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Twenty-Nine
DELILAH
We spent a lazy day at home, all five of us. Liam was still playing with the twins as we finally rolled in with a hot deli breakfast, and we feasted together only a few minutes after getting them fed.
As hard as it was to look them both in the eye after last night, it was fun seeing them in the fatherly roles. The guys had a surprising amount of patience for the little ones, even when they were cranky or frustrated. They each took turns dealing with both Jace and Courtney, and traded off on other duties, too. But whether it was climbing around the still-too-big swing-set or rolling a rubber ball back and forth through the grass, Liam and Julius both seemed to genuinely adore playing with their children.
What an adjustment this must’ve been for them.
I tried to imagine my best friend Corrine passing on such a responsibility to me — my whole life changing forever in the span of a few measly seconds. The ramifications were mind-boggling when you thought about it that way. It humbled me to think just how close we all were to something like that, whether we realized it or not.
Corrinne didn’t have any children yet of course, but there was always tomorrow. But if there were anyone in this universe who she’d trust with them, I knew it would be me.
Somewhere around noon the twins went down for their afternoon nap. With the house all cozy and silent, it left the three of us staring back at each other with the same tired eyes.
“Meet me in Snoozeville?” I laughed, only half-joking.
“And where would that be located?” asked Liam.
“Just past that door down there,” I pointed at my room. “About five minutes from now.”
“Done,” they both agreed, much to my surprise.
Sure enough, five minutes later we were all cuddled up in my bed. The queen-sized bed was definitely crowded with three people, but we made the most of it with the guys spooning me from either side.
“I was talking with Duncan,” I said, as we attempted to drift off. Whether or not we fell asleep, I was enjoying the relaxation. “About… Roman. And Kara.”
“How far’d you get with that?” Julius yawned.
“Not very,” I admitted.
A measure of silence passed as we stretched out in the bed. On the other side of me, Liam propped himself up on an elbow.
“You want to know what happened to them,” he said plainly. “Don’t you?”
The look in his eyes put an instant lump in my throat. Words failing, I nodded without saying anything.
“Fair enough.”
I watched as the air slowly left his lungs, leaving him somewhat deflated. Just as I was about to tell him to forget it, he inhaled deeply.
“Roman and I graduated from the flight academy together,” he began. “He stayed with it, though. Got checked out on eleven different types of aircraft, and saw all sorts of combat in the Gulf. He eventually worked his way into the test flight program, where he became a legend. He pushed every envelope, broke every record, at least until Kara announced she was pregnant.”
They were close to me now, pressed in on either side. Visions of last night came flashing back, but for the moment I pushed them away.
“Roman was thrilled,” Julius continued, taking over for his friend. “He was ready to build a family. Planned to retire this very year.”
He drove his point home by pointing a finger at the bedspread.
“That’s when Kara got sick,” he said somberly. “And everything changed.”
Somewhere outside, a cloud passed in front of the cold afternoon sun. It sent a shadow dancing across the room.
“She developed a very aggressive form of Leukemia,” Liam sniffed. “There was no warning, no catching it early. She could’ve gone through chemo in the beginning, during her first trimester, but it would’ve meant the end of the pregnancy. Instead, she held out for the children’s sake. By the time she had the twins, she was too weak to survive.”
My face was suddenly streaked with tears. I couldn’t even imagine.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
