John's phone buzzed, catching John's attention from the book he was reading. He put the book down and reached over for his phone, which had a message from Jack.
Happy almost birthday! Can't wait to see you tomorrow and meet your grandparents!
John smiled at the text before responding.
Happy almost birthday! Can't wait to see you, too! You're gonna love all the grandparents!
Once the message was sent, John put his phone back down and returned to the book. About 30 seconds later, his phone buzzed again, this time with a message from Noah.
Can't wait to see you! What time should I come over tomorrow?
John quickly typed back a reply.
Anytime after 3 should work. I know we're going to lunch and it could be a while. I'll text you if we stay at lunch forever.
Before putting his phone back, John waited for Noah's reply.
Great! Can't wait to give you your gift. Love you.
John smiled.
Love you, too.
Jude crept over to John's bed. Once he was beside it, he smiled mischievously as he watched John sleep before he jumped onto the bed and started shaking John.
"Get up!" he shouted as John stirred away, looking slightly irritated, but also smiling. "It's your birthday! Wake up!"
"All right, all right," John said in a tired voice. He sat up, stretching and yawning. "What time is it?"
"7:30," Jude replied excitedly. "Gram and G-pa are headed over right now and grandma Sharon is already downstairs. You'd better go say hello."
John chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I'd better. Let me make myself a little more presentable and I'll be right down."
"Make it fast," Jude said, leaping off the bed and heading toward the door to go downstairs. "Can't keep grandma waiting."
"Yeah, yeah," said John, standing up and stretching a little more before heading into the bathroom to freshen up. Once he had washed his face and gotten dressed, he headed downstairs and toward the kitchen, where all of the adults were chatting around the table. His siblings were sitting in the living room.
"Happy Birthday!" Stef, Lena and Sharon yelled as John walked into the kitchen. He grinned, slightly embarrassed, as Stef and Lena embraced him in a mama sandwich with hugs.
"18, John!" Stef exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement. "When did our baby grow up?"
"About the same time as Brandon and Callie," John replied, causing them all to laugh. Once Stef and Lena finally released him, Sharon stood up and pulled John into a hug.
"Happy Birthday, honey," she said as they hugged.
"I'm really glad you're here," John said.
"Of course. You think I'd miss my grandson's big day? No, sir."
They all laughed and started to sit around the table. Lena, however, walked over to the coffee pot.
"Can I get you some coffee, John?" she asked.
"That can count as my present," John answered, causing everyone to laugh again.
Lena poured John a mug of hot coffee and brought it over to John, who blew on it and took a small sip. She sat down next to Stef.
"So, when are Gram and G-pa coming?" John asked.
As if an answer, there was a knock at the door.
"I'm willing to bet that's them," Stef said. "Hey Brandon, can you get that?" she shouted into the living room.
A few moments later, they heard exclamations at the front door as Dana and Stewart arrived and hugged Brandon. Shortly after, Brandon appeared in the kitchen with them following him.
"John!" Dana exclaimed, putting her purse down and rushing over to John and pulling him into a hug. "Happy Birthday, honey!"
"Oh, thank you, Gram," John replied as he hugged her. "And thank you so much for coming!"
"Of course!" Dana said as they broke apart and she sat down. "We had to be here for your big day and to meet your twin brother."
"Yeah, when is our equally handsome other grandson coming over?" Stewart asked as he walked up to John and hugged him, too.
"He'll be here with David and Margaret around 10 and then we'll head to lunch."
"Speaking of which," Stef said. "Where would you like to go, John?"
"I think I'd like to try some place I've never been."
"Oooh, I know," Sharon piped up. "How about we go to Farrell's? It's about an hour drive from here and they have a fantastic menu and those big ice cream sundaes are perfect for the birthday boys!"
"Sounds good to me," John said.
"Great! I'll call and get us a reservation!"
Right at 10:00, there was a knock at the door. John hurried to the door and opened it. Jack stood with David and Margaret in the doorway, smiling.
"Hi!" John exclaimed, pulling his twin into a hug. "Happy Birthday!"
"Happy Birthday! I'm so glad we can be together for a change!"
"Me, too," John said, breaking the hug. He gave Margaret a quick hug and shook David's hand. "Thanks for coming."
"Of course," David said.
"We can't wait to meet the rest of your family," Margaret added.
"Yes, please come in," John said, gesturing them inside. Once they were in, he shut the door behind them and led them toward the kitchen.
"Everyone!" John said, causing everyone in the kitchen to quiet down. "Moms, I guess no introduction is needed here, since you've met everyone. But, Gram, G-pa and Grandma, this is my twin brother, Jack," he said, gesturing to his twin. "And these are his parents, David and Margaret. And this is my Gram, Dana, G-pa Stewart and Grandma Sharon."
"It's great to meet all of you," Dana said, standing up and walking toward John and Jack. "Everyone calls me Gram, Jack," she added, shaking his hand. "And thank you both for coming today, it's wonderful to meet you both," she said to David and Margaret as she shook their hands, followed by Stewart and Sharon.
"Hey, I left my sleeping bag and pillow in the car," Jack whispered into John's ear. "Can you help me with it?"
