Her Twin Surprise (Forsaken Sons Book 2) Read online

  Kinsley smiled. “Goodness, Edward might be a bastard, but he is a good looking one. Well, he was. Cancer has certainly taken a toll on him.” She thought about that for a moment, a smile forming again. “So those kids are just as good looking?”

  Frankie nodded. “Yeah. They’re adorable. But…I just can’t let Edward get his claws into them.”

  Kinsley leaned forward, her eyes determined. “Talk to the mother. Maybe the father is still alive and can protect his children. But if he isn’t, then come to us. Heck, tell the mother to come to us. You know that Lincoln and I will protect those kids, no questions asked. If the mother ever needs anything, she should call us immediately.”

  Frankie sighed with relief. “Thanks, Kins. You’re the best!”

  For the next hour, the two women chatted happily before departing to get to work.

  Frankie typed up a letter to Stevie Hunt, and dropped it off at her house. The letter simply explained her mission as well as Kinsley’s offer of kinship and protection, but no details. If the woman wanted information, Frankie would help her. Hopefully, Frankie could find out who the father of those cuties was as well. But if the guy was gone, for whatever reason, she felt good knowing that Kinsley and Lincoln could keep an eye on them.

  Chapter 11

  “Momma!” Halley called out. “Herbie is eating…!”

  Stevie didn’t hesitate. She dropped the letter and ran. If that enormous dog was eating anything, it would come out the other end and Herbie wasn’t good about waiting until he went outside. The animal was sweet and lovable, but he tended to eat everything, and he had a sensitive stomach.

  “…my bunny!”

  Oh no! That was bad!

  Stevie rushed into the family room and spotted the giant canine. Sure enough, the dog had the stuffed bunny’s ears in his mouth and was trying to tear off the head with his paw. “I’ve got him,” Stevie assured Halley, grabbing the bunny’s tail. Thankfully, the stuffed animal wasn’t Halley’s favorite. Stevie and the dog fought for possession of the bunny, which was complicated by Halley and Harrison clapping, each cheering for a side.

  “Go Herbie!” Harrison called. “You can do it!” Herbie’s tail started wagging, which was another danger. His tail was so long it could clear everything off of the coffee table in a single swipe!

  “Momma! Don’t hurt my bunny!” Halley called out, jumping up and down.

  Stevie groaned. “Stop cheering, you two. Herbie thinks this is a game.”

  Halley slapped her hand over her mouth, those silver eyes of hers staring at the tear that was slowly forming along the neck of the stuffed bunny. “Momma!” she cried out.

  Harrison bounced in time with his applause. “Go Herbie!”

  No! Not more cheering! “No Harrison! Stop calling out to Herbie! He’ll hurt Halley’s bunny!”

  Harrison shrugged and grabbed Halley’s stuffed elephant, offering it to the dog. “Here. You like this one better.”

  Not the most compassionate response, Stevie thought, rolling her eyes, but he was right. Herbie definitely would prefer the elephant because of the trunk.

  That wasn’t the point though. Realizing that she was losing the battle, and stuffing was leaking out, Stevie took a different tact. She released the stuffed animal, and knelt by the dog’s head. This confused Herbie. He chomped a bit more on the bunny, keeping at least half of the stuffed animal in his mouth, but he stopped pulling. Stevie rubbed Herbie’s ears soothingly. Herbie’s eyes closed with happiness. Unfortunately, his mouth didn’t open. In fact, the dog kerplunked onto the floor and stared up at Stevie with abject adoration, silently begging for more. He was such an attention hound.

  And because Herbie was now prone on the floor, Halley and Harrison rushed over to help rub his belly. The dumb dog rolled over, his long, bony legs up in the air as he exposed more of his belly to his lucky benefactors. Still, he didn’t release the bunny.

  “Herbie,” Stevie soothed. “Give me the bunny.”

  Herbie’s big, dark eyes opened and he looked at her. “Give it to me,” she urged, more softly this time, and with more rubbing.

  Slowly, the dog’s mouth relaxed. Stevie rubbed his ears more. “Keep rubbing his belly, guys,” she instructed the twins. “He loves it.”

