Twinsequences (A Twisted Twin Series) (48 page)

We
 weren’t
 sure
 how
 long
 we’d
 have
 to
 live
 in
 the
 cabin,
 so
 we
 spent
 our
 
weekends
 fixing
 it
 up.
 I
 think
 after
 the
 first
 weekend
 we
 fell
 in
 love
 with
 the
 place.
 It
 
was
 in
 the
 woods,
 on
 a
 mountain.
 The
 cabin
 had
 three
 bedrooms
 that
 were
 upstairs
 
and
 the
 rest
 of
 the
 house
 was
 an
 open
 floor
 plan.
 I
 imagine
 that
 it
 was
 built
 for
 
hunters.
 When
 we
 were
 done
 making
 modifications,
 it
 was
 a
 cozy
 home
 for
 a
 little
 
family.
 
Of
 course,
 we
 turned
 the
 little
 study
 area
 into
 a
 downstairs
 bedroom,
 just
 in
 
case
 Stosh
 couldn’t
 make
 it
 up
 the
 steps
 every
 night.
 I
 was
 willing
 to
 sacrifice
 
anything,
 as
 long
 as
 we
 were
 together.
 
 
My
 parents
 never
 stopped
 showering
 me
 and
 Stosh
 with
 gifts.
 I
 begged
 them
 
many
 times
 to
 stop
 trying
 so
 hard,
 even
 when
 I
 knew
 it
 wasn’t
 going
 to
 change
 
anything.
 
For
 the
 months
 leading
 up
 to
 the
 birth
 of
 our
 baby,
 they
 visited
 my
 sister
 on
 
weekends.
 I
 hated
 hearing
 about
 how
 sorry
 she
 was,
 so
 Stosh
 asked
 my
 parents
 to
 
keep
 it
 to
 themselves.
 I
 understood
 why
 they
 longed
 to
 have
 their
 little
 girl
 back,
 
except
 unlike
 them,
 I
 knew
 it
 was
 just
 a
 whole
 new
 pack
 of
 lies.
 
Our
 little
 house
 was
 perfect
 for
 us.
 Stosh
 started
 using
 crutches
 to
 get
 
around.
 The
 more
 he
 struggled,
 the
 better
 he
 did
 at
 succeeding.
 He
 stopped
 
complaining
 about
 being
 disabled,
 which
 was
 good
 for
 me,
 considering
 I
 was
 getting
 
ready
 to
 pop
 out
 a
 very
 needy
 little
 human.
 
We’d
 talked
 about
 names,
 but
 were
 still
 so
 undecided.
 We
 knew
 that
 we
 were
 
going
 to
 name
 the
 baby,
 if
 it
 was
 a
 boy,
 Marcus
 Michael.
 The
 girl
 names
 were
 a
 little
 
more
 tricky.
 Stosh
 liked
 unique
 names,
 where
 I
 was
 more
 into
 the
 traditional
 kind.
 I
 
was
 convinced
 that
 if
 it
 was
 a
 girl
 we’d
 just
 call
 her
 Little
 Princess,
 since
 we
 couldn’t
 
agree
 on
 anything
 else.
 
 
The
 days
 before
 I
 went
 into
 labor
 were
 filled
 will
 chaos.
 My
 mother
 arranged
 
for
 my
 college
 friends
 to
 come
 to
 town
 for
 a
 surprise
 shower.
 Our
 little
 rancher
 was
 
filled
 with
 so
 many
 people
 that
 one
 could
 hardly
 get
 around.
 
 We’d
 already
 bought
 
so
 much
 for
 the
 baby,
 so
 naturally
 the
 child
 had
 everything
 you
 could
 think
 of
 after
 
the
 party.
 I
 was
 so
 grateful,
 considering
 that
 for
 a
 while
 I
 thought
 that
 I’d
 no
 longer
 
have
 a
 family
 or
 anyone
 to
 lean
 on.
 Love
 had
 changed
 everything
 for
 me.
 I
 had
 been
 
right
 to
 follow
 my
 heart,
 because
 it
 led
 me
 exactly
 where
 I
 needed
 to
 be.
 
Destiny
 Faith
 was
 born
 on
 a
 Sunday
 morning,
 bright
 and
 early.
 Stosh
 came
 up
 
with
 the
 name
 one
 night
 while
 talking
 to
 my
 belly,
 like
 he
 frequently
 did.
 We
 fell
 in
 
love
 with
 her
 before
 we
 ever
 met
 her,
 but
 once
 she
 came
 out,
 and
 we
 saw
 what
 our
 
love
 created,
 we
 realized
 there
 was
 no
 feeling
 like
 it.
 
