Chapter 31
“Where are they?” Debbie asked, referring to her godchildren, as she entered with her purse and a bag of goodies for the little boys.
“In their rooms. They wouldn’t even watch TV with me in the living room.” Hailey shut the door after her best friend entered. Then they walked side by side away from the door.
“I knew they were going to throw tantrums. You wouldn’t believe me.” Debbie stared at Hailey as they walked toward the living room.
“What now? So I’m the bad person here?” Hailey stopped, trying to hold back tears. “I don’t know why everyone is calling me a bad person. I was almost killed! I don’t know why the kids don’t understand that I’m doing everything I can to protect them. I’ve taken care of them alone all my life. I can’t believe they’re turning their backs on me—at least, not at this young age.” Hailey sniffled, wiping her eyes.
Debbie dumped her bags on a nearby table and hugged her friend.
“You’re overthinking.”
“Enzo and Oliver refused to talk to me or eat the food I served them, and you think I’m overthinking? I’m so hurt right now.”
Debbie shook her head. “That’s not what I mean. I promise you the twins love you. They’re just overwhelmed by the situation. And I understand you’re trying to protect them, but they won’t understand that. For the first time in their lives, they experienced bonding with their dad, and they didn’t want to let go.”
“You and Ty were right. I shouldn’t have accepted that job at my grandfather’s company. If I had refused, I’d still have my peace of mind, I wouldn’t have met Cole, and my children would still love me.”
“There’s no point crying over spilled milk. Please stay calm.” Debbie squeezed Hailey’s hand. “And I promise you they don’t hate you. They’re just overwhelmed.”
“I hope so!”
“Let me check on them.” Debbie squeezed her friend’s shoulder and went to the twins’ room.
“Aunty Debbie!” Enzo cried when he saw Debbie. He sat on his bed while his twin brother, Ollie, slept on his own bed.
“My love,” Debbie went to Enzo, sat close, and hugged him. “Please don’t cry, sweetheart.” Debbie regretted her words immediately; they seemed to trigger a sensitive part of him.
It took a while, but Debbie eventually calmed Enzo. She pulled away, wiping his tears with her thumb.
“I don’t like Mommy again.”
“Don’t say that, Enzo. Your mom would be crushed to hear that.”
“She chased Daddy away.”
“How do you know that?”
“Daddy was here last night. He’s not here anymore.”
Debbie sighed, searching for the right words. “Please, don’t think that way.”
“But I want Daddy!”
“And that doesn’t mean Mommy is a bad person.”
“She is.”
“Enzo!”
“She says she loves us, but she won’t give us Daddy.”
Debbie smiled sadly, caressing his cheeks. “Your mom and I have been friends for years, and she’s one of my favorite people. She’s never treated me unfairly, and even in my next life, I’d choose her as my best friend.”
“Hailey loves you and your brother so much, and I know she’d do anything for you both. It’s just that some things are hard to understand.”
“We want Daddy to live with us. It’s simple.”
Debbie continued caressing his cheek. “If that’s going to happen, it’s going to take a while.”
“But why? We have a guest room. Daddy can share Mommy’s room, and if she’s mad at him, Daddy can share our room.”
“Daddy read us a bedtime story yesterday. We want him to read to us today and tomorrow, but Mommy isn’t being nice.”
“You know your mom feels bad about this, too. You and Ollie have been hard on her, and it breaks her heart. She said you both didn’t eat your food.”
“We want Daddy!” Enzo pleaded.
Debbie sighed. “We’re going to do something about it. You’ll see your dad soon, okay?”
“Promise?”
“Only if you promise you’ll be good to your mom and eat your food.”
“But I don’t want to talk to Mommy until I see Daddy!” Enzo frowned, crossing his arms.
“Mommy is mad at Daddy. I don’t know why. So I should be mad at her, too.”
“That’s not the reason, baby. I told you it’s complicated. But I promise you’ll see Daddy soon, okay?”
Enzo nodded reluctantly.
Debbie went to Ollie, who was sleeping. She saw dried tears on his cheek.
“Ollie!”
“Omg, you’re burning up!”
The little boy opened his eyes.
“My love,” Debbie pulled Ollie onto her lap and checked his forehead. “You’re burning up!”
“I’m fine, Aunt Debbie.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I’ve spoken to Enzo. Your mom and I will make sure Daddy comes soon.”
Ollie said nothing, seemingly unconvinced.
Enzo came over.
“Are you okay, Oliver?”
Ollie nodded, despite his fever.
“You both are going to make your Daddy unhappy.”
“How?” the twins asked in unison.
“Do you think your Daddy will be happy if he hears you refused to eat your food and haven’t been good to Mommy?”
Ollie and Enzo looked down in shame.
“We were hoping Mommy would bring Daddy to us,” Ollie mumbled.
“And she will. It might take a little time, but you’ll see Daddy again, okay?”
The twins nodded.
“Let’s get you both fed. I don’t mind feeding you.”
Debbie helped Ollie and Enzo to their feet, and exited the room, holding one boy by each hand.
Hailey made food, and the boys ate. Hailey fed Ollie while Debbie fed Enzo. They had dessert and then watched cartoons in the living room for the first time that day.
“I don’t know what you said to them, but thank you,” Hailey glanced at her friend before returning to the dishwasher.
“I tried calming them with every excuse I could think of. They didn’t mind me for a bit.”
“I hope you don’t think they hate you.” Hailey stopped and faced Debbie.
“I’ve never seen them like this. It was almost as if I was the evil one, doing something terribly wrong.”
“They’re just so confused. That’s why.”
“I was really hurt. I’m glad Ollie’s fever is gone. I promised myself no more hospital runs. I’ve been all over the place all day. I’ve got some work to look through, but my mind has been a mess.”
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I would have felt the same way. But you know this remedy is just temporary, right?”
Hailey frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You have to give Cole access to them.”
“No,” Hailey shook her head. “That’s never going to happen.” She returned to the dishwasher.