I nod, completely floored. My family thought about me even though I’d turned my back on them. “They are so good at it. It’s amazing.”
After the introductions are over, I step back and Elise says something to Joce and Cora. They nod solemnly in return. She tells me that she asked them not to disturb Nor.
Cora grabs my hand all of a sudden and pulls me toward the living room, where a small desk stands next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. Dropping my hand, she opens the first drawer and pulls out a sketchbook and starts flipping through the pages.
She pauses and peers up at me. “Mama praises you a lot. She says you can draw like a wizard. I told her I want to be like you when I grow up.” She points at the sketch of a butterfly so similar to the one I drew a long time ago and gave to Nor on her seventeenth birthday.
Cora’s drawings are really good. Probably much better than mine were when I was her age.
“I asked her if I could keep it,” she says shyly, her ears and cheeks turning pink. “I hope I will be as good as you one day.”
“Can I see that?”
She nods. I bend down, our heads almost touching and flip through her book.
My fascination soon turns into something else. Gone is the uncertainty I felt before, replaced by admiration and pride, and a certain feeling of connection to this lovely girl who is staring at me as if I hung the moon in the sky. I raise my head and look around the room as a feeling close to kinship flows through me. Joce is still sitting with her hands folded in her lap on the couch, her gaze intense, studying me. And once again, those gray eyes leave me breathless. My heart is attaching itself to Cora and Joce. Fast.
A HAND TAPS ME SOFTLY ON my shoulder. I raise my head and meet Elise’s gaze. Gone is the smile, replaced by a grim look. Her face is pale and her bottom lip quivers slightly.
That look on her face sends chills through my blood. “Are you okay?”
She shakes her head, her gaze darting between Cora and Joce, then mouths, “We need to talk.” I follow her as she heads for the kitchen. “Your mom called. It’s Josh. He’s taken a turn for the worse. His body is shutting down faster than the doctors anticipated.” Tears fill her eyes and roll down her cheeks. “He was asking for you.”
Fuck. “I need to get to the hospital. Now.”
She nods quickly, and spares a glance over my shoulder toward the twins. “I’ll wake Nor. I can’t tell them—” She stops and swipes her palm on her cheeks.
“I’ll wait down here,” I tell her.
I start to pace, my hands clenched into fists on my side. I hope we get to the hospital on time. I notice Cora waving to catch my attention from the corner of my eye. I stop and face her.
“Is everything okay?” she signs. I glance at Joce, sitting stiffly on the couch her entire focus on me.
What the hell do I tell them? I have no idea how much they know about Josh’s condition or what Nor told them. How do I tell them that the father they have known all their lives is dying? How do I break my daughters’ hearts without destroying mine?
Taking a deep breath, I walk to the couch and gesture for Cora to join us.
I clear my throat and then reach out and take each of their hands in mine. They don’t pull away so I figure they are okay with the contact.
“Do you know why your daddy is in the hospital?” I glance at their faces to gauge their reaction.
Joce nods solemnly. “Mama says he is very sick.”
I look at Cora. Gone is the bouncy girl I met half an hour ago. Her eyes fill with tears and her bottom lip quivers as she nods.
I feel my eyes burn with suppressed tears, imagining they have lived with this knowledge for a while now.
“Grandma Maggie called. Your daddy wants to see us. All of us.”
Their tiny faces brighten immediately and I have no idea how to tell them that Josh might be asking to see us for the last time. I just can’t do it.
Unable to hold back any longer, I slip both of my arms around their waists and hug them. “I think you two are the bravest girls I’ve ever met. Keep your heads up and keep on moving,” I tell them when we pull apart.
“Daddy always says that,” Cora says, wiping her cheeks. Her gaze moves over my shoulder. “Aunt Elise, Uncle Cole says daddy wants to see us.”
I shift my body to face Elise and I see Nor trailing behind her sister, the shadows around her eyes look darker.
“Yes, he does,” Elise signs, shooting me a grateful look. “Come on, little darlings.”