 
We
 were
 a
 family,
 finally
 after
 being
 kept
 apart
 for
 so
 long.
 
 
It’s
 amazing
 how
 destiny
 played
 part
 in
 our
 story.
 That’s
 why
 he
 wanted
 her
 
to
 have
 that
 name.
 He
 said
 all
 we
 needed
 was
 a
 little
 faith.
 
 
Stosh
 took
 his
 first
 steps,
 without
 crutches,
 when
 Destiny
 was
 only
 three
 
months
 old.
 We
 called
 it
 a
 miracle,
 while
 my
 doctor
 parents
 said
 it
 was
 just
 his
 body
 
healing
 itself.
 Whatever
 the
 case,
 he
 was
 on
 his
 way
 to
 a
 full
 recovery.
 
While
 Stosh
 worked
 during
 the
 day
 and
 went
 to
 physical
 therapy
 in
 the
 
evenings,
 I
 started
 a
 web
 design
 business
 out
 of
 our
 house.
 There
 was
 no
 way
 I
 was
 
going
 to
 leave
 my
 little
 princess,
 so
 I
 took
 my
 degree
 and
 started
 something
 that
 I
 
could
 do
 while
 taking
 care
 of
 her
 and
 my
 family.
 It
 was
 still
 going
 slow,
 but
 at
 least
 I
 
put
 my
 degree
 to
 use.
 When
 Destiny
 got
 older
 I
 could
 branch
 out
 and
 do
 other
 
things.
 Stosh
 wasn’t
 in
 a
 hurry
 for
 me
 to
 get
 back
 out
 there.
 If
 he
 had
 it
 his
 way,
 I’d
 
wear
 dresses
 and
 have
 dinner
 on
 the
 table
 at
 five
 every
 evening.
 He
 loved
 me
 
staying
 home
 with
 him.
 
 
On
 the
 day
 that
 he’d
 been
 legally
 separated
 for
 a
 year,
 Stosh
 filed
 for
 divorce.
 
That
 following
 Saturday
 my
 parents
 took
 the
 papers
 to
 my
 sister
 to
 sign.
 They
 said
 
she
 didn’t
 hesitate.
 Two
 months
 later,
 we
 were
 at
 the
 courthouse
 making
 things
 
official.
 For
 us,
 it
 was
 just
 a
 piece
 of
 paper,
 but
 it
 was
 more
 when
 it
 came
 to
 our
 
daughter.
 
 
It’s
 funny,
 looking
 back,
 I’d
 never
 saw
 a
 way
 for
 us
 to
 be
 together
 and
 be
 
accepted
 by
 both
 of
 our
 families,
 but
 it
 was
 happening.
 
 
My
 sister
 was
 where
 she
 belonged.
 One
 could
 only
 hope
 that
 she’d
 mess
 up
 
and
 not
 be
 granted
 an
 early
 release.
 My
 life
 was
 too
 perfect
 to
 have
 to
 worry
 about
 
her.
 
 
Some
 nights
 it
 still
 hurt,
 though.
 I’d
 had
 so
 many
 memories
 of
 us
 as
 little
 girls.
 
I
 don’t
 know
 when
 that
 exact
 moment
 happened
 where
 love
 turned
 to
 resentment.
 
It
 didn’t
 even
 matter.
 I
 had
 beautiful
 memories
 of
 me
 and
 my
 twin
 sister.
 There
 was
 
a
 time
 when
 we
 were
 like
 one
 person.
 I’d
 never
 forget
 that,
 even
 after
 the
 Hell
 she
 
put
 us
 through.
 Somewhere
 in
 that
 messed
 up
 mind
 was
 that
 little
 girl
 that
 sang
 
songs
 with
 me,
 braided
 my
 hair
 and
 cuddled
 under
 the
 covers
 with
 me
 during
 a
 
thunderstorm.
 
 
I
 often
 wondered
 if
 she
 thought
 about
 those
 moments.
 Had
 she
 forgotten
 that
 
special
 bond
 that
 only
 we
 could
 have
 shared?
 Did
 she
 forget
 that
 we
 were
 always
 
supposed
 to
 be
 best
 friends?
 
As
 much
 as
 I
 hated
 her,
 my
 heart
 wouldn’t
 let
 me
 forget
 that
 I
 still
 loved
 that
 
part
 of
 Ivy.
 She’d
 always
 be
 my
 sister
 and
 share
 my
 face.
 It’s
 just
 a
 shame
 she
 didn’t
 
share
 my
 heart.
 Things
 would
 have
 been
 so
 different
 if
 she
 had.
 
