“That you lost someone very important and that’s why you were sad for a long time,” Mason said seriously. “And that one day you would understand we were waiting to make you happy again.”
A chill ran down Ethan’s spine. This was too specific to be a coincidence. Someone who knew him well had planted this story in the boys’ heads.
When the food arrived, he watched them eat slowly, savoring every bite like they weren’t sure when the next meal would come. They even tried to secretly stuff pieces of bread into their pockets.
“You don’t have to hide food,” Ethan said gently. “There’s plenty.”
“Sorry,” Mason said, embarrassed. “At the shelter sometimes there isn’t enough when new kids come.”
Ethan felt a surge of anger. What kind of place was this shelter?
As they ate, the boys told him they had been in several homes before House of Smiles. They had been found alone in an apartment at age three after their biological parents left and never came back. That’s why they hoarded food — a survival instinct.
When Ethan mentioned he might not be their real father, the twins’ faces crumpled. They hugged each other tightly, tears streaming down their cheeks.