Lisa Bingham - The Miracle Twins

The admission stunned her. He’d missed her? Even more shocking was his willingness to admit it.

Nick drew her closer, and Lucy didn’t have the will to resist. She pushed away the sensible part of her consciousness that warned her an embrace could only lead to trouble. Instead, she surrendered to the heat that flooded her body.

It had been so long since she’d felt this way. So very long.

When his lips touched hers, she rested against him, her hands absorbing the solid warmth of his chest through the soft texture of his shirt. Then she rose on tiptoe, drowning in the heady desire that Nick’s kiss created.

“Even when you’re a sack of bones, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known,” he murmured when he pulled back to trail his lips from her cheek to her jaw, then down the sensitive arch of her neck.

“Flatterer,” she breathed, the sarcasm of her remark lost in the barely audible response.

She curled her fingers into his hair, drawing him up for another kiss. Yet, even as the passion raced through her, she wasn’t foolish enough to think any good would come from this moment. She was playing with fire and she would be burned. It was inevitable.

It was also the first time in years that she’d felt thoroughly alive….

But as much as she wanted to revel in the emotions she was feeling, Lucy knew she couldn’t. So much depended on her. She couldn’t allow herself to be sidetracked—especially not for selfish reasons.

Dragging her lips away, she whispered, “We need to go.”

“Okay.”

“Right now.”

He took a deep breath, nodded, then finally released her. “Fine. We’ll go. Right now.”

LUCY HAD THOUGHT that Nick would want to bring his own car so he could return directly home from the airport. But he seemed in no hurry, saying he’d come with her in the van, then take a cab from her hotel.

They arrived at Salt Lake International well before eleven o’clock and stowed the van in the short-term parking lot. Then they made their way to the appropriate terminal, where they began their wait.

From the outset, Lucy couldn’t stay still. She paced back and forth between the ticket counters and the baggage claim area, causing more than one security officer to eye her carefully.

Finally, Nick grabbed her wrist. “If you don’t calm down, you’re going to attract security’s attention.”

“Sorry.”

“They’ll be here soon enough, and from that point on you’ll be running nonstop. You should enjoy your last few moments of solitude.”

“You make it sound like I’m an expectant mother.”

He looked at her inquiringly. “Aren’t you?”

His words made her pause, but she shook her head. “I’m only one person in a team of caretakers.”

“And how is that different from a mother who relies on the help of nannies, family or day care to help with her children?”

“My role is temporary.”

He frowned. “Not to those little girls. Right now, you are the most stable influence in their lives. You’re their protector and their cheerleader—and they’re going to need one hundred percent of your commitment.” His eyes softened. “Something I think they already have.”

Warmth rose in her cheeks. Sometimes, she was sure her “commitment” bordered on an obsession. The moment she’d first held the children and felt their tiny bodies moving against her she’d known she could never let them down.

“Miss?”

She turned when a skycap approached.

“Are you Lucy Devon?”

“Yes.”

“I thought I recognized you from TV,” he said with smile. “I was asked to tell you that the party you’re waiting for has arrived safely and the children are well. They will be down as soon as they clear customs.” He held up a set of luggage tickets. “I’ll gather these and meet you by the baggage claim area.”

Lucy took Nick’s hand, urging him toward the base of the escalator where a group of people had gathered to welcome arriving passengers.

Within minutes, two dark-skinned women appeared on the landing. One pushed an oversize carriage-type stroller, while the other carried a large diaper bag and wheeled a small suitcase.

“It’s them. It’s them!” Lucy waved, bouncing up and down. Impulsively, she squeezed Nick’s arm, then ran toward the elevator.

At the sight of her, the weary women broke into smiles and called out.

“Lucy!”

“Hello!”

Nick remained behind, watching as the pair maneuvered the stroller and their belongings onto the elevator. As the car made its short trip to the lower level, they peered impatiently through the glass walls.

Finally, the doors slid open and they stepped out.

“Tamika, Kyro! Welcome!” Lucy hugged the two nurses, then bent to peer into the buggy. “Hello, sweet things,” she cooed. Her hand disappeared as she caressed the children, then she turned to the nurses again. “Any problems?”

“No, ma’am.” Tamika’s voice held a hint of her native dialect mixed with a clipped British intonation. “They slept most of the way.” Her lips twitched in a little smile. “Kyro was not so fortunate.”

Kyro’s cheeks took on a rosy hue. “I did not like—” she searched for the right words “—the height.”

Lucy offered her another hug. “Don’t worry, Kyro. No more flying for quite some time. I promise.”

Looking at Nick, Lucy gestured for him to come closer. “This is Dr. Nick Hammond. Nick, I would like you to meet Tamika and Kyro Tabumba. They’re recently graduated nurses who’ve been caring for the twins since their birth. And they’re sisters, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed. They agreed to accompany the children and serve as their nannies for a few months.”

The women shyly held out their hands and Nick shook them, nodding slightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The women’s smiles grew wide.

“Would you like to be introduced to the twins?” Lucy asked.

“Of course.”

Lucy drew him forward until he could see two infants lying face-to-face. They wore frilly bonnets and were wrapped in a puffy quilt edged in candy-pink ruffles.

“May I?” Nick asked, indicating the blanket.

“Yes.”

He gently pulled the quilt down to reveal two tiny bodies in pink pajamas.

Even knowing exactly what he would find, Nick’s first full glimpse of the children was shocking. Great care had been taken to sew their outfits together, and the drape of the fabric hid much of what lay beneath, but it was still obvious that the children were fused from sternum to abdomen.

Automatically, Nick’s training took over as he made a quick examination. He was pleased to see that—although they had feeding tubes and their bodies seemed quite small for their age—the girls appeared stable and strong.

“They look like fighters,” he murmured, replacing the blanket.

“Yes, they are,” Lucy agreed proudly. “They’ve gone through so much to make it this far.”

“Shall we go get the luggage?”

Nick relieved the nurses of their carry-on bags while Lucy took control of the stroller. As the women marched ahead of him, Nick had to remind himself that he hadn’t formally committed himself to helping the twins. But as he followed in the wake of these three determined women, he knew it would be futile to resist. Not only would he have Lucy and the nurses to contend with if he refused…

But he’d have to explain himself to a pair of twins who had already wriggled their way beneath his professional detachment.

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