The Twin Birthright

Swiftly, she held up her hand, cutting him off. “No, Dad.” She didn’t have the strength to fight rumors or explain yet again why they’d broken up, especially not now when her emotions were turning somersaults inside her. She could repeat only so many times that they were just too different. Sharing anything more about their breakup felt too personal, even to tell her family. “He just happened to be there when the babies were born.”

“How so, exactly?” Jack narrowed his brows, his weathered face furrowing.

Hadn’t he heard? Of course he would have questioned the others. She searched her father’s face and decided this was another battle not worth fighting. He clearly wanted to hear her side, to see if she was weakening in reuniting with her ex-fiancé—who also happened to be her father’s new golden boy consultant in the company.

Fine. “Royce took me to my OB appointment, where I got a glowing report, so good I was let off bed rest. Then we drove around for a while to celebrate. We talked about heading to Kit’s Kodiak Café, because I had a craving for their Three Polar Bears special—”

“Like when you were a kid. I look forward to taking the girls there one day, along with Fleur.” Broderick and Glenna’s toddler. “This grandpa gig is a good thing. Now finish telling me how these nuggets entered the world in Royce’s car.”

“While we were out, it began snowing. Labor started...and the next thing I knew, I was giving birth on the side of the road in his Suburban.” She grimaced.

Her dad chuckled. “I was there when each of you were born, you know.” His eyes took on a nostalgic glint for a moment before he blinked it away.

“Please say you’re going to finish your trip, though.”

“Jeannie and I want to welcome you home first. Then we’ll fly back out and resume the rest of our belated honeymoon.”

Exhausted and emotional, Naomi inwardly winced at the thought of a big to-do. She loved her family and would need their support. Still, she yearned for bonding time with her daughters.

Even so, being a parent now gave her a new perspective on her father, and she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. So she simply smiled and said, “That sounds perfect. I’ll be sure to send you lots of photos of the babies.”

He fished his smartphone out of his jeans pocket, waved it in the air with a wide, bright smile. “Please do. I’ll be passing my phone around for everyone to see.”

“You’ll be back before you know it for your big wedding party.” Her father and Jeannie had been married in a small service with all their children present, but given their business connections, they’d planned for a large gala after they returned from their honeymoon. After which the pipeline modifications would kick into high gear, as would Royce’s workload.

“The twins will be six weeks old then.” His face took on a nostalgic air as he traced the edges of the pink cap. “Little Anna here looks like you.”

“Or like Breanna, you mean.”

He nodded, his throat bobbing, his gaze still locked on the newborn.

“Are you sure you’re all right with the names?” Naomi squeezed her father’s forearm. “I don’t want you to feel sad when you see them.”

“I’m happy. I mean it. Seeing these two little granddaughters reminds me of my twins in all the best ways.” He scrubbed his wrist across his eyes, a wide smile replacing any pain that had been on his face. “Thank you, Naomi.”

“I love you, Dad.” She leaned across the arm of the chair to hug him.

He folded her into a familiar embrace, patting her back rhythmically, like...a dad. “Love you, too.” Finally, he angled away, standing. “Now I’m going to get Jeannie before she goes crazy waiting.”

That brief sadness on her father’s face and in his voice made Naomi’s heart ache more than she could remember since she’d been a teenager. Scared. Unsure of the future.

Well, except for when she’d broken things off with Royce. She could still remember the shock on his face, the denial. She hadn’t been able to handle his smothering, his lack of understanding when it came to her need for independence, his unwillingness to acknowledge her strength. She realized he responded that way because of his former fiancée’s miscarriage, but still, Naomi had fought too hard to climb out of the cocoon her family had put her in during her bout with cancer.

Royce had accused her of being so stuck in the past she was afraid to embrace the future.

Likely they both had valid points, but bottom line, they’d jumped into the relationship too quickly.

That didn’t make the breakup hurt less.

He was a good man. Almost too good—if there could be such a thing. Even while she realized theirs had been an infatuation—a hefty dose of infatuation—she’d known without question he never would have broken things off with her once he’d committed to be there for her, for her children. That honorable nature had made it all the tougher for her to do the right thing and let him go.

She rubbed at the sore spot on her wrist where the IV had been, the lingering ache reminding her of so many other pains, losses.

* * *

Royce could sit and crunch numbers, work equations and create charts for hours without feeling the least bit drained. He liked to think he had grit and stamina by the bucketful. But a day spent with inquiring and nervous family members reminded him of another skill he had to work on—resilience. Tension in his jaw conveyed his overexposure. But it was worth it for Naomi and the babies.

She was washing her hair. The sound of the showering water through the door had soothed the girls to sleep. He had to admit to being moved when Naomi had trusted him with them after her family left for supper.

The Steele-Mikkelsons never ceased to surprise him. Such as how this family worth billions, who’d wined and dined with world leaders, still chose Kit’s Kodiak Café as one of their favorite watering holes. Sure, the food rocked, but he thought maybe it fit more with their pace, all of them having grown up near oil fields.

They were used to a big clan, but he was more comfortable in the solitude of his cabin with his dog Naomi had sensed that, no matter how hard he’d tried to hide it. And he had tried, because he’d wanted things to work between them.

He’d failed. And no amount of Mensa IQ points could help him figure out how to fix things so they worked together as a couple.

But that wasn’t the task at hand.

Instead he’d create a perfect system that would enable a smooth transition for her and the girls. Rather than second-guessing every waking moment, he’d enjoy his time with Naomi, help situate her for success in the future.

Goals and objectives. Now he had something to work for—to help Naomi—and even a deadline. He would be there for her until her father’s return from his honeymoon.

Royce made his way to the curious-eyed infants, who blinked up at him, stealing their way deeper into his heart.

“Hello, beautiful girls,” he said softly. Anna crinkled her nose at the sound of his voice. “Did you know that matter is never destroyed, only converted? We have to make sure you two are at the top of your class. Yeah-huh.”

A female doctor with a gray ballerina bun entered the room, cutting the science lesson short. He turned to face her, and the male nurse with a crew cut who followed, introducing themselves. Her regular OB, Dr. Odell, had gone on vacation, so his partner was making rounds.

“She’s in the shower,” Royce explained, just before the water stopped. “But as you can hear, she’s finishing up.”

“That’s fine. We’re about to undergo a shift change, but are also in the process of releasing patients that are able to be discharged this evening.”

“Oh. Well, uh, I’m not sure how she feels.”

“That’s quite all right. We can wait to ask her.” The doctor gestured to the darkening window. “Full moon tonight. And that means a lot of women in labor.”

Naomi emerged from the bathroom in a plush pink robe and nightgown, looking pretty with her hair gathered in a damp braid.

The doctor smiled, shifting her clipboard from one hand to the other. “Well, Momma, I am prepared to release you—if you feel comfortable, that is.”

Relief flooded her face. “Yes, please. I would like to go home.”

Home. Royce’s gut clenched. There’d been a time when they’d shared his house, talked of buying a larger place with space for the babies. That scenario had passed.

The doctor pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, then passed the clipboard to the nurse. “I’ll have him start your discharge paperwork. You have infant car seats?”

Naomi pointed toward the corner. “My family brought them today.”

“Good, good.” The nurse penciled a check mark on the papers before tucking the clipboard under his arm.