I grabbed my phone from the floor and checked the time: 8:50 A.M.
"Room service starts at nine. Can you wait ten minutes?"
Anna rolled her eyes with impressive exasperation and marched to the bathroom. I looked at Aurora, who was still sitting quietly on the bed.
So similar, yet so different.
"Is your sister always this irritable?" I asked.
She just blinked at me, silent.
My phone buzzed with a series of messages. When I saw they were from Janet, I opened them immediately.
JANET:
I've contacted the acting agency.
They're sending over a few candidates who fit the profile, and I'll be conducting interviews starting at 10 a.m.
The story has already hit other outlets.
Do not leave that room until I get there.
On a separate note, I've hired that excellent, discreet private investigator I've used before. If anyone can track down Eleanor, he can.
Also, your secretary mentioned the Spanish translator you hired is in room 231.
Call her.
Tell her you won't need her this morning and, preferably, that she should stay in her room. If the press finds out you hired her, they'll be all over her.
Sit tight. I'll be there by lunch with the new mother of your children.
Mother ofmy children...
Since it still felt surreal to accept I was a father, I thought maybe I should talk to my younger brother about it.
Michael had gone through a vaguely similar situation almost a year ago. He’d discovered he had a daughter and, after the mother passed away, entered a legal battle with the maternal grandparents for custody.
The youngest Turner brother used to be the family's irresponsible one, but fatherhood had completely changed him. I, on the other hand, was plagued by an excess of responsibility. So, accepting the whole "father of two" thing should have been easier for me.
As if summoned by my thoughts, Michael’s name flashed on my phone screen. It was strange for him to call so early on a Saturday.
“Holy shit, Logan. What the hell did you get yourself into?” he asked immediately, confirming the news had already reached him.
When in my entire life had I ever imagined hearing that question from myyoungerbrother? That was usually my line with him.
“Did Janet tell you?” I asked.
“What? Janet knows? I heard from Mom. She’s been getting calls from reporters nonstop since last night. She said she’s been texting you, and you’re not answering. But that part isn’t exactly news, is it? She decided not to call because she knows you’re at a conference, but I don’t give a damn if I’m disturbing your work. We’re your family. We need to know what’s going on.”
As if I didn't have enough on my plate, now I was getting a lecture from Michael. This felt like a parallel universe.
“What exactly are they saying? I haven't had the courage to look.”
“That you have five-year-old twin daughters. And there’s endless speculation about who the mother is. Is it true? Do these girls exist? Who is she, anyway?”
I glanced at Aurora, who was still watching me curiously. I turned my back and walked to the far corner of the room, lowering my voice.