"Sure," John whispered back. "Jack and I will be right back," he said in his regular voice. "We're gonna put his sleeping stuff in my room."
The twins quickly left the kitchen and headed back toward the front door. David turned to Stef and Lena.
"Thanks so much for letting Jack stay the night," he said. "He really wanted to be with John on his birthday."
"Of course," Stef replied.
"We're happy to host him," Lena added.
Back in John and Jude's room, John helped Jack carry his sleeping back and pillow into the room and set them down on the floor. Once they caught their breath again, Jack spoke.
"I'm glad we can be alone for a minute," he said. "I wanted to give you your birthday present now."
John chuckled. "I wanted that, too. It's like we think alike or something."
Jack laughed as he pulled a small box out of his pocket and handed it to John. John took it and opened it. Inside the box was a ring. He took the ring out of the box and examined it.
"It's my high school class ring," Jack explained. "I wanted you to have a part of me with you at all times."
"I love it," John said, close to tears. He took the ring and placed it onto his right ring finger. It was a perfect fit.
"I'm glad it fits," Jack said.
"Me, too," John replied, wiping a tear away. "OK, enough of that." He reached over to his desk and picked up a small box. He handed it to Jack. "Happy Birthday."
Jack took the box and opened it. Inside was a locket with a "J" on it. He picked up the necklace and opened it. On each side of the open locket was a picture of John and Jack.
"I love it," Jack said, also starting to tear up. "Thank you so much."
John walked closer to Jack and pulled him into a hug. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
Everyone sat together around a large table at Farrell's after lunch. They were chatting animatedly when they heard clapping and noticed a group of Farrell's staff walking toward them. Two of the servers were carrying sundaes. Once the staff reached their table, the two servers placed the sundaes in front of John and Jack, who were sitting next to each other.
"All right, everyone!" shouted one of the servers. "John and Jack are celebrating their 18th birthday today! Let's wish them a Happy Birthday!"
She counted off "1, 2, 3, 4" before joining the rest of the servers in clapping and singing.
"Happy, happy birthday from Farrell's staff to you," they sang. "We wish it was our birthday so we could party, too. Hey!"
With that, the staff retreated from the table and the rest of the restaurant resumed what they were doing.
John glanced over at Stef and Lena, who were laughing uncontrollably.
"Another birthday surprise?" he asked in a sarcastic tone. "You shouldn't have."
Moms laughed again, barely able to get a few words out.
"Happy Birthday, Love," Stef said in between laughs.
"Glad we could embarrass you again," added Lena.
Everyone pulled into the driveway of the house. Sitting on the porch waiting for them was Noah. John walked with Jack, Stef and Lena toward the front door. Noah stood up and smiled at John, who pulled him close and kissed him.
"Happy Birthday," Noah said while they hugged.
"I'm really glad you're here," John replied.
"Of course," said Noah. "I wouldn't miss it for anything." They broke their hug and Noah smiled at Jack. "Happy Birthday to you, too, Jack."
"Thanks," Jack replied.
They all entered the home and waited for everyone else to park and enter the house.
"Hey, boys, we're gonna do presents now, so why don't you all head into the kitchen and everyone else will join you?" Lena suggested.
The boys all walked into the kitchen as the front door opened and everyone else started to pile into the house. There was a general commotion as everyone filed into the kitchen and settled in.
"OK, OK, present time, everyone!" Stef announced. "Everyone get the boys' presents out and we can watch them open!"
Everyone rummaged around, reaching for their presents for the boys. While they did, Brandon walked up to John and passed him an envelope.
"Hey, John, this is for you," he said. "I checked the mail and this was all that was in it."
"Thanks," John said, taking the envelope and glancing at it. It was an official-looking letter with a return address of a lawyer's office in downtown San Diego. Frowning, John opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.
Dear John Adams Foster,
My name is Bill Shuman and I'm an attorney specializing in life insurance policies. I am contacting you on behalf of your birth parents, Henry and Monica Foster. I understand your 18th birthday is nearing, or is already here, in which case I want to wish you a Happy Birthday.
The reason I'm contacting you is about the life insurance policy for you and your twin, Jack Olson, that your birth parents took out for you both when you were born. Their will states the two of you are to split money received by this insurance policy. In addition, it was designed to go into effect once the both of you turned 18. In total, the policy is worth $50,000 each for you and your twin. The money is yours to use, but I would like to request a meeting with the both of you at your earliest convenience.
My contact information is listed at the bottom of this letter under my signature. Please feel free to contact me whenever you are available and we can set up an appointment.
Yours sincerely,
Bill Shuman
Attorney
John had to reread the letter twice to make sure he wasn't mistaken. But there it was, clear as day.
"What's up, Love?" Stef asked once everyone was situated.
John looked up. He had almost forgotten about everyone else in the kitchen with them. "It's a letter from a Bill Shuman, an attorney who specializes in life insurance policies," he explained.
"Why would he be contacting you?" asked Lena.
"To let me know that the life insurance policies taken out by my birth parents are now mine and Jack's to use. He wants to set up a meeting with us to figure out how we are going to get the money."
"How much is it worth?" Sharon asked.
John hesitated, glancing at the letter again before looking back up and directly at Sharon. "It's $50,000 each."
