AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m not, because I ceased getting angry about it a long time ago. I am envious of this family, their obvious happiness, their money, and their shared history, but not to the extent that I begrudge them it.
The first photo is of two newborns, lying side by side on a mat, screwing their noses up at the camera. In the next, they’re a few weeks old, then a few months, and as I turn the pages they gradually age, from toddlers to preschoolers to school age. They’re recognizable from about the age of six or seven, and by the time I get to the teenage pictures, it’s clearly the twins, although I can’t tell one from the other yet.
There are holiday snaps taken in exotic places—some relatively local like Fiji and Rarotonga, at obviously expensive resorts—and others further abroad. The twins holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Standing outside the Tower of London. Looking up at the Eiffel Tower. Swimming in the sea in a place that I think must be the south of France. There are birthday parties, pictures taken with friends and family, with dogs and cats who are probably long gone.
“Aw,” Saxon says when I show him one of him and Kip draped over a big boxer dog. “That’s Napoleon. He was gorgeous.”
“And what’s happening in this one?” I grin and show him a photo of one twin spraying the other with a hose.
He laughs. “That was me. Kip had beaten me in the 1500 meters at school earlier that day and I was fuming, so I soaked him.”
I chuckle. “Were you very competitive?”
“No,” Saxon and Kip say together, and the rest of the family laughs.
I look at the last few photos, close the album, and smile at Mae. “Weren’t you worried you’d have more twins when you got pregnant again?”
“Definitely,” she says. “Mind you, Damon was as much trouble as Saxon and Kip put together.”
Damon gives her a wry look, and I laugh. “Really?”
“Oh yeah,” she says. “Twice as naughty.”
He grins and flicks his eyebrows up, and I giggle. Then I get to my feet and say to Mae, “Can I use your bathroom, please? I think the twins are tap dancing on my bladder.”
She laughs. “Of course. Come on, I’ll show you where it is.”
She takes me inside the house and along the corridor to the bathroom. I’m just about to go in when she says, “Catie…” I stop and turn, and she smiles at me. “I just wanted to say I’m so pleased that you ended up at Kingpinz. Saxon has been unbearable for the past few months since he lost you, and he’s like a new man now.”
I blush. “Oh. That’s nice.”
“He loves you very much.”
I blush even more. Jeez, we hardly know each other. We certainly haven’t said anything like that to each other yet. But I appreciate the sentiment, and mumble, “Okay, I’ll just go…” and she nods and says, “I’ll see you back outside.”
I go into the bathroom, which is bigger than my old apartment, and when I’m done I walk slowly back through the house.
Saxon has been unbearable for the past few months since he lost you, and he’s like a new man now. He loves you very much.They’re lovely things to say, although I’m not sure I believe them. I rest my hand on my bump, thinking about the boys as I walk. They’re going to have a very different upbringing from me. Even if Saxon and I don’t work out, he’s going to want to play a part in their lives, which means they’ll have money, no doubt, while they’re growing up. How will I handle that? How do I make sure it doesn’t turn them into greedy or spoiled children?
Sighing, I go outside and sit back in my chair. I glance around—everyone’s exchanging glances, trying not to laugh.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
Kennedy, sitting just down from me, says, “Nothing. Could you give this to Saxon, please?” She passes me a glass of lemonade.
Puzzled, I take it and look at Saxon. He’s wearing an All Blacks shirt again today. He meets my eyes and smiles, holding his hand out for the drink.
I hesitate though, and glance at Kip. He’s wearing a light-blue tee, and he’s leaning back in his chair, hands in his lap, fingers linked. Behind his rectangular glasses, his eyes dance as they meet mine.
My lips curve up. “Give Kip his glasses and T-shirt back,” I scold, leaning forward to pass him the glass. Saxon laughs, and everyone breaks out into a cheer.
“Told you,” he says to the others, getting to his feet. He grabs a handful of the tee behind his neck and yanks it off, and switches it with the All Blacks shirt that Kip now removes.
“You’re a wicked pair,” I say. “What would have happened if I hadn’t been able to tell?”
“Ah, I knew you could.” Saxon sits beside me.
“I’m glad I passed the test,” I say, a little tartly.
