His-And-Hers Twins (20 page)

He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.

She laughed softly. “I know you'll enjoy taking your time with those little buttons.”

Nausea churned in his stomach.

“Sure, what woman wouldn't love diamonds?”

The color completely drained from his face.

“I'll pick up the rings from the jewelry store.” She laughed. “Yeah, Paris sounds like the perfect honeymoon spot. And the wedding should come off without a hitch.”

“Yeah, right. I love you, too,” Paige said with a light laugh.

She loved Derrick?
Her words cut him to the quick. How could she say that to another man after making love with
him?
Unless she hadn't felt anything, unless their act of intimacy had simply been sex to her?

He felt like a complete fool. She'd told him she didn't want the responsibility of kids. After tonight, the frightening deal with the intruders and his ex, he guessed he couldn't blame her. But did she have to run off to Paris and marry Derrick?

 

P
AIGE FORCED
herself to sound upbeat for Derrick. First she'd called to tell him about the vandalism and get advice on a home security system, relaying the story in a detached voice, as if the incident hadn't affected her so deeply. Hopefully, the police would catch the group of
kids responsible and the neighborhood would return to its safe small-town atmosphere. Then Derrick had shifted the conversation to his wedding and she'd had to sound cheery for her best friend's sake.

But as soon as she hung up, memories of the episode at Zeke's flashed through her mind and her shakes returned. She made herself a cup of herbal tea, took a long hot shower, then climbed into bed and curled into a fetal position.

And finally let the tears fall.

Tears for the terror she'd felt when she'd seen that guy grab Summer and August. Tears for the fear and anger she'd seen in Zeke's eyes. Tears of guilt for putting Summer and August in danger.

Tears for the future she couldn't have with Zeke.

“Yes, everything's set for the wedding,” Paige told Derrick, who'd called her again for reasssurance. “I finished the dress this morning.” She paced back and forth with the phone cradled beneath her ear, aware the twins were watching her, wide-eyed and curious. Summer pointed to Amelia's wedding dress. Paige had tried it on to make certain the hem was straight and hadn't had time to change.

“It's beautiful,” August said. “It's a Cinderella's dress.”

Except Cinderella won her man, Paige thought morosely, tuning Derrick out as her mind strayed to Zeke. Summer simply stared at the dress, then back at Paige, a big frown marring her little face.

“Yes, I have the rings in a safe place. I'll see you at the rehearsal.” Paige hung up, then offered the girls some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. The girls grabbed a handful and munched on them as if they hadn't eaten for days.

“Who's Derrick?” August asked.

“One of the guys you saw me with at the mall.”

“The one with the fuzzy face?”

Paige laughed. “Yes, that's the one.”

The girls nodded, then shared a secret look Paige didn't understand. Maybe they'd come to tell her they couldn't visit her anymore, that their mom was moving back in. History repeating itself. When Eric had reconciled with his ex, Joey had come running next door to break the news before Eric had gotten up the nerve. “How was preschool today?” she said, hoping to divert their attention.

“We didn't go,” Summer mumbled.

“Oh?”

“We went shopping with Mommy,” August said.

Summer ran back into the kitchen. “See what she brought us from Europe.”

Paige's throat felt thick when she stared at the beautiful, very expensive porcelain dolls Renee had given them. “They're gorgeous, girls. Really fancy.”

“But Mommy says we can't play with them,” August said.

“They're break dolls,” Summer whispered. “But we wanted to show 'em to you.”

“Since you collect dolls,” August added.

“They're lovely,” Paige said sincerely, taking time to notice the details of the elaborate clothing. “That was really special of your mother.”

Summer frowned. “Not really, she says the airport's full of souvenir dolls.”

“Mommy's over there talking to Daddy.”

“She gots something portant to tell him.”

“She wanted some pri…vacy.”

“We think she's movin' back for good.”

“She kissed Daddy.”

“But we gots to go,” August said.

Paige nodded, each word confirming her earlier fears. “Okay, girls. Tell your dad hello for me.”

The girls scampered across the yard, carrying their new porcelain dolls beneath their arms. Paige closed her eyes, refusing to give into the lonely ache settling in her chest. She didn't have time to feel sorry for herself. She needed to find someone to rent her house, pack, get a passport. She should be excited—her dreams of traveling were finally coming true.

Her dreams—or were they her mother's dreams?

Her mother had always talked about traveling and seeing the world. But Paige loved Crabapple. Would
she
resent staying in this small town with the girls and Zeke, designing children's clothes right here with Beverly at the boutique?

