Page 95 of State of Retribution

Sam itched to be in the middle of that but would do what she could from home.After ending the call, she stood and stretched and then went to wake up the twins to get them dressed, fed and off to school.Normally, this was one of her favorite parts of the day, as the twins were always adorable and entertaining.Today, she struggled to stay focused on them with her brain spinning in a thousand other directions.

“Are you sad, Sam?”Aubrey asked as she ate the French toast sticks Sam had made for them.

Surprised by the question, Sam forced a smile.“No, I’m fine.Why do you ask?”

“You’re not teasing us like you usually do.”

Was there anyone more observant than a six-year-old?Not that she’d ever seen.“I’m sorry, sweetie.I’m just thinking about what I’ve got to do today when I should be completely focused on you guys.”

“That’s okay.We know you’re super busy.”

Sam brought her mug of coffee with her to sit with them at the table.“I’m never, ever, ever too busy for you guys.I hope you know that.”

“We do,” Alden said.“You and Nick have the biggest jobs ever.”

“That might be true, but you guys and Scotty and Eli are the most important people in our lives.”

“We know that,” Alden said.

“I heard you had a rough day yesterday,” Sam said to Aubrey.“Are you feeling a little better this morning?”

She shrugged.“I guess.I’m still scared of something bad happening.”

“I used to worry about that, too.You remember me telling you that my dad was a police officer, too, right?”

“Grandpa Skip?”Aubrey said.

“Yes, that’s him.”Sam was sad that the twins hadn’t gotten the chance to know him—and vice versa.He’d have been delighted with them.“When I was a little girl, I used to worry about him getting hurt at work, but you know what he told me?”

“What?”she asked.

“That something like that was completely out of my control, and the only thing I’d accomplish by worrying about something that was most likely not going to happen was to make myself sick.That helped me.I hope it helps you, too.”

“It does.”

“Do you understand what it means to not have any control over something?”

“I think so.It means I can’t do anything about it.”

“Exactly, which means you shouldn’t worry about it for that very reason.You guys know all too well that bad things can happen.But the bad things are rare, even if it seems like that isn’t true sometimes.”

The twins exchanged glances that had Sam wondering what was going on.

“What does it mean to be adopted?”Alden asked.

“Where did you hear that word?”

“I heard Nick talking on the phone to Elijah,” Alden said.

“We were going to talk to you guys about that when we had more information, but Nick and I would like to adopt you two and Eli to make you legally our family.”

“Oh.”Aubrey’s little brows furrowed the way they did when she was thinking about something.“Aren’t we already your family?”

“Of course you are, but this makes it official and legal.”

“What does that mean?”Aubrey asked.

“Our lawyer Andy will file papers with a judge, who then makes a ruling that says you and Eli are officially our family.It’s really a formality.Do you know what that means?”

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