Rebecca Winters - Doorstep Twins / The Cowboy's Adopted Daughter

“I had our DNA compared to theirs. It’s a match.”

Leon’s face went white.

“I’ve seen them,” Andreas confided. Thanks to Gabi, he’d held and fed both of them, an experience he’d never forget.

His brother’s dark head reared back. “You’ve seen them—” He sounded incredulous.

“Yes. They’re three months old.”

“Three months?” He mouthed the words, obviously in shock. “How did Ms. Paulos contact you?”

“She didn’t. Tragically for the children, she died on the operating table giving birth to them.”

“She’s dead?” He kept repeating everything Andreas said, like a man in a trance.

“It was her half sister, Gabi Turner, who came to my office yesterday. She’s the one who arranged for me to see the boys at a park near the consulate today.”

His brother jumped up from the couch looking like a caged animal ready to spring.

“Take it easy, Leon. I know what you’re thinking, but you’d be dead wrong. In the first place, she believes I’m the father.”

Leon jerked around. “You didn’t tell her I was the one in that news photo?”

“No.”

His brother averted his eyes. “How much money does she want to keep quiet?” he asked in a subdued voice.

It was a fair question since the same one had dominated Andreas’s thoughts when she’d first pulled out the photograph. “Forget about her desire to blackmail me. This has to do with something else entirely.”

“And you believed her?” Leon cried, grabbing his shoulders.

Andreas supposed Gabi could have been lying through her teeth. If that were the case…He saw black for a moment before a semblance of reason returned.

“I’d stake my life on the fact that her only agenda for coming to me was to make sure I knew I had two sons before she left Greece.”

“Why would she do that?”

He sucked in his breath. “Because she said they deserve to be with their real father if it’s at all possible.”

Leon’s eyes clouded for a moment before he flashed Andreas a jaded look and released him. “It could be a ploy. Where’s she supposedly going?”

“Alexandria, Virginia.” To her home and her life, as she’d put it. “Her father started his diplomatic career there. I have confirmation of it.”

While Leon stood there tongue tied, Andreas’s cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID and clicked on. “Mother?”

“Where are you?”

“In my villa.” He glanced at his brother. “Leon’s with me.”

“Can’t you two stop talking business for one evening?”

“Yes. We’ll be right over.”

“Good. Everyone’s wondering where you are. Deline’s been looking everywhere. We’re going to start some family movies.”

“Tell her we’re coming,” Leon called out loud enough for her to hear before Andreas clicked off.

He went into the study and locked the envelope in his desk, then eyed his brother soberly. “Since Gabi thinks I’m the father, we’ll leave it that way for now.”

As soon as Leon handed the wad to him he set it in an ashtray on the coffee table and put a match to it. When the evidence was gone, he lifted his head. “Before you make a decision about anything, you need to see the twins for yourself.”

Another odd sound escaped his brother.

“I’ll phone Gabi and see if we can’t arrange it for Monday. We’ll make up some excuse to the family about a business emergency. We won’t have to be gone long.”

Leon buried his face in his hands. “How am I going to be able to act like everything’s normal until then?”

A shudder passed through Andreas’s body. “We’re both going to have to find a way.”

His dark head reared back. “When Deline finds out about this…I swear I’ve been doing everything to make our marriage work. It only happened that one time, Andreas. It’ll never happen again. I love Deline.” The tremor in his voice was real enough.

“I believe you.”

“You know the reason why we separated for those two months. We’d been fighting over my working too much. She got on that old rant about my being married to you instead of her. She said she was tired of being neglected and told me I was the reason we hadn’t gotten pregnant yet.

“When she told me she wanted a separation because she needed time to think, I was in hell. After weeks of trying to get her to talk to me, she told me she was thinking of making the separation permanent. I was so hurt, I ended up taking the yacht out. Some of my friends came along and brought women. There was too much drinking. I never meant to lose my head.”

Andreas had heard it all before. He’d seen his brother was in anguish then, but this news added a terrifying new wrinkle.

After pacing the floor, Leon stopped and faced Andreas. “I know that was no excuse for making the ghastliest mistake of my life.” His mouth formed a thin line. “Sorry you got involved in this mess.” There was a lengthy pause. “It isn’t your problem. It’s mine , but I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do about it yet.”

At least Leon had admitted responsibility. “Once you’ve seen those babies, you’ll figure it out.” Of course Andreas could tell himself that now, but there was no sure way to know how his brother would feel after he’d gotten a look at them. “Let’s agree that for the moment there’s nothing else to be done. You go on back and find Deline. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Though he’d promised his mother he wouldn’t be long, he found he didn’t want to put off the phone call to Gabi until tomorrow. It surprised him how much he was looking forward to talking to her again.

Gabi had just finished changing the last diaper of the night when she heard her cell phone ring. She’d kept it in her jeans pocket to be certain she’d didn’t miss Andreas’s call if it came.

A peek at the caller ID and a rush of pleasure filled her body. Since her parents had gone out to dinner with guests, she could talk freely and clicked on.

“Andreas?”

“Good evening,” came his deep, compelling voice. She liked the sound of it. Thea had obviously found it attractive, too. The knowledge that she’d had an intimate relationship with him increased Gabi’s guilt and anger at herself for having any thoughts or feelings about him.

“Am I calling at the wrong moment?”

“No.” She left the bedroom that had been turned into a nursery and closed the door. “It’s a perfect time.” Gabi was the only person to speak for the children. He sounded eager enough to see them again. “The children are finally down until their three-o’clock bottle, thank heaven.”

“Then you’re going to need your beauty sleep, so I won’t keep you.”

She let the remark pass. His only agenda had to do with his children, who appeared to be growing on him. That was the result she’d been hoping for. Leaning against the wall in the hall, she said, “Have you decided you want to see the twins again?”

“Yes. Could we meet at the park on Monday?”

Her pulse sped up. “Of course. When would you like to come? Morning or afternoon is fine with me.”

“Morning would be an ideal time for me.”

“Then I’ll meet you at ten o’clock. After they’ve been fed and had their baths, I often take them on a walk when it’s not so hot.”

“I’m anxious to see them again.”

That was an excellent sign. “The children love any attention.” Especially when it was from their father. “I’ll see you then.”

“Gabi?” There was a nuance in his voice that caught her off guard.

“Yes?”

She heard him take a deep breath. “Thank you for being there for them.”

It was too early for her to get a handle on his vision for their future. After his visit on Monday to see the children, there might not be another one. She had to prepare herself for that possibility. “You don’t need to thank me. I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”