I do not remember much about the frantic drive to St. Louis, but I vividly remember Tristan’s hand resting on my knee at a red light.
“Whatever happens next,” he told me firmly, clearing his throat before he spoke, “we’ll get through this together.”
“You promise me that?” I asked, looking over at his silhouette in the dim light of the dashboard.
“I promise you,” he swore back softly.
The twins survived the crash with minor injuries. They were bruised, stitched up, and absolutely terrified, but they were alive.
When the social worker eventually sat me down in a small beige room and asked about legal guardianship, I did not need even a second to think about my response.
“I’m their older sister,” I declared, looking her straight in the eye. “They are coming home with me.”
She nodded solemnly and slid the official paperwork across the wooden table toward me. My hand shook uncontrollably as I signed every single line, but I did not hesitate for a moment.
When I walked out into the waiting room, Tristan was standing near the drinking fountain, casually scrolling through his phone.
“They’re officially coming home with me,” I said, catching my breath.
“That was remarkably fast,” he replied, shoving his hands into his pockets.
“They needed me to sign the paperwork right now,” I explained softly.
“Right, of course,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck while looking at the floor. “So… what exactly does this do to our wedding schedule?”
I stared at him in complete disbelief, unable to grasp his words.
“Tristan, my parents just died today,” I reminded him, my voice trembling.
“I know that, baby, and I am so sorry,” he said quickly, stepping forward to kiss the top of my head. “I just meant that there’s a lot of practical stuff we need to figure out.”
I wanted to believe that fresh grief had simply made him sound selfish, and I tried to convince myself that he was just overwhelmed by the sudden tragedy. I wanted to believe that the man I had loved since I was seventeen could not possibly mean what his harsh tone seemed to suggest.
Part 2
Once the legal guardianship became official, Tristan came over to the house with a direct question that proved his attitude was not temporary shock.
I brought my little brothers home from the hospital after they were officially released by the doctors. I made them grilled cheese sandwiches, cut off the crusts, and let them sleep in my big bed under the soft quilt.
That night, I watched their sm
