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currently sporting was far from Hollywood style. Red was her favorite color and Troy didn’t mind the collage of sexy red outfits she owned, especially those reserved for intimate moments. Sexy wasn’t the first word that came to mind when he saw her in this one. It was Elmo .
    â€œWhy are you staring at me?’
    He wasn’t sure it would be safe to share his feelings. He smiled,“Because I love you,” and leaned in to give her a kiss, which was surprisingly more stimulating than he had imagined considering the Sesame Street song had started playing in his head.
    â€œYuck!” Nate stopped zooming long enough to interrupt their moment.
    â€œOh, hush, and go get your coat so we can go see Gigi.”
    â€œAre we still flyin’ on ’da big plane?”
    â€œYes, but I want you to try and go potty first,” ordered Natalie.
    â€œIs Sissy comin’ wif us?”
    â€œNo, remember, I told you Sissy went to Mississippi,” she reminded him.
    â€œDat’s anudder state, right, like O-H-I-O?” He actually stopped and did the arm motions along with the chant; something Nate had recently learned while watching an Ohio State football game with his father.
    Both parents laughed. “Yes, you silly willy. Now, hurry up and go potty so Daddy doesn’t leave us.”
    â€œI don’t want Daddy to leave. I wanna go on ’da big plane and see Gigi.”
    â€œYou will. First, do as your mother said.”
    Nate ran around the corner to the half-bath still zooming. This time with his arms stretched wide instead of with his toy airplane.
    â€œThat boy has too much energy for me. I hope Diane can keep up with him.” Natalie leaned against the wall and rubbed her belly.
    â€œYou know my mama will try for sure. You all right?”
    â€œYeah. I think your babies are as excited about this trip as Nate because they are bouncing around like crazy.”
    Troy gently placed his hand on her stomach, feeling the rapid thumps of the little ones moving about. What a miracle. He’d only wanted one more child and now he would have two. ThoughNatalie liked to say he must have had an overabundance of testosterone running through his veins during the time she conceived, truth be told, twins ran in her family, not his. Her father had even been a twin. He died when Natalie was only five, but whenever she shared memories about him, Troy could tell how special the relationship was between them. It was something he’d never known with his father, but hoped to give all of his children.
    Troy did feel like he’d missed out on some things in childhood by not having a great role model as a father. They never bonded over sports or cars. Troy never received advice about girls nor had anyone with whom he could ask those sensitive questions. In a way, Troy thought it would have been better if he did not know his father at all rather than having one who was presently absent. When he and Natalie married, Troy’s father didn’t even come to the wedding—something that bothered Troy’s mom more than it did him. Troy believed for a fact that people, in general, could change. The real question was, could his father?
    In an ideal world, Troy would be going to Houston looking to build some kind of relationship with his dad. However, reconciliation was the least of his concerns. As much as he loved his mom and sister, his focus wasn’t even on spending time with them. Ever since Elvin’s call two weeks ago, Elana had been at the forefront of his mind. She was his motivation to spend Christmas in Houston. She was the only one who mattered as he finally got Nate and Natalie in the truck, backed out of the garage, and headed to the airport. Destination: H-Town.

Chapter 3: Case Closed
    I f Troy got any sleep at all, it was only a few minutes. They got to Houston a little after one a.m. central time, but it was at least another hour before they got their bags, rental