Chapter Thirty-Three
EVELYN
Ten days later, we were back in New York.
Just like our first trip, we went straight from the airport to the hospital.
This time, however, the girls were buzzing with excitement.
Carol Holloway met us and showed us to the maternity ward.
While Logan went to his board interview, the twins pressed themselves against the nursery's glass wall, utterly captivated by the rows of newborns.
They invented a game on the spot: Anna would propose a name for each baby, and Aurora would give a thumbs-up or a firm shake of her head until they reached a consensus.
I watched them, my anxiety over Logan's interview momentarily soothed by their laughter—especially when Anna suggested names like ‘Mickey’ and ‘Simba.’
After every baby had been duly christened by the two self-appointed experts, we headed to the hospital cafeteria. We ate lunch and waited, the minutes stretching on until I finally saw him walking toward our table.
My heart sank a little. His expression was so serious. He stopped in front of us, saying nothing.
“So?” I finally asked, unable to bear the silence. “How did it go?”
“Tell us now!” Anna demanded, echoing my impatience.
He paused for one more dramatic beat, then raised his hand. Pinched between his fingers was a magnetic key card. It featured his photo and name, and just below, in bold letters, was his new title:
GENERAL DIRECTOR
“And this,” he said, holding it up, “is a badge.”
I couldn’t contain my happiness. I stood and threw my arms around him. “You did it! Logan, that’s amazing!”
“It’s way cooler than a piece of paper,” Anna declared, carefully taking the badge from his hands. Aurora studied it over her sister’s shoulder, but it was clear they still didn’t grasp its full significance.
From the hospital, we collected the car and drove to the house Logan had rented—a temporary home while he searched for a permanent property.
It was located in a quiet, upscale neighborhood, a world away from the city's bustle.
Logan pulled into the driveway of a beautiful two-story home with a wide, inviting porch.
The girls tumbled out of the car, already buzzing with excitement.
It warmed my heart to see them in a place like this.
I truly hoped he would find them a permanent home with just as much space to run and play.
A property manager was waiting for us with the keys. Minutes later, we stepped inside, and the interior was even more stunning than the outside.
“Look, Rory!” Anna shouted, signing simultaneously as she pulled her sister toward the living room fireplace.
“There are six bedrooms upstairs,” Logan said, drawing their attention. When Aurora looked at him, he repeated the sentence in signs and added, “What do you say we go pick one out for you?”
Beaming, they joined hands and raced up the staircase.
“So, what do you think?” Logan asked, noticing me taking it all in.
“It’s beautiful. The girls are already in love. I think you might have a hard time prying them out of here when you find a permanent place.”
“Do you think this could be a good permanent home?”
“Are you thinking of buying it?”
“Actually, I already spoke to the owner and made a strong offer. He wasn’t planning to sell, but he was tempted. I told him we’d do a one-month rental first. I needed to see what my girls thought of it.”
The sound of little feet thundering across the ceiling was followed by squeals of delight. A moment later, Anna yelled, “Evy! Come see the window! There’s a huge pool in the back!”
Logan and I looked at each other and laughed. “I guess that’s your answer,” I said. “You can call the owner and close the deal.”
“They seem to approve. And I like it, too. Come see.”
He took my hand and led me through the modern kitchen to a locked patio door. He found the right key and unlocked it.
The backyard was simply breathtaking. A manicured garden burst with flowers of every color, leading to a huge lawn and the glistening pool the girls had spotted from above.
I walked down the porch steps onto the lush grass. I could almost see it—Aurora and Anna chasing each other across the lawn, learning to swim in the pool on hot summer days, building a snowman right there in the winter.
The vision filled me with a painful mix of joy and heartache. I was so happy knowing they would grow up in a place like this. But it was devastating to know I wouldn’t be here to see it.
There was less than a month left on our agreement. Soon, I would return to Los Angeles. I would be far away from them.
And from Logan.
“Evy?” His voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I realized he was now standing beside me. “Are you okay?”
I didn’t understand the question at first. Then I felt the hot tears streaming down my cheeks.
“I… I’m just overwhelmed. Thinking about how happy the girls will be, growing up here.”
“Well, I haven’t closed the deal yet.”