  The kids rubbed his belly and his chest and Herbie sighed happily, his bliss complete and his jaw slackened. Finally, the bunny was released, but they all three continued to cuddle the dog, praising him for doing the right thing.

  Several minutes later, Stevie considered that it was okay to stop the love-fest. “Thank goodness!” Stevie sighed, standing up, the bunny tucked under her arm. She shuddered at what this stuffed animal would look like after it had gone through Herbie’s system. Gross! Just too gross!

  Crisis averted, she headed back into the kitchen. “Okay, I’m going to make dinner. Can you two keep Herbie occupied?”

  Halley looked at her mother. “I was reading when he took my bunny.”

  “Well, maybe Herbie was upset that you weren’t reading to him,” she suggested.

  Halley considered that possibility, then ran to get her book, which was really just a picture book since Halley could only read a few words. She sat down next to Herbie and leaned against him, “reading” her book aloud for him. For his part, the dog curled around her, nuzzling her hand every few moments when she forgot to pet him.

  Harrison flopped onto the couch, grabbing his own book and making up a story with the pictures there.

  Satisfied that she had at least two minutes of quiet time, she walked back into the kitchen. The discarded letter was right where she’d dropped it. Stevie picked it up and read through it again. A private investigator? Who had the kind of money needed to hire a private investigator? But this “Frankie” person wanted to talk with Stevie, to explain something and ask for help?

  As she pulled the chicken out of the fridge, Stevie thought about Janus. She remembered everything about him. She remembered his soft touch, the way his mouth could drive her wild with desire and…and those stunning silver eyes that she looked at every time she looked at her children. They looked so much like their father that it was spooky

  This was one of those issues that she’d love to have someone to ask for advice. In the past, Stevie would have called her mother. The pain of her mother’s passing was still there. Still raw and painfully a part of her.

  Fortunately, she didn’t have time to think about that. She focused instead on prepping the chicken and vegetables. It was going to be stir fry for dinner tonight, she thought. Quick and easy to make and easy to clean up as well.

  Two hours later, Stevie kissed Halley and Harrison on the forehead, then rubbed Herbie’s ears. He was draped across Harrison’s bed tonight and Stevie wondered what she was going to do with the dog when the kids got older and needed more leg room.

  That was a problem for another day, she thought as she pulled the door closed and went down the stairs to make the kids’ lunches for tomorrow. If she were lucky, Stevie might have five minutes to read before she fell asleep tonight. Or maybe she needed to use those five blissful moments to sew up the tear in the stuffed bunny.

  Her phone buzzed with a message and Stevie considered ignoring it. But in the past, she’d learned that ignoring issues didn’t make them go away. They only postponed the inevitable.

  While passing by the kitchen table, she glanced down at the phone while grabbing peanut butter and jelly from the cabinet. The message was from that private investigator. As she read the message, Stevie groaned. “You’re here?”

  Glancing at the clock, she realized that it was only eight thirty. This probably wasn’t late for most people. But those people didn’t have two rambunctious four year olds that liked to get up at the crack of dawn. Nor did they have a happy go luck horse-dog that needed to be walked before they left for school. Giving Herbie enough exercise meant heading to the park before school. And because she was a single mother, the twins had to come to the park for that exercising.
r />   “Better just get this over with,” she muttered. Her fingers flew over the buttons, then she pressed send.

  A moment later, there was a soft knock on the front door. Stevie was grateful she didn’t ring the doorbell. That would have woken up the kids. As it was, the soft knock alerted Herbie and the dog bounded down the stairs, his tail bouncing off the walls.

  Normally, Stevie would tell Herbie to go back to bed. But she decided she preferred the big dog’s presence. Granted, Herbie would probably just slobber all over this Frankie person. But, hopefully his size would be intimidating.

  Pulling open the door, Stevie once again stared into the shockingly green eyes of a woman that looked like she should be in a movie.

  The woman’s hands lifted, palms out. “Ms. Hunt, I want to assure you that I have only the best of intentions.”

