Chapter 8 - Reclaiming the Twins
The door to the twins' bedroom was slightly ajar. Soft light streamed out into the dark hallway, accompanied by the muffled sound of a cartoon playing on an iPad.
I pushed the door open gently.
Leo and Maya were sitting together on Maya's canopy bed, fully dressed in their pajamas, clutching their stuffed animals. Sitting in the armchair near the window was the young temp nanny Daniel had hired for the evening. She jumped up the moment I walked in, her eyes wide with terror as she heard the commotion downstairs.
"Ms. Reyes!" the girl stammered, holding her hands up nervously. "I... I didn't know what was happening! Mr. Whitmore told me you had left for the night—"
"It's okay," I said gently, stepping into the room. "You can go downstairs. The police are downstairs, and they will assist you in leaving."
The girl nodded hastily, grabbed her purse, and almost ran out of the room.
The moment the door closed behind her, Maya let out a small, terrified cry and threw herself off the bed, running straight into my arms. "Mommy! Mommy!" she sobbed, burying her face into my neck. "Daddy said you went away! He said you weren't coming back!"
Leo ran right behind her, wrapping his arms around my waist, his small frame shaking with heavy sobs. "We heard yelling, Mommy! We heard a door slam! Is Daddy mad at us?"
I dropped to my knees on the carpet, pulling both of my children into the tightest, safest hug I had ever given them. I buried my face in their hair, smelling the sweet, familiar scent of their baby shampoo, tears finally washing down my cheeks—not tears of pain, but of overwhelming, fierce relief.
"I'm here, baby," I whispered, kissing Maya's forehead and rubbing Leo's back. "Mommy's right here. I never went away. I'm never, ever going to leave you."
"Are we staying here?" Leo asked, looking up at me with his wide, gray-green eyes—the eyes he had inherited from me, from my mother, and from the silver-haired man waiting downstairs.
"No, sweetheart," I said, wiping his tears with the sleeve of my sweater. "We're going on a little trip tonight. We're going to stay in a beautiful new home, and you're going to meet someone very special."
"Who?" Maya sniffled, wiping her nose with her sleeve.
"Your great-grandfather," I smiled through my tears. "A man who has been waiting thirty years to meet you."
I helped them put on their winter coats and boots, packing their small backpacks with their favorite books and toys. I didn't touch anything belonging to Daniel. I didn't care about the furniture, the artwork, or the expensive decor. Everything in this house had been purchased with money meant to buy my compliance.
Holding Leo's hand in my left and Maya's in my right, I walked them down the grand staircase.
Down in the foyer, the scene was entirely under control. The court marshal was standing by the door, finalizing her paperwork. Constance Whitmore was sitting on the bottom step of the formal dining room, weeping quietly into a silk handkerchief, her arrogant composure utterly obliterated.
Daniel was standing near the door, flanked by the two state troopers. He looked like a ghost of the man who had ordered catering four hours ago. When he saw the children coming down the stairs, he took a step forward.
"Leo... Maya..." Daniel rasped out, his hands shaking.
Leo shrank back behind my leg, holding my hand tighter. Maya looked at her father, then turned her face away, burying her nose into my coat.
Julian Ashworth stood near the open front door, holding his silver cane, waiting patiently. When he saw us, his sharp, formidable face softened completely. His eyes filled with a deep, radiant light as he looked down at the two small children standing at my side.
"Naomi," Julian said softly, stepping forward and kneeling down—despite his age and his stiff knee—until he was at eye level with the twins. "Are these my great-grandchildren?"
"Leo, Maya," I said gently, kneeling beside them. "This is your great-grandfather, Julian."
Maya looked at him curiously. "Do you have green eyes like me and Mommy?"
Julian let out a rich, warm laugh that echoed through the cold foyer. "I certainly do, my dear. The exact same eyes." He extended his large, gentle hand toward them. "And I have been looking for you for a very, very long time."
Leo stepped out from behind my coat and shook Julian's hand solemnly. "Are you going to take us away from the mean people?"
Julian looked past the children at Daniel Whitmore, his gray-green eyes turning to polished steel for one brief second, before returning to the boy with utter tenderness.
May you like
"Yes, young man," Julian said softly. "Nobody is ever going to hurt you or your mother again. That is an Ashworth promise."
Julian stood up, offering his arm to me. I took it, holding my children's hands, and together we walked out of the house, leaving Daniel Whitmore standing amidst the broken glass of his own making.
