“You’re our world, Sasha. We never expected to be given a gift as big as you, and even twenty years later, we can’t believe our luck. I know we smother you, but it’s only out of love because we can’t bear the thought of you being hurt, or imagine a world without you in it. Please, please don’t hide stuff like this from us again.”
I’d burst into tears and blurted out, “I need you, Dad,” as Ronnie pulled me into her side.
“Ronnie texted Sam while we were talking, and she’s going to take care of you for now. Your dad and I will be on the first plane we can get, but it’s going to take a couple of days because Sam has some patients he can’t miss appointments for.”
Sam was a reconstructive surgeon. Technically, it was plastic surgery, but he specialized in giving people their bodies and appearances back after bad accidents or surgical procedures went wrong. I wouldn’t have pulled him away from someone needing something like that done ever, so I wasn’t offended in the slightest.
I also knew that if I hadn’t had Ronnie and Jackson here, Ryan would have been on the first plane out, but I guess it was the best of both worlds in a way. I was showing them there was no need to panic, but I was also giving them what they wanted by letting them know I still needed them.
After they’d both told me they loved me and had spoken to Ronnie about how I was doing through the eyes of a mother, I’d sat feeling like shit.
I felt guilty, sad, hurt for them, and pissed at myself for hurting them.
Not once in my life had I ever felt like I was missing out on not having a mom. That had to be said a million times over. My dads had never once made me miss what I didn’t have because they’d given me more together. You can’t miss what you’ve never had, and I honestly didn’t.
But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find comfort in borrowing Jackson’s mom until my dads could get here.
Sitting down next to me, Marcus threw his arm around my shoulders and offered me popcorn from the bowl in his lap.
“Figured we’d turn your frown upside down and watch a movie,” he mumbled around his mouthful of popcorn.
“I should do my schoolwork. I’m going to be behind everyone else.”
“Bullshit. Dad spoke to your teachers to make sure you’d be okay and asked them to send you everything you needed, and they said you’re already ahead. You can afford to take a day off, Sashie.”
Sashie?
Blowing out a breath, I reached for some popcorn and stared down at the kernels in my hand.
Elijah and Sadie had taken the baby out today to show her some of Arizona—even if she was too little for it—and Wyatt was currently at the pet store looking at litter boxes. Apparently, Milkshake’s ass stank too much, so he was going to do something about it. I did warn them not to feed them leftovers, but they wouldn’t listen.
Ronnie was somewhere in the apartment sorting out Jackson’s laundry, so that meant it was just Marcus keeping me company.
“Thanks, Markie,” I said quietly, meaning it but also wanting to bug him with the pet name. “Your family’s good peeps.”
“My family’s the best peeps,” he corrected. “And don’t call me Markie.”
“Are you sure? Can I call you Shirley?”
Throwing his head back, he burst out laughing at the reference to the movie Airplane.
Watching him, I took in how alike he was to Jackson, but how different he was, too. I could understand how people would struggle to tell them apart, but if you truly looked at them, they were unique individuals who just came from the same egg.
The hair color, the shades of their eyes, and the shape of their jaws were all different. Marcus was slightly bulkier than his brother, too, seeing as how he owned a stud ranch and worked with horses.
And I felt nothing for Marcus. At least, nothing like I felt for his twin.
How weird was that?
I’d have assumed with them looking alike, I’d feel equally attracted to him, but nope.
Maybe it was the soul of a person we attached to, and the outside of them was just like the frosting on a cake? I mean, I loved frosting, but I didn’t eat a cake purely for it. No, I wanted the sponge under it.
I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn’t realize Marcus had stopped laughing, until he asked, “What are you thinking about? I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you looking at me and licking your lips.”
“Cake. Frosting.” I was so embarrassed I barely get the words out as I looked away.
It wasn’t a complete lie. He didn’t need to know I was picturing Jackson as the cake and frosting.