“What’s left to decide? You love the house, and your girls love it.”
“The thing is,” he said softly, “when I said my girls, I didn’t just mean them.”
His words surprised me, but also confused me. Was I reading too much into this? Before I could ask, we heard footsteps from inside. Anna and Aurora ran onto the porch and began spinning on the lawn.
“Hey, girls,” Logan called, waving to get Aurora’s attention.
They ran over and stopped in front of us. “So, what’s the final verdict?” Logan asked.
Aurora signed enthusiastically that it was the most beautiful house in the world. Anna agreed, bubbling with excitement. “We picked our room! You have to see it! It has one blue wall and one pink wall—it’s like it was made for us!”
“Wow, that’s perfect!” Logan exclaimed. I had to hide a smile, suspecting he’d probably had it painted that way himself.
“Are we going to live here forever?” Anna asked, her voice hushed with hope.
Both girls looked at him, their eyes wide with anticipation.
“I think so,” Logan said. “I really love it, too. Now we just need to know what Evy thinks.”
Three pairs of eyes turned to me. I prayed I wasn’t misinterpreting this, that he wasn’t just playing with my heart.
“My opinion isn’t really important,” I managed. “I’ll only be here a little while longer.”
Then Logan stepped in front of me, taking both my hands in his and looking directly into my eyes.
It was a low blow. I could no longer hold back the tears.
“Evy,” he began, his voice steady and sure. “When will you understand that we don’t want you to leave?”
“I don’t know if you’re speaking for the girls or for yourself, Logan.”
“I know I speak for all three of us when I say we want you to stay. But I speak for myself—only for myself—when I tell you I am completely and utterly in love with you.”
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out, my voice choked by a sob.
And then he made it impossible to hold myself together. He knelt right there on the grass, still holding my hands. As if that wasn't enough to shatter me completely, Anna and Aurora exchanged a gleeful look, then mimicked their father, until all three of them were kneeling before me.
“Evelyn García…” he began, his voice thick with emotion.
“I know we started on completely the wrong foot. But… it was the best mistake I’ve ever made.
You are the most incredible woman I’ve ever known.
And when I asked if you wanted to come back to New York with us, I needed you to understand that our agreement means nothing to me now.
I want you with me because… hell, I’ve never said this to anyone before… I love you.”
“Logan…” I whispered, my voice trembling.
He continued, his gaze never leaving mine. “I know it might be too soon to ask you to move in with us permanently—even though I want that more than anything. So what I’m asking is: stay in New York. And, more importantly… stay with me.”
“And with me!” Anna chimed in.
Aurora nodded fervently, her hands signing, ‘Me too!’
“Stay with us, Evy,” Logan reinforced, his voice steady and sure. “Be my girlfriend. And when you’re ready, be my fiancée, and then my wife. Be a second mother to my daughters.”
If I had been afraid of misreading his signals before, I was now terrified I would wake up at any second and find this was all a dream.
The most beautiful dream imaginable.
When I let go of Logan’s hands and took a small step back, I saw the smile fade from his face, replaced by a flicker of heartbreaking uncertainty.
But he understood a moment later when I raised my own hands and began to speak, my words flowing through signs, my eyes shining with tears as I looked at him, then at Anna, and finally at Aurora.
I
Love
All
Three
Of
You
Very
Much.
The smiles on Rory and Anna’s faces widened into pure, radiant joy. And Logan’s smile returned, deeper and more certain this time, showing he understood every word.
“I had a feeling, Evy…” he teased, in that smug, confident Dr. Turner tone I’d come to adore. “So, just to be perfectly clear… does that mean yes?”
I made the sign for ‘yes’ with one hand, while nodding fervently and letting the word spill from my lips in a breathless, joyful rush.
“Yes. Yes, yes, yes!”
And in that moment, with words, with gestures, and with signs, I promised them I wanted to be in their lives forever.
Logan surged to his feet, closed the distance between us in two strides, and wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me into the air. He spun me around, his laughter mingling with mine as he kissed me, the world dissolving into a blissful blur.
Around us, the girls erupted, jumping, screaming, and clapping in a perfect, chaotic chorus of celebration.