The Firefighter's Twins. Heidi McCahan

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      * * *

      Shay corralled Aiden in the bathroom and swept him up in his favorite bath towel—the one with a puppy face and floppy ears on the hood and his name embroidered on the front. “What does a puppy say, Aiden?”

      “Woof, woof.” Aiden grinned, beads of water from the bath still clinging to his pale eyelashes. That adorable, innocent smile offered a ray of hope—a tender reminder that even in Shay’s exhausted state, he could keep going. In moments like these, weary from the marathon of the evening routine, he found himself wishing for a partner—someone to laugh at the boys’ antics with, as well as share the load. Natalie’s head cocked to one side, her gaze holding his, flitted through his mind.

       No.

      He gritted his teeth. Who was he kidding? He pushed the mental image aside and shifted his focus back to the boys—where it belonged.

      “That’s right.” He quickly dried Aiden and settled him on the bath mat. “Let’s put your jammies on.”

      “Books?”

      “After we brush your teeth, okay?”

      “’Kay.”

      He’d already lifted Liam from the tub, dressed him and sent him across the hall to play in the bedroom. Once he had Aiden’s diaper in place, Shay leaned back on his heels and listened.

      Silence answered back.

      “Liam?” he called over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”

      “He play.” Aiden stared up at him, fingering the hem of the bath towel lying nearby.

      “It doesn’t sound like he’s playing.” He scooped Aiden up, grabbing the clean pajamas off the counter on his way to the door. “Let’s go check.”

      “Yee-um?” Aiden called in a soft voice as they crossed the hallway to the boys’ bedroom.

      A line of cars and trucks sat abandoned in the middle of the floor, and puzzle pieces were spilled underneath one of the cribs, but there was no sign of Liam.

      “Nope, not here.” Shifting Aiden to his other hip, Shay hurried down the hall of their modest rambler and stopped at the back door. The dead bolt was secure, so he moved on, checking both the washer and dryer in the laundry room. Don’t panic. He’s got to be here somewhere.

      “Where go?” Aiden opened his palm heavenward.

      “I don’t know. We’ll find him.” He jogged to the front door and double-checked the childproof knob and the lock. A two-year-old couldn’t get past that, right?

      He pivoted, raking his hand through his hair as he surveyed the den and breakfast nook. “Liam?” His voice echoed off the empty walls. “Come out, buddy. No more hiding. It’s time to read books.”

      Aiden giggled. “Yee-um hide.”

      “I’m glad you think it’s funny,” Shay muttered. His heart rate rising, he retraced his steps back down the hall toward the master bedroom. Once or twice since they’d moved in, he’d allowed the boys to snuggle in bed with him and watch a cartoon on TV. It was the only way he could keep them still while he caught a few more precious minutes of sleep.

      “Liam?” He yanked back the comforter on his king-size bed. Empty. His chest tightened. “Where is he, Aiden?”

      Aiden regarded him with a wide-eyed stare, his thumb tucked securely in his mouth. This was probably just the beginning of the boys taking up for each other. Shay glanced at the clock on his nightstand. Mom would be over in a few minutes. She could keep Aiden occupied while he searched more thoroughly. Maybe he should call her and ask if she was on her way.

      “Sweepy.” Aiden mumbled around his thumb, resting his head on Shay’s shoulder.

      “I know you are. It’s almost bedtime. As soon as we find your brother.” He patted Aiden’s back while he went to the kitchen to grab his phone. When he reached the tile floor, something hard crunched under his bare foot. He stepped back and glanced down. The remnant of a Cheerio was smashed against the tile. A few more dotted the space between him and the pantry door, which was open a fraction of an inch. Shay nudged it open the rest of the way. Liam sat on the pantry floor, surrounded by the cereal—likely the entire box.

      “Liam Douglas Campbell, what do you think you’re doing?”

      “Uh-oh,” Aiden whispered.

      “Da-da.” Liam offered up a Cheerio. “Want some?”

      “No, I do not. Get up. Right now.” Shay couldn’t keep the exasperation from his voice.

      Liam clambered to his feet, Cheerios sticking to his dump truck pajamas.

      “Daddy mad.” Aiden patted Shay’s back.

      “Daddy is mad. You know better, Liam. You don’t go in the pantry without a grown-up, and you certainly don’t open anything without asking.”

      Liam’s lower lip pooched out, and he hung his head.

       Oh, here we go.

      His little body trembled as he began to cry. Out of sympathy, Aiden sniffled a few times before launching the waterworks, squirming to get down. Shay was happy to comply, releasing Aiden to stand with Liam, perhaps in a declaration of solidarity. They stood together, sobbing in the middle of the kitchen floor.

      “How did we get here?” he whispered, massaging his aching forehead with his fingertips.

      The doorbell rang, which only meant one thing. Backup.

      “Let’s go see who’s here. I sure hope it’s Nana.” They made their way to the front door, the boys’ cries escalating. He was certain that was for Nana’s benefit.

      He checked the peephole. Mom stood on the porch, holding a grocery sack and her overnight bag. He turned the lock and then opened the door. “Hey, Nana. We’re glad you’re here.”

      “Oh, my.” Her eyes widened. “What’s the matter with my fellas?”

      He stepped aside so she could come in. “Someone did some unsupervised exploring in the pantry.”

      She slid the groceries onto the table, next to a plate with Liam’s half-finished supper on it, and set her bag next to the chair. She kneeled down and tugged Liam toward her, smoothing his hair with her hand. He melted against her shoulder, sniffling.

      Aiden’s tears had slowed, replaced by hiccupy breaths. “Nana. Hugs.”

      “Pajamas first, pal.” Shay glanced around. “Where are they?”

      Aiden ignored him, toddling over to nuzzle Nana’s other shoulder.

      Leaving Mom to soothe the last of their tears, Shay backtracked until he found Aiden’s fire truck pajamas on the floor, in the laundry room.

      “Here we go, buddy. Let’s put these СКАЧАТЬ