Double Trouble: Newborn Twins: Doorstep Twins / Those Matchmaking Babies / Babies in the Bargain

“Andreas—much as I’d love to go sightseeing with you this afternoon to give him more time with the twins, I think we should go back. You need to impress on him that if he waits even another day, it might be too late to convince Deline of anything.”

“I agree,” his voice rasped.

“Trust is everything. If Leon wants to prove his love, then he needs to approach her now.”

He nodded. “Not only that, every day he’s away from his sons, he’s losing that vital bonding time with them.” Andreas sprang to his feet. “Let’s go.”

With the sea so placid, they made it back to the beach in a flash, but Gabi had returned in a completely different frame of mind than when they’d headed for open water. She jumped into the shallows carrying her towel above her head and walked in the front door of the house ahead of Andreas.

To her surprise, Leon had brought the chil-dren into the living room. It was a touching scene to see the three of them spread out on the quilt together. Nikos lay next to his daddy, who held Kris in the air, kissing his tummy to produce smiles.

Andreas’s eyes looked suspiciously bright as he darted her a glance that spoke volumes. While she held back, not wanting to interrupt, he lifted Nikos from the floor and cuddled him.

Leon stood up with Kris pressed against his shoulder. “I can’t believe they’re mine.” He spoke into the baby’s soft black hair. He was totally natural with the children now.

“I dare say you’ve produced the most beautiful sons in the entire Simonides clan.”

He eyed Andreas with a soulful look. “No matter what, I have to tell Deline today. Come with me, bro.”

What Gabi had been hoping for had come to pass, yet with those words no matter what she felt a door close on her secret dream of adopting the twins herself. It was as if her heart had just been cut out of her body.

Chapter Five (#ulink_f7ce73de-2572-5aa9-87d5-74745e4861ca)

“GABI?” Leon had turned to her. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back. Do you mind being responsible for the twins a while longer? You know what I mean.”

Yes. She knew exactly, but by some miracle she didn’t give in to the impulse to break into hysterical sobbing. “I’ve loved taking care of my nephews and want to help you any way I can. Why don’t you put the children back in their cribs so I can change them?” she suggested in the brightest voice she could muster.

As they headed for the bedroom she was aware of Andreas’s avid gaze leveled on her, but she managed to avoid contact. He could see inside her soul. If she were to make the mistake of looking at him, her composure would dissolve. This was a pivotal moment for Leon. An emotional meltdown on her part now could ruin everything.

Thankful after they’d left the room and she could hear the rev of the boat engine, Gabi put clean diapers on the twins and got them ready for an evening walk around the village in their stroller. Next to the bakery was a deli where she could buy some food ready to go.

Once she’d showered and had dressed in a matching blue skirt and sleeveless top, she wheeled them out of the back door. Lena happened to be pushing her little boy along in his stroller as she did some weeding.

The two of them talked and pretty soon they went into the village together. Gabi enjoyed the other woman’s company. It helped not to think about the loss that was coming. If she were honest, it wasn’t only the twins she was already missing…

Three hours later she was putting the babies to bed when her cell rang. The sight of Andreas’s name on the caller ID caused a fluttery sensation in her chest.

“Hello?” She knew she sounded anxious.

“I called as soon as I could, Gabi.”

“You don’t owe me anything. H-has Leon told his wife?” Her voice faltered.

“Yes.”

His silence made her clutch the phone tighter. “Was it awful?”

“I won’t lie to you. It was a great deal worse.”

Tears clogged her throat. “I’m so sorry.”

“So am I. She’s threatened to divorce him and has flown back to Athens in the helicopter. I just drove him to the island’s airport so he could take a plane to catch up to her.”

A whole new world of pain had opened up for them.

When Thea had divorced Dimitri, Gabi had been overjoyed, but this was an entirely different situation. From all accounts Deline was a lovely woman who didn’t deserve to have any of this happen to her. Neither did the babies. But the fact remained Leon and Thea had made a mistake that had caused heartbreak in every direction.

“Does your family know the reason they left Milos?”

“Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time,” he ground out.

She moistened her lips nervously. “What would your brother like me to do?”

“Stay right where you are. I’ll bring the car around at eight-thirty in the morning. We’ll drive to the pier where the cabin cruiser will be waiting. I need a solid break and intend to show you the sights of the island. Pack enough formula in case we want to dock somewhere overnight. Stavros will take care of everything else.”

Her body trembled.

An invitation to party overnight on the Simonides yacht had proved too much of a temptation for Thea. Gabi wasn’t any different. The desire to spend uninterrupted time with the twins’ uncle aboard his cabin cruiser filled her with secret longings that had her jumping out of her skin.

When she thought about it, she would never again have the opportunity to be with a man who thrilled her the way Andreas did. In a few days Leon would make definitive plans where the twins were concerned and Gabi would be leaving Greece.

So why not enjoy this time with Andreas? As long as she recognized he was a bachelor who didn’t take his relationships with women seriously, then she wouldn’t either. She’d learned her lesson with Rand.

In the future she would come to visit her family and the twins from time to time, but she had a career waiting for her back in Virginia. The boys’ lives were here with their father. They would need to get used to the nanny Leon would employ to help him.

Gabi couldn’t possibly stay around, otherwise none of it would work; therefore this little bit of time on Apollonia was all she was going to get with Andreas. As she’d told his receptionist on Friday, “I’ll take it!”

“Eight-thirty’s a perfect time. The three of us will be ready. Goodnight, Andreas.” She hung up before she betrayed herself and kept him on the phone if only to listen to the sound of his deep, mellifluous voice.

With the babies down until their next feeding, Andreas instructed Stavros to bring the cruiser as close to the cave opening as possible. A side glance revealed that a golden-haired nymph had come to join him on the swim platform and was ready to dive with him.

Her modest two-piece suit only seemed to add to the allure of her beautifully proportioned body. Compared to the bronzed females he’d seen at various beaches throughout the day wearing little or nothing at all, her delicious femininity and creamy skin—unused to so much sun—drew his gaze over and over again.

“Are you sure you want to try this, Gabi? We’ve done a lot of swimming today. If you’re tired, we can explore here in the morning.”

She flashed him a mischievous smile that gave his heart a wallop of a kick. “After the big buildup about an evening swim at your favorite beach, you couldn’t stop me!”

Without warning she leaped off the side and headed through the cave opening to Papafragas beach at a very credible speed.

Andreas hadn’t had this much fun in years and followed her into the cool water. Beyond the opening was a long, natural, fjordlike swimming pool surrounded by walls of white rock. He heard her cry of delight.

“This is fabulous, Andreas!” Her voice created an echo.

He caught up to her and they both treaded water. “You can see the deep caves where pirates used to hide.”

Her lips twitched. “Even modern-day pirates like the Simonides twins, I would wager.” She kept turning around, looking up at the incredible rock formations. “It’s time for the truth, Andreas. Between you and Leon, how many girls did you used to bring here on an evening like this, pretending surprise that you were the only ones about?”

His laughter created another echo. “You’ve caught me out. We brought our share. It’s true that this late in the day most tourists have gone back to wherever they came from.” He’d planned it this way because he’d wanted Gabi to himself. “Come on. I’ll race you to the beach at the other end.”