At
 the
 end
 of
 the
 day,
 my
 life
 was
 where
 it
 was
 always
 supposed
 to
 be.
 I
 was
 
Stosh’s
 wife
 and
 we
 had
 a
 beautiful
 daughter.
 If
 everything
 happens
 for
 a
 reason,
 
like
 I’ve
 always
 believed,
 I
 guess
 karma
 played
 a
 part
 in
 everything.
 
 
Just
 looking
 at
 my
 little
 girl
 proved
 that.
 She
 was
 our
 world
 and
 we’d
 spend
 
our
 whole
 lives
 keeping
 her
 safe.
 
 
 
 
 
Epilogue
 
2
 years
 later
 
 
 The
 alarm
 hadn’t
 gone
 off
 yet,
 but
 we
 felt
 someone
 climbing
 into
 bed
 with
 us.
 
Ever
 since
 we’d
 gotten
 her
 that
 big
 girl
 bed,
 our
 little
 two
 year
 old
 thought
 it
 was
 fun
 
to
 wake
 us
 up
 as
 soon
 as
 she
 saw
 daylight.
 As
 I
 rubbed
 my
 eyes
 and
 contemplated
 
looking
 at
 the
 alarm
 clock,
 I’d
 made
 the
 decision
 that
 I
 was
 going
 to
 put
 cardboard
 
on
 her
 windows
 to
 fool
 her
 into
 thinking
 it
 was
 always
 nighttime
 in
 her
 room.
 
 
Her
 little
 smile
 was
 up
 in
 my
 face
 as
 I
 opened
 my
 eyes.
 “Mommy,
 yook!”
 She
 
pointed
 her
 finger.
 “I
 got
 boo
 boo.”
 
“Show
 Daddy.”
 
Stosh
 rolled
 over
 and
 smiled.
 “Hi,
 sunshine.”
 
I
 climbed
 out
 of
 bed
 and
 headed
 to
 the
 bathroom.
 There
 was
 no
 use
 trying
 to
 
go
 back
 to
 sleep.
 Destiny
 would
 have
 our
 house
 burned
 down
 if
 we
 ignored
 her.
 She
 
was
 into
 everything.
 
 
When
 I
 came
 out
 of
 the
 shower,
 she
 was
 completely
 naked,
 standing
 in
 the
 
bathroom.
 “Wipe
 my
 butt.”
 
With
 my
 body
 as
 clean
 as
 a
 whistle,
 I
 walked
 over
 and
 wiped
 the
 poop
 from
 
my
 daughter’s
 butt.
 I
 had
 to
 be
 thankful
 she
 was
 already
 potty
 trained.
 It
 helped
 that
 
we
 were
 home
 with
 her
 so
 much.
 
Stosh
 came
 into
 the
 bathroom
 like
 he
 had
 timed
 it
 perfectly.
 I
 rolled
 my
 eyes
 
as
 he
 pulled
 me
 into
 his
 arms.
 “Are
 you
 ready
 for
 today?”
 
For
 the
 past
 two
 years,
 my
 parents
 had
 been
 begging
 me
 to
 go
 see
 my
 sister.
 I
 
declined
 every
 one
 of
 their
 invites,
 until
 Stosh
 finally
 suggested
 that
 I
 get
 it
 over
 and
 
done
 with
 so
 it
 would
 stop
 being
 so
 annoying.
 After
 stewing
 on
 his
 idea
 for
 nearly
 a
 
month,
 I’d
 decided
 to
 appease
 them.
 Stosh’s
 parents
 were
 going
 to
 watch
 Des
 so
 we
 
didn’t
 have
 to
 worry
 about
 her.
 “I
 guess.
 I
 mean,
 I
 really
 don’t
 want
 to
 see
 her.
 I
 have
 
nothing
 to
 say.”
 
“According
 to
 your
 parents,
 she
 has
 something
 to
 say.”
 
I
 walked
 away
 and
 started
 getting
 my
 clothes
 on,
 since
 I
 was
 still
 in
 a
 towel.
 “I
 
don’t
 even
 care.”
 
He
 started
 brushing
 his
 teeth
 while
 Des
 brushed
 hers.
 Once
 he
 finally
 spit
 and
 
rinsed,
 he
 leaned
 against
 the
 counter.
 “Yes,
 you
 do.
 Somewhere
 inside
 that
 sexy
 
body
 of
 yours,
 there’s
 this
 curious
 part
 of
 you
 that
 wants
 to
 know.”