I pictured Lily’s dirt-covered hands, planting marigolds beside the fence, whispering to them like they were magic.
Their soft, synchronized “goodnights.”
Jenna had seen all of that—and only saw a burden.
I gripped the steering wheel, my jaw tight, my chest aching.
This wasn’t going to be a fight.
This was the end.
I drove around for a while, picked up pizza, and walked back into the house like nothing had happened.
“Hey, honey! I’m home.”
Jenna rushed over, smiling, kissing me like everything was normal. She smelled like coconut and lies.
That night, after the girls were asleep, I sighed.
“Jenna… maybe you were right, babe.”
“About what?”
“About the girls. Maybe… maybe I can’t do this. Maybe I should give them up. Maybe we should find a family who will take care of them. They need a mother… not us… we’re substitutes, nothing more.”
Her eyes lit up.
“Oh, sweetheart,” she said. “That’s the mature thing to do. It’s the right thing for all of us.”
“Yes, Jen. And maybe… we shouldn’t wait on our wedding. Losing my mom made me realize that we don’t have time to waste. So let’s just do it. Let’s get married!”
“Are you serious, James?”
“I am. I really am.”
“Oh my goodness! Yes, James! Let’s do it. This weekend — small, simple, whatever we want.”
I shook my head.
“No, let’s do it bigger. Let’s invite everyone! And make it a fresh start for us, honey. Your family, my mom’s friends, the neighbors, colleagues… everyone!”
Her smile widened beyond reason.
The next morning, she was calling florists before brushing her teeth.
She booked a ballroom. Posted online: “Our forever starts now. James & Jenna, forever.”
Meanwhile, I made my own calls.
And I made a promise to my sisters.
The ballroom sparkled—white linens, floating candles, everything Jenna loved.
She stood glowing in her lace dress, greeting guests, fixing Lily’s bow, brushing Maya’s hair.
“You girls look perfect,” she said.
Maya glanced at me.
I nodded.
When Jenna raised the mic—
“Thank you all for coming! Tonight, we’re celebrating love, family, and —”
I stepped forward.
“Actually, babe, I’ll take it from here.”
Her smile faltered.
I pulled out a small remote.
“We’re not just here to celebrate a wedding,” I said. “We’re here to reveal who we really are.”
The screen lit up.
Her voice echoed through the room:
“The house? The insurance money? It should be for us! I just need James to wake up and smell the coffee… and put my name on the deed. And after that, I don’t really care what happens to those girls. I’ll make their lives miserable until he gives in. And then this naïve man will think it was his idea all along.”
Gasps filled the room.
I played more.
“Don’t cry, Maya… You need to grow up before you keep writing your silly stories in them.”
“But we don’t want to leave… He’s the best brother in the world.”
Jenna panicked.
“That’s not — James, that’s out of context!”
“I heard everything.”
“You can’t do this to me!”
“I just did… and anyway, you did it to yourself.”
Security stepped in.
“James, you’re ruining my life!”
“You were going to ruin theirs.”
A week later, the adoption was finalized.
Maya cried quietly.
“We won’t be separated now,” Lily said.
That night, we made spaghetti.
“Can we light a candle for Mommy?” Maya asked.
“Of course.”
Later, Lily leaned into me.
“We knew you’d choose us.”
I couldn’t speak.
I just cried.
And they held onto me.
We were safe.
We were real.
And we were home.
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