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"I knowand I’ently reached out towardizing? You haven’t done anything wrong"

Maybe The truth was, I wasn’t entirely sure why I was apologizing either Lots of reasons, I supposed I felt bad for leaving Isaac and Ivy I felt bad for leaving Evan

"I just feel like I’ would be taking off without leaving any provisions for your children or if you just left on a whiht caain, of how simple life would be here, with hi to do with the Southern jokes I’d made when Roland first sent me here It was all about this faness to let everyone make their own choices It was about a lifestyle free of politics and schemes I took hold of Evan’s hand and squeezed it

"Thank you For everything I really appreciate it"

He gave ?"

"Yes, actually And all the other million little activities you took me on You have no idea how eez," he said, turning adorably flustered I even caught sight of a blush "I was just worried you were bored left alone at the house all day If I’d knoas being rated, I would’ve taken you on a proper date"

I laughed again and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek "You did, believe me Countless times"

He blushed further "I don’t know about that But when you get back, wellthenback Even now, he was still cautious of pushing too hard on ainand thank you for, well, for them" I pointed back at the NICU "I know you’ll be just as busy with them as your aunt and uncle will be"

Evan s to thank me for when it co out of having to leave the twins, but I was left melancholy and wistful for a whole new set of reasons as Roland and I began our journey home

After a couple connections and layovers, we finallyFor the first ti while, I allowedthat wasn’t the twins Tucson How long had it been since I’d been here? Even before my tientry assassins Looking at the Sonora Desert that surrounded the city, bathed in the oranges and reds of sunset, I felt a surge of joy spread through ical pull of doms, but I’d ached for it nonetheless

My mother cried out in joy when Roland and I walked into their house She raced forward, catching ht I heard a muffled sob and hoped she wouldn’t cry because I was pretty sure I’d start crying too She clung to ain if she let go When she finally stepped back, she took one look at me and asked, "What happened?" My body wasn’t a hundred percent back to its original shape, but it was pretty obvious I was no longer pregnant

"You’re a grand for sie of passing out, we all moved to the kitchen table in order to recap what had been happening Roland and I had plenty of digital pictures to share, and my mother pored over them, a look of wonder on her face that I was pretty sure rilled us on the twins’ health and the hospital’s care, then moved on to an examination of the Reeds

For her own safety, I didn’t tell my mom where the Reeds lived As I described the as I realized this all read like so in obscurity with a childless couple, only to discover later that they were the offspring of a fairy queen

Oncequality care, she s "Did you really have to name her Ivy?" my mother asked She wrinkled her nose "It’s such ahippie name"

I rolled my eyes "It’s a fine name And it sounds nice with Isaac"

My mother looked skeptical "Well So do Isabelle and Irene"

There was no question I’d stay overnight at their house, but I knew that was probably the only time I could spend in Tucson My mother would’ve kept me forever if she could, but Roland and I both knew that I couldn’t delayto the Otherworld I planned on spending ear for the wintry conditions of the Otherworld’s blight Roland shook his head when I told hito need o all out Scarves, gloves, boots Then layer up underneath those"

"This is summer in Tucson," I reht outside his"Where a ski trade outside of town in the winter, so getting supplies wouldn’t have been that difficult any other ti to have to do a little bit of hunting"

He was right Daytier hunt as I scoured the city for sporting goods stores that had any er winter stock Secondhand stores provided sos like sweaters My Tucson nostalgia was still going strong, so in so all over I was able to see all the farab lunch at one of my favorite hole-in-the-wall Southwest restaurants

Late afternoon foundtowardelse around here, it had been months since I’d been to the house I pulled into the driveway and sat inin the familiar view It looked exactly the way I’d left it, with its stucco finish and rock garden of a lawn The house wasn’t big--it only had two bedrooms--but there’d been plenty of space for my needs Plus, it had been mine, my own sanctuary, in a way that even the Otherworldly castles weren’t, seeing as those always had people cootten a spare key from my parents and let ed I’d left the house in the care of es, but if any Otherworldly denizens had co after I left, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Tim had taken some extreme security precautions