The Life I Didn’t Live
As the years went by, people kept asking about my future.
“Are you dating anyone?”
“When are you getting married?”
“Don’t you want children of your own?”
I always smiled and changed the subject.
The truth was complicated.
I dated occasionally in those early years. A few good men came into my life. But every relationship eventually ended for the same reason.
The twins needed me.
Soccer games. School meetings. Doctor’s appointments. Unexpected expenses. Late-night conversations. Broken hearts. Growing pains.
Being a parent wasn’t a part-time responsibility. It was everything.
And I never once regretted choosing them.
Still, there were quiet moments. Moments coming home to an empty house after dropping them at a friend’s place. Moments at weddings, attending alone. Moments wondering what my life might have looked like if that accident had never happened.
Then Mason or Noah would hug me out of nowhere and say something like, “Love you, Aunt Rachel.”
And every doubt disappeared.