  Stevie didn’t like the sound of that. “Okay.” Suspending judgment for the moment, Stevie waved the woman into the kitchen. “I need to make lunches for tomorrow. Come on in.”

  Stevie led the way, keeping hold of Herbie as they moved through the messy family room and into the kitchen.

  “Looks like you have this process down to a science,” Frankie commented, looking at the peanut butter, jelly, bread and fruit laid out with almost military precision.

  “Oh, if only,” Stevie laughed. “So, I read your letter, but I’m not sure I understand it.”

  Frankie leaned against the counter. “Well, I was hired by a man named Edward Meyers. He’s a very wealthy man who, unfortunately, has terminal cancer. I don’t know how long he has to live. He believes that he has three living sons and hired me to find them, reconnect with them.”

  Stevie watched the gorgeous woman’s features and knew that she was leaving something out. “Okay. That makes sense. What does that have to do with me?”

  “You submitted DNA to this company,” Frankie explained, pushing a piece of paper across the counter. “Edward Meyers submitted his DNA as well. Both of you checked the box indicating that you wanted to know if there were any familial matches from other samples. In this case, the DNA you submitted was a match to Edward Meyers.”

  Stevie stopped spreading peanut butter and looked up with a confused frown. “Well…I don’t know this Edward person.”

  Frankie nodded in understanding. “He would be your kids’ grandfather. I’m hoping that you might be able to tell me who the father is.”

  The knife clattered to the floor. For a moment, they stood there, staring at the knife on the floor. Finally, Stevie bent down and picked it up, put it in the dishwasher and grabbed a clean one. But she didn’t continue with her lunch preparations. Her hands trembled too badly.

  “I don’t…”

  “I know,” Frankie replied softly. “If this is not what you want, then I won’t pressure you. This is completely your choice, Ms. Hunt.”

  Stevie pushed her hair behind her ear, nervous and stunned at the words. “Please, call me Stevie. And thank you for that.” Could she trust this woman? Stevie wondered. The look of genuine concern in the woman’s eyes told her that, yes, she could trust Frankie. It might be a ploy, but there was something…comforting in the young woman’s eyes.

  “There’s more,” Frankie continued, taking a steadying breath. “I…” she hesitated, and licked her lips nervously. “This isn’t kind or professional of me, but I need to warn you. If you decide to move forward with…this…you should know that Edward Meyers is…he has a very powerful personality.”

  Stevie blinked. “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t like him,” Frankie replied bluntly. “In fact, he’s more than a bit of a bastard. He will do his best to intimidate you and might…well, I don’t know what he’ll do with the knowledge that he has grandchildren. The court system only allows grandparent rights if there is a question of parental neglect. But…well, I wouldn’t put anything past him.”

  Stevie went cold. As hard as it was to raise two rambunctious twins, Stevie loved her children desperately. She loved them more than anything in the world and there was no way she would put them in jeopardy.

  “Then no. Absolutely not!”

  Frankie nodded. Was that approval in her eye?

  “There’s more.” She pulled out a card that only had a phone number on it. “This is the private cell phone number of a man named Lincoln Meyers. He’s also a son of Edward Meyers, but Lincoln doesn’t want to have anything to do with Edward or his business. The man is…”

  “I’ve heard of him,” Stevie gasped. “He’s the one that designed the programmable coffee maker that grinds the coffee prior to each cup, and then stores the used coffee grounds for composting.” Stevie gestured towards the coffee maker in the corner. “I love that thing! It’s a life saver for me in the morning.”

  Frankie laughed. “Yeah, I have one too.”

  “Lincoln Meyers is Edward Meyers’ son?” She paused, then lifted her eyes to Frankie. “Doesn’t that make him my children’s uncle?”

  “Yep. That’s exactly right. He’s married to a wonderful woman named Kinsley Meyers and they are expecting their first child in a little more than two months.”

  Stevie’s mind whirled. “Cousins!” she whispered.

