It’s probably one of the few pictures they’ll have with their parents. Their mom and dad are sitting in a pumpkinpatch, each holding one of the girls. One is crying and the other is more interested in the pumpkin next to them.
“Who is this?” I ask, pointing to the crying baby.
“That’s Sadie. Dad says she cried a lot as a baby,” Sam tells me.
“You cried too!” Sadie tells her like she knows this.
I look at the picture again as the two of them walk up the stairs, bickering over who cried more. I remember meeting Marcus’s sister a few times at school. Jamie was always so kind to me. When she told me she wanted Marcus to propose to me, I almost cried.
By the time I make it upstairs, both girls are waiting in their beds in their shared room. Pink is splashed across the walls. Each twin bed has a canopy surrounding it. Bins of stuffed animals are exploding from one corner of the room. A small table sits in the window with a chess set on top of it.
It’s their personalities on display.
“Can you read us a story?” Sam asks.
I drop down onto the foot of her bed and look at both girls. “How about a different kind of story?”
“What kind?” Sadie asks. She’s holding a pink stuffed bear that looks like it has seen better days.
“You know, I met your mom.”
“You did?” Sam asks.
I nod. “I did. Remember how I told you I knew your dad in college?”
“Did you like our mom?” Sadie asks, a thoughtful look on her face.
“She was so nice to me. Nice like you two.” The two of them are eating up every word. “She was really smart too. You know what I remember her doing?”
“What?” they respond in unison.
“She liked to make fun of your dad.”
“He can be silly,” Sam says.
“Maybe that’s why he started bad joke breakfast.”
“Did you meet us as babies?” Sadie asks.
“I did. Just a few times, but you were really cute babies.”
Sam yawns, snuggling down into her bed. The comforter has butterflies all over it, while Sadie’s has rainbows. “I wish we could have a baby brother or sister.”
“Me too,” Sadie agrees. She follows her twin, snuggling down into bed.
“Well, make sure you tell your dad that.” Standing, I tuck both girls in bed and turn on the unicorn nightlight that rests on top of their dresser. “Sleep tight.”
“Will you come back, Harper?” Sam asks.
“I hope so.”
I don’t miss their excitement as I close the door and take my time heading back downstairs. All of the photos show a happy childhood for these two.
It feels like I’ve missed so much from Marcus’s life.
School pictures line the wall. Pictures of the girls with their mom and dad. Marcus playing hockey. Sam and Sadie with his mom. Zoo trips. Beach trips. The walls are filled with nothing but love.
I love that Marcus doesn’t try to hide the fact that he’s not their biological dad, even though they call him Dad. My favorite picture is at the bottom of the stairs. It’s recent, from the looks of it.
