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Prologue
“I’m going to get you, my little rabbit,” Nate shouts from behind a tree. I have a good hiding place this time, but they have always been able to find me. “Cal, you check over by the pool, and I’ll check the treehouse,” Nate calls out to his twin. I snicker quietly as they are both heading in the wrong direction, then wait a few more seconds before slowly sliding around the trunk of the tree. I don’t see anything, so I make a mad dash to the pool chair that is our safe base. Arms wrap around me before I make it three steps.
“Ah, put me down, you big oaf,” I yell with a giggle.
“I got her brother,” Cal shouts to Nate and I roll my eyes. I should have known they were tricking me. This isn’t the first time they have pulled this.
“You guys seriously suck. I don’t want to play this game with you anymore,” I say with a pout. Cal sets me down and pulls me into a hug.
“You don’t mean that, Pay. You love playing with us.” Nate gets closer and I can’t help but smile as he hugs me too. These guys are my best friends and my whole world. Since the age of two, we have been inseparable. Or, at least, that’s what I’m told.
“Patience, boys, dinner time,” my nanny, Alla, yells. Cal's stomach growls and I giggle as he lets me go. Nate backs away and gets ready to race.
“Last one there has to eat all the vegetables,” Nate shouts before shooting off like a rocket.
“Oh, no you don’t,” I shout back, chasing after them. I hate veggies.
* * *
“So how wasyour day today, PJ?” my dad asks as he tucks me into bed. I give him a big smile, telling him all about playing with the twins and then going to my music class. He sits down beside me on top of the covers and listens. I love these times. He works a lot and my mom is always running some event for charity, so I’m usually left here with Alla. But he tries to tuck me in every night, and sometimes he will hum me a song. I know being twelve now, it may seem childish, but I live for these moments. I hope they never end.
A phone rings from his pocket and he sighs, giving me a sorry look. I roll my eyes and he kisses my forehead before pulling out the small silver device and reading a text. He sits up straight and his face turns white.
“Are you okay, Daddy?” I ask, and as he pulls me into a tight hug, his hands are shaking.
“Yes, baby. Just some work things.” He tries to wave it away, but I can see the worry in his eyes. I lie back on my pillow and he lays beside me. “Did I ever tell you about the day your mom told me I was going to be a dad?” He runs his fingers through my messy brown hair and I sigh. I shake my head no and he kisses my forehead again.
“We had just finished our sophomore year at Stonewall, and your Uncle Nixen decided that a trip to the lake was in order. We had been studying really hard, and a relaxing week on the water sounded great. But when we arrived, it turned out to be a shack in the woods. The look on your mom’s face was priceless.” He stops and laughs, and I glance up at him.
“Daddy, is this the lake that we go to sometimes?” He nods and I listen as he talks.
“Yes, but this was before we built the big house. It was just a two-bedroom shack on the water. The moment we unlocked the front door, your mother took off like a bullet and raced to the bigger bedroom, claiming it before Nix or Cami could. When your uncle started to argue with her, she looked him straight in the eye and said, ‘I need the bigger bed’, then turned to me and said, ‘I’m pregnant’.
“At first, I was in shock, but then she gave me the biggest smile and I melted. I knew I loved your mom from the first day of high school. I knew that I would marry her someday, and she would give me tons of babies.” He pauses and turns to face me.
“Your mom wasn’t always distant. She used to be so much fun, full of smiles and laughter. She was my best friend. I miss that girl, but I want you to know, Patience, that she loves you more than anything in this world, and I need you to promise me something, princess.” He looks so serious right now, and his eyes are glazed as if he’s trying not to cry. I nod and he squeezes me tighter in his arms. “Take good care of her. If, for any reason, I’m not around. I need to know that she won’t be alone. Either of my girls.”
“I don’t understand… Why wouldn’t you be here? Where are you going?” I start to panic, but he just sighs.
“I’m not going anywhere, baby. Except for the office. I have to go handle something. I love you, Patience James. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Don’t ever forget that, baby girl. Get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” I nod and cuddle down into the blankets with my favorite stuffed rabbit that the twins got me. He climbs off the bed and walks to the door.
“Night, Daddy. I love you too,” I say with a tired smile. He looks at me once more and wipes a tear from his eye. I frown, but he leaves my room the next moment.
* * *
“Poor darling.How are we going to tell her?” Voices reach my ears, pulling me from a fun dream about swimming with the twins at the lake. Someone is talking outside my bedroom door, but the sky outside is still dark.
“Just let her sleep, Alla. It can wait until the morning. Let her dream, once she wakes it will be a nightmare.” I listen for more, but they walk away.
I quietly climb out of my bed and look out the window toward the twins’ room. Their light is on and they are crying, holding each other on Cal’s bed. I grab my flashlight from the floor and flash it into their window.
Cal notices and climbs off the mattress, walking over to the window. He has a scowl on his face, and shakes his head, closing the curtain. I gasp and take a step back. They never close their curtains. Rushing to my bedside table, I grab my walkie-talkie that’s paired with theirs.
“Cal, Nate, are you there?” I call out to them, but no one answers. “What is going on?” I wait a few more minutes, then slip on some flip-flops and a yellow raincoat. I quietly open my bedroom door and rush down the hall to the kitchen staircase. No one is around and I’m thankful. My dad would be so upset if he caught me awake at this hour, but the twins need me. I just know it somehow. Something bad has happened.
Someone is crying in the living room, but I don’t have time to investigate. I need to get to my boys. I gently push the screen aside and race over to the twins' bedroom porch stairs. I don’t hide my footsteps as I stomp up the steps to the door. I knock and no one comes.
I can hear their whispers. “I can’t, Cal. I can’t do this,” Nate cries. What is going on right now?