  Frankie nodded. “As horrible as Edward is, Lincoln and Kinsley are the best! He’s a truly nice guy. I have dinner with them about once a month. I met Kinsley when I was searching for Lincoln, trying to verify his DNA. I spoke to Kinsley recently, without giving away any names,” she assured Stevie. “Kinsley helped me work through the issues with what was going on with the investigation.” She leaned forward conspiratorial. “But they are on your side. Not Edward’s.”

  Stevie stared at the phone number, still struggling to take it all in. “But…you don’t know that Halley and Harrison are related to Lincoln Meyers, right?”

  Frankie smiled. “Actually, their DNA proves that, yes, they are related.”

  Another long silence.

  Stevie finally sat down and Frankie moved over to finish making the sandwiches. “What does all this mean?”

  Frankie expertly spread peanut butter and jelly, and pressed the two sides together. She even cut them into triangles, exactly the way Halley and Harrison preferred, before putting the sandwiches into the plastic containers. She sliced the grapes in half and added them into the small section. Then the carrots. The woman had obviously done this before, Stevie thought as she watched.

  Finally, Frankie came over and sat down in the opposite kitchen chair. “This is completely up to you. I can’t, and won’t, do anything until you’ve made a decision and you can take as much time as you need. Because your kids are involved, you call the shots. Whatever you decide, I’ll respect your answer.”

  Stevie let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Thank you for that.”

  Frankie continued. “I’d like to add though, that Lincoln is a really good man. He’d love to know who his brother is. And because I’m friends with them, if you allow me to tell him, I will keep this news private between you and Lincoln, or I can tell Edward.” She paused again. “Please, if you choose to contact your children’s grandfather, only do so with Lincoln by your side. He’ll protect you.”

  With that, Frankie stood up and walked quietly out of the house. Absently, Stevie heard the lock click and was grateful to the lovely woman who remembered to lock the door. Of course, as a private investigator, Frankie probably knew how to get around locked doors, but still…it was a comforting gesture.

  Stevie put the lunch containers into the fridge, then turned off the lights, double checking the doors to make sure they were locked before going upstairs. Herbie was by her side the whole time, but when she went into her bedroom, the dog went back to Harrison’s bed, curling up to keep watch over her babies.

  Chapter 12

  Stevie pulled the edges of her coat closer together and waited. The playground was crowded, so Stevie kept her eyes on her kids. Thankfully, the joke about twins preferring each other’s company wa
s true, so Halley and Harrison were never far from each other, although they were gregarious and invited other kids to join in regularly.

  “Stevie Hunt?” a deep voice come from behind her.

  Stevie spun with a gasp, recognizing the voice. But instead of seeing the tall, wonderfully handsome face of Janus behind her, she saw a man that was similar. Leaner, she thought. Just as tall but with shorter hair. The silver eyes though…! The silver eyes were the same ones she looked into each morning and every night.

  As she stared into those eyes, Stevie had an awful premonition that her life was about to change. Dramatically. And perhaps not for the best.

  “Lincoln Meyers?” she whispered, then cleared her throat. “You must be Mr. Meyers?”

  The man reached out, putting his arm around a lovely woman with brown hair and eyes the color of a tropical sea. She was very pregnant and Stevie smiled at the way the man’s arm encircled her waist, as if protecting her from the world.

  “Please,” the man extended his hand, “call me Lincoln. And this is my wife, Kinsley.”

  Stevie glanced over her shoulder, making sure that Halley and Harrison were still okay. When she spotted them at the bottom of the slide, she turned her attention back to the couple. “Frankie mentioned both of you.”

  They moved closer and Stevie felt…an unexpected kinship. Odd, she thought. After her mother’s death, she’d pushed the rest of the world away. She had acquaintances at her new school, but because of the twins and their needs, Stevie didn’t really have time to form friendships.

  “Frankie told us about you as well. And the kids,” Lincoln said, turning to look for them. “I didn’t…I didn’t know that I had brothers out in the world,” he added softly and Stevie watched as Kinsley leaned in closer, offering gentle and unwavering support and protection. It was a beautiful thing to see, Stevie thought with a pang of envy. She wanted this. She wanted someone she could rely on. She wanted someone who knew deep down how she felt and how to offer comfort.