Page 41 of The Twins

“I love you more.”

“Is this the normal dynamic for the support group?” A newcomer whispers loudly a few seats away.

Jodie snickers, leaning forward in her seat to answer them, “Nah, proposals aren’t common. But growth, peace, fellowship? That’s always the goal.”

Our families surround us with congratulations, very firm back slaps, and a death grip on my balls from her mother warning me not to fuck it up. Tovah stands to the side, giving everyone else a chance. After it’s died down a bit, she steps over to me, facing me head on. We stare at one another for several long seconds before we smirk at the same time.

“Impending matrimony looks good on you, brother.”

“Domestic bliss looks good on you.” We move in unison, our arms banding around the other in a tight hug. For all the shit we give each other, Tovah is my other half in so many ways. When you’ve shared a womb, a strong bond is formed, sure, but our relationship goes so much deeper than that. Until Vandy, I didn’t think there was anyone on the planet that understood me as well as Tov. Our parents do the best they can, but Tov and I are just wired differently. I will always stand between Arlo, Vandy and the big bad world. But I do not fear the future, I do not fear death, because I know that Tovah will take care of my family, competently and completely.

We clear our throat as the tender moment stretches awkwardly. Taking a giant step backward, we put space between us. I glance at my side, noticing our parents and Vandy watching us with sappy grins.

Tovah rolls her eyes with a grunt. “My dick is still bigger than yours.” My head tips back and I laugh hard. I wipe away the gathered moisture from my eyes with a shit-eating smirk.

“I know.”

“Well, good,” she begins. “As long as you know. Good day, sir.” She speed-walks across the meeting room and right into her husband’s open arms. He and I exchange a chin nod. Masud is a good man. I’m still pissed Yakov didn’t tell me, but I also know with absolute certainty that if Masud was a schmuck, Yak wouldn’t have let him anywhere near my sister, let alone marry her. I don’t know what’s in store for them, but I pray they enjoy a long and happy life together, just like me and Vandy.

I hold out my hand for her and she happily skips over to me to take it. I love how my hand dwarfs hers. How my body hides her when I bring her into my chest for me to hold. How my heart beats fast and furious whenever she’s nearby.

I’d never tell her, but Tovah’s assessment isn’t entirely correct. It isn’t impending matrimony that looks good on me. I always thought loving someone meant losing a part of yourself, changing who you are to please them. Vandy loves me exactly as I am. And there isn’t a damn thing I would change about my woman. There is a certain freedom that comes from true, unconditional love. It is that devotion that changes you. Urges you to grow into who you are meant to be.

“Thank you.” I whisper into the top of her head. She hums, snuggling closer somehow.

“You don’t have to thank me.” She responds, knowing exactly what I’m thankful for without having to tell her. She gets me. “Loving you is like the autonomic nervous system. No conscious thought, it just happens because it’s supposed to. Loving you takes no effort, Tev, it just happens because it’s supposed to.”

I growl playfully, digging my fingertips into her sides. “I love it when you talk nurse to me.”

She rears back, surprising me. Her eyes alight with something dirty. I’m intrigued. She presses the back of her hand to my forehead. “Oh, my. I think you might have a fever. We should stop at the store on the way home…I’m gonna need an English cucumber to check it properly.”

I’m not even going to question how my sister heard her from 20 feet away. “Better get the American cucumber for an accurate reading!”

Vandy 30.

I twist my hand this way and that, admiring the giant ring on my finger. After group, we came back to the family compound to celebrate. Devorah outdid herself with dinner tonight. That woman is a miracle worker.

The best part was her forcing Tovah into the kitchen to help. She said she could finally claim Tovah as her daughter-in-law openly, she can start teaching her all the ways to please her man…gastronomically speaking. Masud blushed so hard and slapped his hand over Tovah’s mouth before she could respond to the lovely older house manager. I had no idea how close Devorah and Masud were, but I’m glad that he had her in his life. It must have been so hard to live such a harrowing childhood, then relocate across the world with people he didn’t know. My soon to be sister-in-law is lethally scary, but she’s got a soft, squishy middle…that I will never point out to her because I do not wish to die.

Especially now that I’m engaged to Tevye. It’s amazing how you’re moving along in life, thinking you’re happy and content and then BAM! A big behemoth of a grouch walks into your life with a giggly little boy and it hits you that you never knew true happiness until them.

And now I get to experience it every day for the rest of my life.

“It’s weird having The Pharaoh at the family dinner table,” Jonah states too loudly not to be heard by the entire dining room.

His sister Sophie smacks him in the back of the head, while his wife Harper holds his hands down so he can’t retaliate. “What’s weird is you still calling him ‘The Pharaoh’. Masud. It ain’t hard, dude.”

“Whatever,” Jonah says, rolling his eyes. “All I’m saying is, you watch a guy utterly and completely decimate an enemy or two, passing him the salt and pepper at the dinner table is weird.”

Tovah snorts, “You think that’s weird? Let me describe in detail how he decimated my pussy—” The aunts and uncles and my in-laws throw food at her while Masud kisses her to shut her up. Meanwhile, I’m giggling as the dinner table devolves into chaos.

Tevye lifts an empty plate and uses it to block us from getting pelted with food. He steals a quick kiss. “Let’s elope. And move. Far, far away. I heard Finland is like the happiest place on earth.”

“I thought that was Disneyland?”

“Too expensive. And you have to wear those fucking ears. Ain’t my scene.”

“But Finland is?”

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