Page 179 of Lose You Twice

Just like their sister.

An hour and a half doesn’t seem like a long time until you’re asked about snacks every two seconds, can’t find Mr. Buttons, and end up distracting them by letting them paint your nails.

Sadly for me, they couldn’t agree on a color, so my nails are currently pink, orange, red, and green. Quite the color combo, if I do say so myself.

After what feels like a short eternity, I hear the front door open, and the twins rush to greet Wren as she walks in, pretending to be sugar gliders and jumping onto her.

“Oof.” Wren stumbles back slightly, but a smile is on her face. “Did you really miss me that much?”

“No, not really. We painted Kai’s fingernails and did a spa,” Lily tells her, dragging her toward me.

“He didn’t get us milkshakes because he asked what you would do,” Daisy chimes in.

Lily crosses her arms, looking at her twin as she speaks. “And I told him that you would say no, so no.”

Daisy rolls her eyes. “You are no fun either.”

Wren laughs. “How was school? Did you get more worksheets today? We need to do those before dinner.”

I look toward the twins, raising a brow. “Hmm. That’s weird. I think I asked about those, and you said you didn’t have any.”

Both girls hide behind their hands, giggling. Wren gives me a sympathetic look before her eyes snag on my nails. She brings her hand up to cover her laugh, but it’s no use.

“Didn’t know you were so adventurous when it came to nail styles,” she teases.

I stand up, wrapping my arms around her and giving her a quick peck on her lips. “And I didn’t know these two were so artistic.”

Wren looks back at her sisters, who are now making gagging sounds. “Go wash your hands, then get the worksheets out. I want them done before we have dinner, because then you two both need to shower and get to bed.”

Lily heads for the stairs without complaining, but Daisy sighs dramatically, claiming her legs are too tired.

I shake my head, laughing to myself as Wren walks over and gets her going up the stairs.

Once the girls are sitting back at the table working on their worksheets, I pull Wren to the living room, sitting on the couch before pulling her down with me.

“How’d the appointment go? Is everything okay?” I ask, rubbing my hand up and down her back.

She sighs. “Yeah, it went okay. I didn’t really learn anything, but they ordered some blood work and an ultrasound that I have to do soon.”

I study her for a moment, not wanting to push, but also worried. “You don’t have to tell me, but what was the appointment for?”

Her eyes widen at that, as if realizing she never mentioned it before this morning. “Oh, right. I was a little frantic this morning and forgot to explain.” She repositions herself so that she’s fully facing me before continuing, and I settle further back into the couch, trying to relax. “You know how I’d get those really awful periods in high school? Well, they never got better. If anything, they’ve gotten worse. Not only do they last forever or surprise me out of the blue, they also come with a lot of really, really awful cramps.”

I nod in understanding. “Like the day we thought you were sick at practice.”

“Exactly like that, but some days I can barely get out of bed. They’re so bad they make me nauseous at times,” she continues. “I saw a doctor in London and was supposed to follow up once I got back home, but I’ve been too overwhelmed to make the time. That last one was pretty awful, though, so I decided it was time to make that more of a priority.”

I want to tell her I’ll go to every appointment if she wants me to. I’ll research every specialist. I’ll pay whatever she needs, drive wherever she needs, fight whoever doesn’t listen to her, but instead, I give her what I can at this moment without feeling overbearing.

“I’m proud of you.” Taking her hands in mine, I start making small circles on the back of her palms. “You need to make time to take care of yourself, so any time I can help, you let me know, okay?”

“Okay,” she says, leaning forward and kissing me quickly. “Are you staying for dinner?”

Really, I should be heading home and doing some homework, hitting the weight room for a bit and watching film, but I think being here with her sounds a lot better. “I’d love to.”

By the time we finish making and eating dinner, Holden is home, and we’re all sitting around the table as Daisy tells us all about another girl in her class.

“She tried trading me a meat stick for two Oreos, but what she didn’t know is that I already ate the frosting out of the Oreos.” She grins. “It was a good trade.”