The end of
The Wizard of Oz
flashed into Paige's mind and she suddenly wondered if she would be like Dorothy, if she'd travel all the way around the world looking for happiness when she already had everything she wanted right here at home. Next door, to be exact.

Confused and troubled by her thoughts, she forced them away. It didn't matter; she'd accepted the internship. Besides, she wasn't fit to even be Summer and August's part-time mom. What if those boys had been dangerous men—what if they'd had a gun or knife?

Shivering at the thought, she pushed aside the incident. She had to get ready for Amelia's rehearsal dinner. At least
someone
was marrying the man she loved. Maybe Amelia would give her her bracelet collection as a bridesmaid's gift.

 

“W
HAT'S A HEARSAL
?” August asked as she dipped a french fry in a glob of ketchup.

Zeke arched an eyebrow, trying to eat the soggy hamburger in front of him, his mind raw with concern. The girls had been alarmingly quiet when Renee had left and
had accepted the news of her move to Europe with only a few tears. They'd been excited about the new dolls Renee had produced, but their lack of emotion over her departure worried him even more than a tantrum would have. He'd brought hamburgers home for dinner, and he was waiting for the storm to explode. “You mean a rehearsal?”

“Yeah, that's it.” Summer bit into her plain hamburger.

“It's a practice, like when you practice a play at school. Why, are you girls having a rehearsal at school?”

August shook her head, her red ponytail brushing the shoulder of her overalls. “No, Paige gots one tonight.”

“For the wedding,” Summer said, through a mouthful of burger.

Zeke dropped his food on the paper wrapper, his appetite completely gone. “She talked to you about the wedding?”

Both girls shook their heads. “She gots a beautiful dress,” August said.

“It looks like a princess dress,” Summer said, her lower lip quivering slightly.

“And she gots the rings on her counter,” August added.

Summer sniffled. “Daddy, we wanted Paige to marry us.”

Zeke's own eyes felt moist. Then the dam he'd been expecting suddenly opened, the gates flooding as his little girls burst into tears and sobbed their hearts out. Zeke scooped them both into his arms and carried them to the sofa, letting them curl against him and vent their emotions. He stroked and petted them, whispering soothing words, feeling helpless as hell and trying to forget his own shattered heart. How could Paige possibly marry an
other man after making love to him? How could she leave them, too?

Sure she wanted a career, but she wasn't like Renee. She loved the girls, he knew she did. So why couldn't they compromise? Didn't she love him?

Finally the girls' tears subsided and he coaxed them into watching a movie, not
The Wizard of Oz
as they both remembered watching it with Paige. Instead they watched
The Little Mermaid,
a glorified romantic fairy tale he decided, forty-five minutes into the film. But in this case, the man would win the woman. It definitely didn't happen in real life.

The girls curled on the couch, snuggling with the rag dolls Paige had given them, and he finally dozed off, dreaming about Paige and wedding gowns and rings. When the movie credits rolled, he woke up, and realized in dismay he'd been dreaming. He'd been telling Paige he loved her, and he'd been begging her not to marry the other man, struggling to get the words out. Had he spoken aloud?

He squinted through the darkness, shuddering at the dream, then studied the girls snuggled beside him. The dream had been an omen, a reminder of how he'd lost his pride when he'd begged Renee not to leave them the first time she'd walked out. He'd sworn never to love another woman, and certainly never to lose his pride like that again.

But could he stand by and watch Paige marry another man?

 

W
HEN
Z
EKE SAW
Paige leave the house the next morning, all dressed up in some fancy silky white blouse, he felt like putting his fist through the wall. Instead, he gritted his teeth, and helped August and Summer fix a box for
the turtle they'd found in the yard. The girls had been moping around all morning so he'd tried to interest them in a ball game in the yard, but they'd discovered the little animal and had been playing with it, confiding their troubles to the reptile. It was another exciting family morning at home.

“He gots a little bitty tail,” August said. “Let's name him Bitty.”

“Why does he stick his head under the shell?” Summer asked.

“To protect himself,” Zeke explained.
Like I should have done with Paige.
Instead, he'd not only shared her bed, he'd let her worm her way inside his heart. The attraction had been too powerful to avoid. He'd fallen head over heels in love with her.

He should have seen the danger coming; he should have stayed in his house and avoided her the way the turtle stayed inside his shell when he sensed danger. Damn animal had a brain the size of a pea, yet it was smarter than him.

Summer complained about the sweltering heat so they went inside. “Let's watch a movie,” August said, suddenly shifting into her mopey stage again.

