Doorstep Twins / The Cowboy's Adopted Daughter: Doorstep Twins

Their deep male voices faded as she rushed back to the beach. After shaking out the towel, she walked in the water and chucked her things in the back of the boat before climbing in. By the time Andreas emerged from the house, she was presentable enough to feel comfortable being with him.

He ran toward her, shoving the boat back into the water, then he levered himself effortlessly over the side. His brief glance managed to take in all of her before he started the motor. “We’ll head for Kimolos.” He nodded toward an island that couldn’t be more than a mile away. “The sight of the little village of Psathi is worth the short trip.”

Halfway across, he turned off the engine and joined her in the back so they could eat. In the hamper were sodas, fruit and homemade gyros. No food had ever tasted so good. She didn’t have to search for a reason why.

“Thank you for a wonderful meal. In fact this whole trip.”

Andreas stared at her while he munched on an apple. “Thank you for not giving up trying to get in to see me.”

Gabi knew what he meant. Her mouth curved in a half-smile. “We need to thank your receptionist. Without her going out on a limb for me, that would have been the end of it.” Then a slight frown marred her brow. “But maybe it would have been better if she hadn’t had compassion on me.”

Lines darkened his striking features. “Don’t ever say that. I don’t even want to think about it.”

Neither did she. A world without Andreas was incomprehensible to her. She finished her cola. “What are your brother’s feelings by now?”

Letting out a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and lay back on the padded bench to get the full effect of the sun for a moment. End to end, his toned physique with its smattering of dark hair plus his chiseled profile proved to be too much for her. She turned her head to stare anywhere but at him.

“If the twins hadn’t tugged at Leon’s heart the first time he saw them, he wouldn’t have agreed to my plan for you to bring them here. When I told him Kris has to go in for heart surgery next month, that seemed to jar him to the reality of the situation. But he’s terrified because he loves Deline and is afraid he’ll lose her when she learns the truth.”

“I can’t imagine being in his position.”

After a silence, “If you were Deline, do you think you could handle it?”

His searching question brought her head around. They looked at each other for a long time. “I don’t honestly know. She forgave him for what happened a year ago, but now that the other woman’s children are involved…”

She bowed her head. “If I loved him desperately, it might be possible. At the time he didn’t know he’d gotten my sister pregnant, but I’m not Deline. Do they have the kind of love for each other to deal with it?”

He jackknifed into a sitting position and put his feet on the floor of the boat. His eyes looked haunted. “After he tells her, I guess they’re going to find out how solid their marriage really is.”

Gabi stirred restlessly. “He needs to do it soon. Every day that passes while he keeps it from her will make it harder for her to trust him.”

“I told him that the night he saw the children at the park.”

“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 children 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

“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.”