You both are acting weird and you keep looking at each other.”

“I don’t wanna go to the fancy school!” Beatrice yelled. “Don’t make me!”

“Please!” Agnes gripped me tighter. “I like it here! I like Jade! I wanna be here.”

My gaze snapped up to Gabe’s. His eyes were wide, and I had no doubt he was realizing just how close he’d come to making a terrible decision for the two of them.

He would hold the guilt of wanting to leave for a very long time, both for me and for Agnes and Beatrice. Later, when it was just the two of us, I’d pull him into my arms and tell him that we would work on this together, that he could feel guilty, but we’d be okay. The girls would too, eventually.

“Don’t do it, Daddy.” Beatrice’s voice was small and she curled into Gabe. “Don’t make us leave.”

“I’m not,” he rushed to say. “We’re not leaving. I promise.”

That only made it worse. “Don’t promise!” Beatrice said.

“No! Promises don’t stay!”

“Girls,” he said. He gestured for me to bring over Agnes, and I picked her up to join him. “I know promises have been broken before, but this one won’t be. I decided this morning we were staying in Strawberry Springs. We’ll live here.”

Agnes looked up, her eyes bigger than I’d ever seen them. “Really?”

“Yes. The only reason I was quiet was because I wasn’t sure if you’d want to, but I want to live here. I really like it here.”

“Me too!” Beatrice said, pulling away. “I like my friends and my teacher! I like Jade and the playground.”

“Good,” he said with a small smile. “Then we’re here. For good.”

Both girls jumped into his arms, and I couldn’t resist the smile that spread on my face.

For once, everything felt right, and I was whole.

And judging by the look on Gabe’s face, he had the same feeling.

When my wake-up call was two screaming children jumping on me, my first thought was to make sure that I had a shirt on.

Thank God, I did.

“Good morning,” I said to Beatrice.

Next to me, Gabe groaned under Agnes.

“Is it already time for food?”

Both of them looked at us.

“Are we really staying?” Agnes asked.

“For real?” Beatrice echoed.