Summer crawled on the sofa with the Sad Sue doll, her lower lip pouting.

“What do you want to watch?” he asked.

“Cinderella,”
both girls chimed.

He rolled his eyes and settled back to watch the fairy tale with them, recalling the movie last night and the dream he'd had. “Why don't we watch something else?” he suggested.

“Why, Daddy?”

“We like Cinderella,” August said.

“Yeah, she's pretty like Paige.”

He silently groaned, but Summer's eyes filled with tears.

“Honey, I'm sorry. We'll watch whatever you want. I know you miss Paige and your mommy.”

August sniffled. “We didn't want Mommy to leabe again.”

“And we're sorry we ruined Paige's stuff so she don't wants us anymore either.”

“And we ran after Henrietta and Mommy yelled at Paige.”

Zeke curled his hands around the remote. “What?”

“That's why Paige's is marrying that man with the fuzzy face,” August said brokenly.

Zeke shook his head, trying to follow their logic. “No, sweetheart,” he said, pulling them into his arms. “If Paige is marrying someone else, it has nothing to do with you.”

“But we messed up her stuff.”

“That was an accident and Paige knows it, honey. Besides, remember she fixed her project and she was excited about making those children's clothes.”

Summer scrubbed her hand beneath her nose. “Then why don't she like us anymore?”

“She does like you,” Zeke said softly.

“But she's not marrying us,” August complained.

Zeke shrugged, mentally trying to form his words. “Honey, Paige likes you both. But when a man and a woman get married, it should be because they love each other.”

“Do you and Mommy love each other?”

Zeke sighed, wondering if he'd just made things worse. He stroked both girls' hair away from their foreheads gently. “Your mom and I both love you, and we care about each other. But no, I'm afraid we don't have the
kind of love to make a marriage work. We want different things in life. Remember we talked about this when your mom left the first time.”

“So you and Paige don't loves each other?” August asked.

Zeke's hand stilled. He couldn't very well lie to his children. “Honey, it's not that I don't love Paige—”

Summer's eyes widened. “Then you do loves her?”

“Well, yes—”

“And you told her you loves her?”

“Well, no—”

“Then how does she know?”

“Yeah, maybe she thinks you don't loves her either.”

“That's why she's marrying that fuzzy faced man.”

“But, girls—”

“Go get her to marry us, Daddy.”

If only it were that simple.
“But I don't know if
she
loves me,” he said gently.

August's green eyes glittered with tears. “Of course she loves you, Daddy.”

“Yeah, you're the bestest daddy in the whole world. She gots to love you.”

Zeke closed his eyes as the girls threw themselves into his arms. Could his daughters possibly be right? He remembered the way Paige had felt in his arms, the soft words of passion she'd whispered in the dark, the way she'd given herself to him so completely.

It was when Renee returned that she'd started acting strangely. He'd always sensed she was afraid of something, but what?

He had heard her tell Derrick she loved him. They'd been high school sweethearts.

“Go get her, Daddy,” August whispered.

“Yeah, Daddy, go get her,” Summer chimed.

“You gots to at least tell her you loves her.”

“Yeah, you gots to at least tell her that.”

August thumped her finger on her chin. “You tolded me not to give up so easy when I wanted to learn to ride my bike.”

“You shouldn't oughta give up so easy either,” Summer added.

“Yeah, Paige said if you want something bad enuf, you can figure out a way to get it.”

Did he want Paige bad enough?

Zeke's pulse raced. Maybe he should fight for Paige. “Okay, girls, let's go see if we can find her.”

 

“A
MELIA, YOU LOOK
beautiful.” Paige patted at the tears pooling in her eyes.

“Thanks to you,” Amelia said. “I'm so glad we decided not to elope. I'll always remember this day.” She hugged Paige, both of them laughing through their tears. “The dress is perfect.”

Paige smiled proudly. “It looks great on you.” With Amelia's tiny waist, small bust and slim hips, the lace bodice and V-shaped hipline accentuated her slight curves. And the delicate heart-shaped neckline looked stunning with the diamond pendant dangling over the low-cut lacy neckline.

“Your husband-to-be is waiting,” Paige said. She'd designed herself a soft peach taffeta skirt with a pearl-trimmed ivory lace blouse, but she desperately wanted to be the bride.

Amelia's mother and father walked in and hugged her, then soft piano music began to play, signaling the arrival of the guests. Amelia's mom kissed her one last time and hurried into the chapel. Her father extended his arm and
Amelia took it. “Okay, Paige, here goes,” Amelia said. “The most exciting day of my life.”