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Helena:
You're terrible.
Jennifer:
You'll thank me.
Helena:
We'll see.
I was about to throw myself on the bed when I heard the intercom ring and had to run to change and answer the pizza delivery man.
I hoped Jennifer was right and we could really enjoy an evening together.
Chapter eleven
“It's time for bed.” I looked at the girls who were in the living room playing with building blocks and led the way to the bedroom.
“Ah, Dad...”
“You two haven't behaved well today.”
“We were justjoking.” Anne tried to defend them, and I tightened my expression even more.
“It was very serious, and I was very worried. You two are my girls, and I don't want you to disappear.” I took each of them in my arms, one on each side, and crossed the corridor to the room where they were sleeping. I put each of them to bed beforecontinuing the conversation. “Imagine if Daddy disappeared and you never saw me again?”
“You can'tdisappear!”
They both got out of bed and came running to hug my waist.
“I'm not going to disappear.” I leaned over to kiss the top of each of their heads. “That's just how they made me feel.”
“Hide and seek, huh?” Mary raised her head and stared at me.
“Yes! No jokes like that. Did you hear that?”
They both stared at me for a moment until they nodded.
“Now go to bed.” I made them return to their mattresses. “It's past your bedtime.”
“Good night, Dad!”
“Good night, my little ones.” I smiled at each of them, watching them settle into bed before I turned out the light and closed the door.
I took advantage of the fact that I was in the corridor and made my way to my room. I sat on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. It had been an exhausting day, with the right to court and a father's distress. As much as I knew they weren't doing it on purpose, sometimes those two killed me. I loved them more than anything; I wouldn't give them up for anything, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with alone.
The presence of my family, the support of my parents, and especially all my money didn't change the fact that the responsibility for them was entirely mine, and I was very afraid of failing.
I fell backward onto the mattress and stared at the ceiling.
“Ah, Daphne, it would be so much easier if you were here.”
I turned sideways until my eyes found a picture frame with a photo of my late wife. She was pregnant, in her final months and with a huge belly.
I remembered as if it were yesterday when we were in the ultrasound room, and the doctor told us we were having twins. It was a fright and a joy at the same time. Even though Daphne was a twin, which greatly increased the chances, I had never seen her sister, so most of the time, I forgot about it.
I had met her at Harvard when she was a young psychology freshman who bumped into a senior and asked him to help her find her building. After that day, I never wanted to leave her side, convincing her to marry me and move to New York, where I would work in the family office.