Jill Weatherholt - A Mother For His Twins

A knock at the open door jarred the first-grade teacher before her mind spiraled down that dark road.

“Joy, I’d like to introduce you to your two new students.”

Mr. Jacobson stood in the doorway. A small, thick man with thinning gray hair, he’d taken over as principal after her father passed away when she was only two years old. With his retirement date nearing, her dream to work with and protect all of the children in the school, not just those in her classroom, could finally come true. She’d begun preparing for an interview the moment Mr. Jacobson had announced his retirement.

“This is Jordan and Tyler Capello,” he said, guiding two brown-haired, rosy-cheeked boys into the room.

Capello. No, it can’t be. Joy rubbed her eyes. The wood chair screeched as she pushed her slender frame from her seat. Was she seeing double?

The principal chuckled. “Yes, they’re twins. Identical. You’ll have your hands full.” He turned toward the door. “I believe you know their father.” He extended his right arm. “Nick, don’t be shy. Come on in, son.”

Heat prickled the back of her neck. She gripped the edge of the chair to steady herself. Nick Capello. This couldn’t be happening. Not after fourteen years of silence—of heartache.

Her heart pummeled against her rib cage as he slowly approached her—all six feet five inches of him. No longer the boy she remembered. With his Italian good looks, he’d grown into a strikingly handsome man who could still make her knees wobble like a newborn colt’s.

“Hello, Joy.” He reached for one of her hands, which she kept fisted at the sides of her thighs.

She swallowed once and then again before risking another glance in his direction. The lump lodged in her throat didn’t budge. “What...? Why...? What are you doing here?”

The once extended hand raked through his dark hair. His piercing blue eyes locked with hers. “This is my home. It’s always been. My boys are going to experience the joys of growing up in a small town, just like I did. I want that sense of community for them.”

His home? How could he call Whispering Slopes home? He and his family had moved in the dark of night, leaving a small town asking questions and her heart smashed in a million tiny pieces.

Her shoulders squared. “This isn’t your home.” Once it had been, but that was a lifetime ago.

One of the twins with a slightly larger frame stepped forward and flashed a smile that revealed two missing front teeth. “I’m Tyler, and this is my brother, Jordan. He might not talk much, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like you—he’s just shy, that’s all.”

Her heart squeezed as she studied the boy with freckles that dotted his nose. He was the spitting image of his father at that age. She would know. She’d known Nick all of her life. They’d grown up together and had fallen in love. During their senior year of high school they’d made a plan. After graduation, they’d marry and have a house full of children. Joy had never been happier...and then it was all stripped away.

Nick placed his hands on Tyler’s shoulders and eyed Joy. “I’m sorry if I’ve caught you off guard. Maybe I should have called first.”

In order to maintain her professionalism, she drew in a slow and steady breath. She’d worked too hard to establish her reputation at this school. She forced a smile as she glanced at the twins. “Welcome to Whispering Slopes, boys.”

Mr. Jacobson cleared his throat. “Nick, why don’t we leave the boys here to get better acquainted with Miss Kelliher? We’ll go down to the office and get them registered. Then we can get your paperwork taken care of so you can start subbing on Monday.”

Joy’s head spun toward the principal. “Excuse me?”

“Nick’s going to take over Mrs. Murray’s classroom while she’s out on maternity leave.” Mr. Jacobson smiled at Joy. “I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to have former students teaching at the school. You two will be right across the hallway from each other.”

Nick’s gaze burned the side of her face. She couldn’t look at him. Not now. The pain from the past bubbled to the surface like cooking oil poured into a pot of boiling water. No. She wouldn’t cry in front of him. Too many tears had been shed over this man.

Nick knelt in front of his boys. “Are you two going to be okay?”

“Sure, Daddy,” they replied in unison as their father stood.

Jordan didn’t look as certain as his brother. Tyler had spoken the truth. He appeared to be more timid than his twin.

“Okay, then. I’ll be back to pick you up at three o’clock. We’ll go out for ice cream and you can tell me all about your first day.”

She watched as the boys’ eyes lit up, shaking off the memory of how Nick’s eyes had done the same whenever she’d entered a room. They’d been so in love. She almost smiled at the memory.

“See you later, Daddy.”

Nick turned to Joy. “Right across the hall, so I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.” He flashed a crooked smile.

She remained silent. Fourteen years had passed and Nick had been silent, too. He’d never once called or even sent a letter to explain why one minute he’d been in her life and then he’d vanished. It took years for her to get past the pain. But really, had she ever stopped hurting? Did the constant yearning to feel his arms around her one more time ever really go away? Seeing Nick now, she realized the wounds remained fresh.

He dropped his gaze to the ground. With his shoulders slumped, he left the room.

Painful memories surged like a massive lightning bolt on a steamy August afternoon. Lord, how can You let this happen? I can’t teach these boys. Is this some sort of punishment? Didn’t I suffer enough on that night fourteen years ago?

She watched as the twins peered out the window toward the playground, chattering in whispered tones. I can do this. She exhaled. “So, would you like to go outside and play for a while?”

They both turned and eagerly nodded their heads.

“We’ve got half an hour before class starts.” The sun had already begun to melt the dusting of snow. “Make sure you zip up your coats.”

Outside on the playground, Joy used a paper towel to wipe off the bench closest to the swings and took a seat. Tyler took the towels she’d given them and cleared the teeter-totter before helping his brother climb aboard. She smiled. He definitely was his brother’s protector.

Inhaling the brisk mountain air, she pulled her phone from the pocket of her jacket to call her twin sister, Faith. Having lost their parents at a young age, they leaned on each other in difficult times. Throughout their lives, Faith had served as Joy’s lighthouse, guiding her through every storm, especially after that horrible night. Her twin was the only one who knew about the attack, but nothing more. Before that evening, Joy had always shared everything with Faith, but what happened weeks later was something she couldn’t bear to tell anyone—not even her closest confidante. As she punched the number for the resort, she kept a close eye on the boys.

“Thank you for calling the Black Bear Resort. This is Faith.”

What was formerly a small inn had grown into a larger resort. Her sister was living her dream, running the business along with a wonderful man, Joshua. They’d married last year and now they were expecting twins. Bella—Faith’s daughter from her first husband, who’d died tragically fighting a fire—was thrilled to know two babies would soon join their family.

“Hey, can you talk?”

“What’s up, sis?”

“Well, I’m sitting here on the playground watching my two newest students... Twins.” Joy pressed her palm into the arm of the cedar bench. “They’re Nick’s kids.” Saying it out loud made it more real.