“Who would believe you were the same person?” I glanced at her. She didn’t look very amused. In fact, she looked a bit confused. Her look of disbelief shook me to the core.
Our own mother and sister had trouble telling us apart on looks alone. I was at a loss on how to reply. Was she fucking with me? Did she figure out that I was with Tim and wanted to have some fun? No, that doesn’t make any sense. If she knew I was with Tim, she would be out for blood. And her expression was authentic. She was truly perplexed. “Is it easy for you to tell us apart?” Wes gained weight and dressed like a crazy person to separate our identities. He swore up and down it was his metabolism, but we were triplets for crying out loud. Wes was flabby and shabby on his own account. I hated the way he took care of himself, but as a leader I knew how to pick my battles. Micromanaging my brothers wasn’t going to show any loyalty and we lived or died by the strength of their commitment to my vision. I wasn’t arrogant enough to think I could accomplish everything on my own. They were my pillars, strength and support in one unified vision. I took a closer look at Jen. She looked a bit tired.
“Duh. You’re all three completely different.”
She shrugged and went back to scanning the chart. She looked at it so carefully. I really liked the attention to detail she put into her job. It showed she cared about her patients and I needed her to care about Frank. He was crazy about her. Fire blazed through my chest. “I need to know that you’re not joking right now.” Jen’s face was stony. She might be a little pissed off. I didn’t care. I had to know.
“Did I offend you or something? You’re brothers, not carbon copies of one another. Whoever couldn’t tell you apart clearly wasn’t looking closely enough. Wes is a little chubby. He’s soft, kind, and sensitive. Frank’s got a good sense of humor and he’s rough around the edges. He’s vain and insecure. Mos
t people would be focused on the pain, but he’s always worried about his appearance or trying to check mirrors. And you’re…taller somehow. I don’t know, maybe it is your posture? You carry yourself differently.” She spat all of this out in one longwinded sentence. When she finished speaking, Jen tapped her feet and spread her arms wide. “Ta-da!”
I clapped. She was righter than she knew. And now I know exactly why I was drawn to this job. Why I insisted on inserting myself personally. And why my heart was clanging wildly against my rib cage. The doubt that covered my heart like a shadow vanished. Finally, we found her. Our mate.
Chapter 7
Jennifer
It took me two hours to decide not to call the police. It wasn’t as if they were going to do anything. What was I going to report? Ex-husband’s are allowed to exist. If only I had someone to talk to. My mother and I hadn’t spoken since I ran away from Tim. Now that Tim knew where I was, it wouldn’t do any harm in contacting her would it? She picked up on the first ring.
“Hello?” My mother’s voice rang hollow. I know that my absence must be hard on her. It would be hard on any mother. I shuddered to think if my daughters meet a man that causes them to live on the run. Anger coursed through me. Every day I learn of more that man has taken from me and his daughters.
“Mom?” Hearing those words escape my lips was simultaneously a tonic and poison. Sobs erupted into the other side of the phone. Her screeches were nearly indecipherable.
“Jenny! Where are you honey? Are you alright? We thought you were dead!”
Despite my father’s passing over twenty-eight years ago, she still used the royal “we” in all of her dramatic reactions. She never talked about him, but he was still there.
“Listen, I don’t have time to chat. I’m calling only because he found me.”
My mother gasped. “How did he find you?” Her concern was moving. When was the last time anyone asked me anything with that much emotion?
Because he’s Tim. Everything always works out for him. “I have no idea. But this is something I need to handle. I’m going to call the police because he showed up at our house. Is there any way you can come get the girls? He’s not acting right?”
“If he hurts them. I’ll kill the son of a bitch.” She snarled, her voice cracking a bit. When I met Tim, he charmed my mother’s approval so easily it was impossible not to get swept up in the tide. She never forgave him for revealing his true self.
“You’ll have to find his body first.” I would kill him myself. My girls were worth killing for, but my words echoed empty. My cheeks burned from the childish outburst. He made me so damn mad sometimes, but as much as I hated to admit it, I still cared for him. Not that I would ever try again. He’d broken any chance of that. But I wanted my children to have a father. I knew what it was like not knowing yours. I was still holding out hope that one day in the future he could turn his life around and be there for his daughters. They deserved a male role model in their life.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’ll have Alan book a ticket.” Alan was the next-door neighbor’s kid that helped Mom with technology in exchange for being able to use her desktop. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was so he could look at porn.
All it took was a phone call, and my mother was back in my corner. I never understood the unwavering devotion until my two little miracles. I’ll always regret the hell I gave her growing up. A teenager with daddy issues is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Of course, the way things were shaping up I was probably going to have two monsters of my own, at least if I couldn’t fix this mess I’ve created.
“I’ve missed you.” Although I never said it enough when I was living with her. Back when I thought I had problems.
“Honey, we can catch up on everything soon, but I need to make sure y’all are safe first. Where are you staying now?”
Always a pragmatist. “You’re going to want to fly into BWI. I’ll send the driving directions to your phone. We’re up a way.”
“Baltimore! You’re not living in Baltimore, are you?” Her shrill tone under normal circumstances would have made me laugh.
“No, but that’s the closest airport. Let me know your flight details as soon as you can. I’ve gotta get back to my shift. I can’t wait to see you.” It had been way too long.
“Okay I love you darling. I’m going to save your number and text you soon.”
If my mother had ever been able to get over the death of my father, she probably could have done something with her life. Instead she raised me. Look where that got her. I heard the shuffle of steps behind me. I didn’t want anyone to hear what was happening. I learned a long time ago not to trust colleagues with a pity party. What they didn’t hold against you made them feel sorry for you and that was almost worse. Nobody wanted to be friends with the hot mess. They only wanted to find out all about her. I hung up, eager to see who had witnessed my conversation. Shifting my body while keeping the phone up to my ear, I turned towards the noise. I took a step back in surprise. It was Jared, Frank’s brother.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you were on the phone at first and then I decided to hang around like a creep.” His laughter caused his hazel eyes to crinkle at the corners. Were Wes’s eyes hazel? I thought triplets were supposed to be identical? Was a fraternal triplet a possibility? Very rare. Would it be rude to ask?
“It’s fine, I was almost finished.” I dropped my phone into my sweater pocket. I shouldn’t have been using the phone during my shift anyway. The hospital had a no tolerance policy about inattention. They couldn’t afford the lawsuits.