MIA
It’s beena week since everything changed. A week of waking up in my own bed without the panic that used to greet me every morning. The bruises on my arms have faded, the twins no longer jump at every unexpected sound, and for the first time in years, I’m heading back to the hospital for a regular shift. No more secret phone calls or leaving early to hide from Jason.
He’s still in the hospital himself, barely hanging on after everything that went down. I don’t waste energy thinking about him anymore. I focus on what’s here and now. Damon, Asher, and Zane are my future now. One I look forward to waking up to every day.
But something has been bothering me. We’ve been sneaking around behind the girls’ back, trying to protect them from…I don’t even know what. I know in my heart that the three men would never hurt the girls. And even though the girls are young, they deserve to understand what’s going on. If they’re uncomfortable in any way, no matter how hard this is for me, I’ll walk away from it all.
The twins giggle around the breakfast table as I tidy up, preparing for work. It’s normal, and it fills me with a warmth I didn’t know I could feel again.
I slip on my scrubs, gather my hair into a neat ponytail, then glance at the clock. “Girls,” I call, moving into the living room. Emma and Ella are sprawled on the rug, coloring pictures of cartoon superheroes.
They look up in unison, wide-eyed. “Are we leaving again?” Emma asks, a hint of fear creeping into her voice.
“No, sweetie,” I say, crossing the room to kneel beside them. “We’re home for good now. But I do need to tell you something important before I go to work.”
Ella’s little brow furrows. “Is it bad news?”
I smile softly, shaking my head. “Not bad. Maybe... unexpected. But good, I think.”
They both watch me closely, crayons forgotten. My heart thumps. I take a slow breath. “It’s about Secret Agent Damon,” I say.
Emma’s eyes widen, and Ella sits up straighter. They adore Damon almost as much as I do.
I clear my throat, suddenly nervous. “He’s actually your father.”
Silence. My breath catches. I brace for confusion or tears, but the twins just exchange a look like they’re sharing a secret.
Ella tilts her head. “Oh.”
“Oh?” I blink at them. “That’s all you have to say?”
Emma shrugs. “I kinda thought so.”
I stare. “You did?”
She nods, swinging her legs. “He looks like us.”
Ella frowns. “And he always acts kinda dad-ish.”
My lips part in shock. I had spent so much time worrying about how to tell them, wondering how they’d react, and they had already put the pieces together on their own.
Emma leans in conspiratorially. “But you still like Agent Zane and Agent Asher, too, right?”
Heat floods my face, and I laugh despite myself. “Yes, sweetheart. I do.”
Ella grins. “Okay. So are we gonna call Secret Agent Damon Dad now?”
“You can call him whatever feels right to you.”
Emma bounces excitedly. “I think I wanna call him Dad!”
Ella nods. “Me too.”
My throat tightens at the sheer sweetness of it. “If you want to,” I whisper, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes. “I think he’d like that.”
“But Zane and Asher won’t mind, would they?” Ella says. “I don’t want them to feel left out.”
“I think we can come up with another name for them so they feel included,” I say.
