“Yeah, sweetheart,” I managed to say. “We’re going home.”
The twins wrapped themselves around my shoulders a second later, and even Eli, who had tried so hard to be brave, finally let the tears come.
“I told them you’d keep trying,” he said, wiping at his face. “I told them.”
“You helped me keep that promise,” I whispered.
When I looked up, Beverly was standing beside us.
She handed me the temporary custody paperwork.
“Take good care of them,” she said softly.
“I will.”
“I know.”
As we walked out of the courtroom, Diane rested a hand on my shoulder.
“You did all the hard work,” she said. “I just helped the court hear it.”
Outside, the afternoon sun felt warmer than I remembered.
One by one, I buckled each child into a car seat.
This time, nobody asked where they were going.
Everybody already knew.
The drive home was almost silent.
Lila fell asleep before we reached the first stoplight, her stuffed rabbit tucked beneath her chin.
The twins leaned against each other in the back seat, and for the first time since I’d met them, they weren’t holding on because they were afraid. They were simply tired.
Eli looked at me in the rearview mirror.
“We’re really staying together?” he asked.
I smiled.
“Yeah, buddy. We are.”
He nodded once and looked back out the window.
That was the first time I saw him smile.
