Page 14 of Silver Fox's Twin Babies

My heart froze. Panic flooded my system. Parker stood there with a grin on his face, wrapped up in my arms. I stared up at Evan in horror. He had a smile on his face as he looked down at us and then confusion in his eyes when he looked past me at Vera.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you had company.”

“Parker,” I said, turning my entire focus on him. “That was very unsafe.” I knew my tone was harsh, but I was upset and flustered. Evan just showing up at my house was a wild card I hadn’t expected. “You never, ever open the door unless I say you can. It could’ve been anyone.”

Parker’s face fell and he said, “I’m sorry, Mommy.” His bottom lip pouted out in a show of remorse. I squeezed him but it did little to soften the blow of my tone. All I could think about was Evan, looming over me. This boy looked exactly like his father, who didn’t know a thing about the situation.

“Go…You and Vera. Wash up for dinner.” I stood slowly and Parker walked off with his head hanging. He met Vera and turned the Xbox off. She protested, but when they both looked up at me again, she saw my face. I gestured at them then turned back to Evan, knowing they would go.

“Why are you here,” I said, and my tone hadn’t changed. The same harsh vibe I’d just given my son was now aimed at his father.

“I’m sorry, Amber. I thought I’d bring dinner and play some games. I got cheeseburgers.” Evan held up a white paper sack. In his other hand he held a deck of cards, which he showed me when I looked down at it. “If it’s a bad time, I can go.”

“Kids need nutritious meals, not junk food.” The way my heart was racing made it physically impossible for me to calm down. Evan had seen Parker. There was such a strong family resemblance, there was no way he wouldn’t guess it. Though, his face didn’t seem to show the faintest trace of curiosity. He looked more concerned and regretful than anything.

“I’ll leave. I’m sorry. I thought it would be nice.” He hung his head. “I know Jacob was there for you a lot. Erin told me. I thought since he’s down and out, maybe I could chip in and help. That’s all.”

I said nothing in response because I didn’t know what to say. He was right. This was something Jacob would have done for me out of the kindness of his heart. He was sweet like that—like my father was. Either of them would have been here in an instant with a meal and games if they knew how tired I was or how exhausting I found being a single parent at times.

Evan turned to walk away, and I looked down at the bag of food in his hand and then his slumped posture. My own fear of him finding out something I never should’ve hidden from him was what made me panic. I knew it was best if I did end up telling him, but how and when I told him, I didn’t want to leave to chance. Jacob had pushed me to reveal the secret enough times, I had actually decided that if I did it, I had to make sure Evan was capable of being a father. What better way to do that than to invite him in and see how he interacted with the twins.

“Evan, wait…” I sighed and he turned slowly. A smile spread across his face.

“I can stay?” he asked, and I rolled my eyes. It wasn’t my first choice, but a lot of good could come from it. Needless to say, it only made my anxiety swell when I nodded. But I stepped back and let him in.

Evan set the bag of food on the table and narrowed his eyes in confusion as he shed his coat. I shut and locked the door, then took his coat.

“I’m sorry. I thought you had company.” He rubbed his hands together and looked around the room again.

“What made you think that?” I asked as I hung his coat on the coat tree by the door. He stood several inches taller than me, which most of the time made me drawn to him. Tonight, it made me feel intimidated.

“I swore I saw two children here.” His eyes fixed on my face and I felt the color drain from my cheeks.

“You did…I have twins.” The knot in my throat refused to go down when I swallowed, so I swallowed a second time. Seeing the shock on his face resolve into more confusion only made things worse, especially when the kids rushed out of the bathroom with cheers.

“Yes! You got Burger Barn!” Parker was the first at the table, tearing into the bag of food. Vera trailed behind, more timid than her brother. She hugged me around the waist and looked up at Evan with large curious eyes.

“Vera, this is Mommy’s friend, Evan. Say hi…” As I coaxed, she squinted and pulled away, favoring the table with her twin over my prompts.

Dinner was awkward. Evan sat across from me and Vera and Parker bickered the entire time. She liked pickles; he hated mayo. Evan tried to pick up a conversation with them, but both were avoidant. I didn’t blame them. We never had company andthey were both shy. I tried to coax a conversation out of them too, but they just wanted to get back to their games, so they ate as fast as possible.

When we were finished, Evan cleared the trash, and I pulled out the deck of cards he set on the table before we started eating. It was a special deck for kids, which made me smile.

“Mom, can we go play Minecraft now?” Parker’s voice was a whine. I cast him a scowl and he huffed.

“We’re playing a card game with Evan tonight instead.” I started dealing and Vera scooped up her cards one at a time.

“Oh, we play this in class with flash cards. Parker’s no good though.” Her comment was nothing more than a fact, but Parker got upset with her.

“Shut up, Vera,” he hissed. He snatched his cards off the table and glowered at her. I felt embarrassed by the way they were behaving this evening. Jacob would have nipped that in the bud right away. Evan probably didn’t have the first clue what to do with kids. He’d never been married, never even serious about anyone to my knowledge. Kids were a new, uncharted territory for him.

“Why does Parker struggle?” Evan sat down across from me and started collecting his cards and Vera blurted out a truth I winced at.

“He’s dyslexic. He can’t even read.” She turned and stuck her tongue out at her brother and I snapped at her.

“Vera, that was impolite. Say you’re sorry.” This time I didn’t even feel bad for my motherly tone. These two were trying my patience and in front of company to boot.

“Sorry,” she grumbled.

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