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

There was a time when Gabi hadn’t thought there was a man who came close to Rand in his cowboy boots and Stetson. While on her two-week summer vacation with Rachel McCallister, her friend from college, she’d fallen hard for Rachel’s cousin and his Texas charm. Two weeks of a whirlwind relationship and she’d thought it would go on forever.

Too late she found out there was nothing deeper to back up his fascinating drawl and the smile in those dancing blue eyes. He’d let her go back to Alexandria without making any kind of plans to see her again. When she learned through Rachel that he was getting married to his old girlfriend, Gabi’s heart withered.

Since then she’d met and dated some attractive, successful men at her work and at the consulate, but she took no relationship seriously. Her career had become her top priority, the one thing she could count on.

Thankfully she’d learned her lesson well before meeting the legendary Andreas Simonides. Though there was no male to equal his intelligence or incredible appeal, she wouldn’t fall into that trap again. Once had been enough.

She walked toward him carrying Nikos. “Good morning.”

“Kalimera.” His voice had a lazy, almost seductive quality. She felt his gaze linger on her face before he switched his attention to Nikos. Again his gray eyes lit up. “Do you remember me?” He kissed the baby’s cheek.

Nikos’s eyelids fluttered in reaction. He was so cute.

“Gabi?” His eyes trapped hers once more. They held a trace of anxiety. “I brought someone with me I’d like you to meet.”

Who?

Maybe it was a woman he was thinking of marrying now that he was running the Simonides company. Gabi fought to remain calm. Naturally that woman would be hopelessly in love with him. But when she learned he had two sons, would she be able to accept and eventually love the children he’d fathered with someone else?

Suddenly Gabi was feeling very possessive. No woman could mother them the way she could, but it was none of her business since she had no parental claim to the boys.

He put a hand on her upper arm and squeezed gently. “It’s all right,” he whispered, noticing how quiet she’d gone. “I trust him with my life.”

Him?

While her heart picked up the lost beat, Andreas stepped around the end of the wall. Within two seconds he came back again, but at this point Gabi thought her vision had become blurred because she was looking at two of Andreas.

She blinked in alarm, but nothing seemed to clear her double vision. They came closer, in range now, she realized there was nothing wrong with her eyesight. Moving toward her was Andreas and his mirror image wearing a tan suit and cream shirt, only he didn’t have a scar and his hair was the same style and longer length as in the news photo.

Gabi stared at Andreas in surprise. “You’re a twin!”

“That’s right. Gabriella Turner, meet my best friend and older brother by five minutes, Leonides Simonides.”

“Hello, Mr. Simonides,” she said, shaking his hand.

“Leon? Say hello to your sons.”

Chapter Three (#uc3afcf44-442c-50e0-a6e8-b8d9281fec25)

Thea had been with Leonides Simonides, not Andreas?

“Ms. Turner? I hardly know what to say.” Leon looked as stunned as she felt. In fact he barely got those words out because his gaze had fastened on the boys in visible disbelief.

“Gabi’s holding Nikos,” Andreas stated, filling in the silence. “Down there is Kris, who looks like he just woke up from his catnap.”

Swift as the speed of light Andreas caught Gabi’s eye and winked. Warmth flowed through her body as she smiled back, remembering the humorous comment she’d made on Saturday about the children being fat cats.

But she couldn’t forget Leon. Though Andreas would have told him about the children ahead of time, this still had to be the most earthshaking moment of his life. She wasn’t surprised he sank down on the bench literally stupefied.

“Would you like to hold Nikos?” she asked.

“I won’t know what to do if he cries,” he murmured, ashen faced.

“He won’t.” She handed the baby to him. By now Andreas had reached for Kris and was kissing his sweet little neck.

Deciding to give them privacy, she wandered to the other side of the park and sat down to finish reading the biography she’d picked up on the life of the French chef Julia Child.

She hadn’t enjoyed a book as good as this in several years. Like Julia, Gabi had experienced an epiphany about food. But it hadn’t happened until her father had been transferred to Crete where she’d tasted her first pastitsio and developed an instant love of Greek cuisine.

During the last few months she’d been practicing in the kitchen at the consulate, determined she would raise the boys on Greek food in honor of both their parents. By now she could make pretty good spanakopita.

When she realized she’d read the next page for the tenth time, she closed the book and looked across the park. The babies had been put back in the stroller. Both men stood next to them. It seemed as if Andreas was doing most of the talking. Gabi wasn’t sure what it all meant.

Hesitant to interrupt, she waited until he started wheeling the stroller toward her with a grave countenance marring his handsome features. She put the book back in her purse and stood up, noticing that Leon had walked out to the street.

“Let me apologize for my brother.” He spoke without preamble.

“There’s no need. It’s not every day a man is confronted by instant fatherhood, especially when they’re twins.” The happiness she’d felt earlier to see the children united with Andreas had dissipated. Not in her wildest dreams would she have thought up a contingency where his twin brother was the father!

Andreas eyed her with a solemn expression. “Especially when he’s been married three years.”

A small gasp escaped her throat. Had Thea known he was married, or hadn’t it mattered to either of them in the heat of the moment?

“Obviously he’s going to need some time,” she whispered.

“You’re a very understanding woman. When he can gather his wits, I’m sure he’ll want to talk to you.” She was fairly certain Leon wouldn’t, particularly when Andreas would have already told him she planned to go home to Virginia and raise the twins. But she didn’t say anything.

“Thank you for making this meeting today possible, Gabi.”

It sounded like a goodbye speech if she’d ever heard one. Leon had probably told him he couldn’t deal with the situation. What man could? One night in a stranger’s arms wasn’t supposed to end up like this. He wouldn’t be the first father to opt out of his responsibilities.

She felt sorry for Andreas, who clearly loved his brother and had done everything he could to support him. “Of course. I approached you, remember? Thanks to you I won’t ever have to lie to the children.”

After clearing her throat, she said, “When I get back to Virginia, I’ll be reconnecting the phone and will leave the new phone number on a voice mail for you. That way if your brother ever wants to contact me, you can give him both numbers. One last thing. Please let him know I’ll never try to get hold of him for any reason.”

His eyes turned as black as his grim expression. “How soon are you leaving?” he asked in a gravelly voice.

“The day after tomorrow.” She extended her hand, not wanting to prolong the inevitable. “Goodbye, Mr. Simonides.”

Tuesday evening Gabi’s phone alerted her to a text message while she was packing the last of the babies’ clothes into the big suitcase. Her parents were in the nursery playing with the twins, their last night together for two months or more. Pretty soon it would be bedtime. Her dad wanted to put them down.

Since yesterday when she’d pushed the stroller in the opposite direction from Andreas and his brother, she’d tried hard to put the whole business behind her. She thought she’d been doing a fairly good job of hiding her feelings from her parents. Any pain they’d seen would have been attributed to tomorrow’s dreaded departure.

Little did they know she’d met the boys’ father. To her dismay he was doing nothing to prevent her from taking his children out of the country, out of his life.

Gabi hurt for his sons.

She hurt so horribly she could scarcely bear it, but she had to handle it because that was her agreement with Andreas. She would honor her commitment even if it was killing her.