Page 5 of A Twinmas Entanglement (The Unwrapped in Austin #1)

Solana

“ Papa , where are you?” I shout as I open the front door of my childhood home.

My dad raised me as a single father since I was born, and only twice has he mentioned my mother.

He told me they went their separate ways and she didn’t want to be a part of my life.

Of course, it hurt me and led to some mommy issues, but my father was there for me.

He did everything he could to make up for the fact I didn’t have a mother in my life.

My abuelita did provide that maternal presence, but it still left me feeling unloved and like a piece of shit.

Eventually, as I grew older, I went to therapy and have been working through my issues ever since.

“ Mija ! I missed you,” my papa says, lifting me in a big embrace. He sets me down before kissing me on the forehead and turning towards the kitchen.

“ ?Quieres algo pa beber? ” he asks, grabbing a glass from his drying rack.

I take the stool out from his kitchen island and sit down.

(Do you want something to drink?) I look around and see that some things never change.

Thiago Perez is such a particular man about his things.

He’s such a clean freak—everything is put away and smells fresh.

You wouldn’t expect it from my macho father, but he’s the most anal person about everything.

It has to be in order, scheduled, and clean.

Because of that, I inherited his habits.

He’s the best fucking father ever, and I will always cherish the times I’ve had with him growing up as a kid.

“ Perdoname . Yes, Papa . I’ll grab something from the fridge,” I state, rising from the chair and snatching the sweet tea as my dad passes me a glass.

(Excuse me.) Setting the tea down on the counter, I grab some ice from the refrigerator’s ice machine.

After that, I pour the sweet tea and fill it to the top.

Putting the tea back, I sit back in the chair and look across the island at my dad. He sips his water and sets it down on the coaster. “What’s the matter, chiquita ? (little girl) Is everything okay?”

I close my eyes and contemplate whether I should bring this up right now, because I know he’ll ask why. It’ll lead to a spiral of questions and heartbreak. Breathing in and out, I finally get the courage to say it outright.

“I want to talk about my birth mother. Everything, Papa . What’s her name? Why did she not want to be in my life, everything?” Looking up, I see his eyes widen and he looks away. Fuck . Did I just ruin everything?

I shake my head, but I remain adamant about finding this out.

I need to know more about my mother, if not for me, then for my relationship with Delaney.

I stay quiet momentarily before, and my father takes a deep breath before he starts, “ Mija . Your mom always wanted you, but when we decided to separate, we uh…we well…”

“It’s okay, Papa . We don’t have to talk about it.”

“No, todo está bien . (No, everything is fine.) I need to tell you this. Solana, your mom, and I had twins. You are a twin, mija .” My mouth drops, and it’s like my worst fear is coming true. My girlfriend might be my fucking twin. Calm down, Solana. Take a deep breath.

“When your mom and I decided to split, she took your sister, and I was blessed with you. We promised never to talk about it unless you both were older and wanted to know about the other person. I’m so sorry.

I know you probably won’t understand this, and you might hate me, pero pensamos que estábamos haciendo lo correcto para las dos .

” (But we thought we were doing the right thing for both of us.)

I’m stunned. I don’t know what to say. Everyone was right. What are we going to fucking do? I put my head down and think about what I’m going to tell Delaney.

“I’m so sorry. Te amo, mija. Con todo mi corazón ,” my papa starts. Glancing at him, I take his hands and take a deep breath. (I love you, my daughter. With all my heart.)

“ Te amo, tambien. Siempre . This is just a lot to take in. What is my mother’s name?” (I love you, too. Always.)

“ Mija. Por favor ,” my father says sternly. (My dear. Please.)

“Thiago Perez.” I arch my eyebrow, determined to get an answer, but chuckle when he arches his right back. I don’t ever say his full name, but hey, it was warranted. He needs to know that I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m a twenty-five-year-old woman who deserves to know who her mother is.

“Solana. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you her name. Let me reach out to her first before I say anything. Can this wait for a bit? Or is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Everything is fine, Papa . I’ll wait. Reach out to her and let me know. I’ve got to go. Te amo, and I’ll see you soon,” I mutter, rising from the chair and kissing him on the cheek goodbye. He attempts to grab my arm, but I reach the door faster.

“ Mija, por favor .” (My dear. Please.)

I close the door and walk towards my car with tears cascading down my face.

It feels like a pain in my chest for what I already suspected.

How could both of them pull this parent trap bullshit and expect it to be okay?

This isn’t a fucking movie, and it doesn’t work like that in the real world.

I don’t understand, but Delaney and I will get through it. I just know it.

Why can’t I be fucking delusional and think that maybe I do have a twin out there, it’s just not Delaney? If only we were so lucky.

Wow, I have a twin, and I’m one hundred percent certain that it’s my girlfriend. I wonder how it’s going with Delaney and her mom—well, our mom. Jesus, I can’t wait for those DNA test results to come back, and by some miracle, we will be so wrong about us being twin sisters.