I studied their picture carefully.
“They look terrified,” I said quietly.
Joshua squeezed my hand.
“Maybe we could make them feel safe.”
My chest tightened.
“I want to try.”
He contacted the agency that same night.
The first time we met the twins, I watched Joshua more than the children.
He crouched down beside Matthew and offered him a dinosaur sticker.
“Do you like dinosaurs?” he asked gently.
Matthew barely nodded, staying close to his brother.
William spoke instead.
“He doesn’t talk much. I usually talk for both of us.”
Then he looked directly at me, cautious and observant, like he was trying to decide whether I could be trusted.
So I knelt beside them and smiled softly.
“That’s okay,” I said. “I usually talk for Joshua too.”
Joshua laughed instantly.
“She’s absolutely right,” he told them.
For the first time, Matthew smiled.
And William stepped just a little closer.
