Page 79 of Going All In

I sit up straight, pulling the covers to my armpits. “She’swhat?”How did I not know this? She’s in a different county, so obviously she wouldn’t be on my list of foster parents, but it’s never come up in conversation.

Maddox nods sheepishly. “I can’t believe we never talked about this. I think I was so wrapped up in you and me that I didn’t even think to tell you about our family. Or maybe I’ve just shared so much with you that I forgot that I hadn’t told you already. All of us were adopted from the foster system. Addie, Josefina, and me. Addie and I when we were about three or four. Josie when she was closer to nine. Didn’t you wonder why I have one redheaded sister and a Mexican sister?”

I guess I hadn’t really noticed, honestly. I’m used to blended families, so it doesn’t stand out, and I just thought Josie was more tan than Addie. I figured she had their dad’s coloring.

And no one told me her real name was Josefina.

It all starts to make a little more sense now, the things I didn’t pick up on earlier. Why there aren’t any pictures of any of the Anderson kids before about age three or four. Why there are periods of time without any photos, because you’re not allowed to share pictures of foster kids who are still in the system. How Judy can manage conflict without batting an eye or raising her voice.

Maddox is sitting up now, too. “She still takes in kids, mostly emergency short-term placements. She hasn’t had one in a while, probably because she’s been busy with your dad. But if there’s a kid in need, she’d be the first to open her home to him. Ask her.”

I’m still searching for words as Maddox takes out his phone and calls someone.

“Hey, Mom. Sorry to bother you. I’m with Holly. You know she’s a caseworker with DHS in Philadelphia, right? Anyway, she wanted to talk with you about something. Hang on.” He holds the phone out to me.

My eyes are wide as I scrape my jaw off the floor and take the phone from Maddox. “Hi, Judy? I’m so sorry to bother you on your wedding night. I want to talk to you about a little guy named Julio.”

27

HOLLY

Neither Maddox nor I brought extra clothes, so we do the walk of shame in our crumpled clothes from last night.

Except for my underwear. Maddox still won’t give that back.

He got a ride here with his sister, so he drives my car carefully back to the city. The snow blankets everything in a silent wonderland, but the plows have been out all night, so the roads aren’t too bad. He even manages to find street parking and parallel parks my little Corolla like an expert right in front of my building.

I’m never moving my car. I’ll never find a parking spot this close again. Rideshares and buses it is from now on.

Maddox follows me as I walk into the lobby, kicking snow off my ballet slippers and trying to thaw my toes.

“Aren’t you going home?” I ask, confused. I mean, I want him here. I’d want to be with him all the time if I could.

Maybe not when he’s picking his toe jam. But all the other times, definitely.

And don’t tell me he doesn’t do that. All men do, according to JJ, and she knows a lot of men.

“Not yet,” he says, following me into the elevator.

This might be the first time I’ve brought a man home. JJ will have a field day, what with our rumpled clothes and my obvious sex hair.

I push the key into the lock and turn it, then shove with my hip to open the door.

My jaw falls open.

Maddox steps inside the apartment, coming to stand next to me as he closes the door behind us.

“Merry Christmas!” JJ hops out from her bedroom, dressed like an elf.

“JJ?” I ask. “Did you do all of this?” She doesn’t even celebrate Christmas, other than when I’ve dragged her to my dad’s house. Usually, we follow her Jewish heritage and get Chinese food on Christmas Eve.

She shrugs, the bell on her elf hat jingling. “Well, I did. But it was all Maddox’s idea.”

“Just some Christmas magic for you, babe,” he murmurs in my ear.

Itismagic. There’s a tree in one corner, filled with lights that blink on and off in all different colors, and candy canes hang from the branches. There’s tinsel on everything, and more Christmas lights are strung around the room. There are snowflake stickers on the windows.

Under the tree, there’s one present wrapped in a small box.

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