“There’s more,” Frankie continued, taking a steadying breath. “I…” she hesitated, and licked her lips nervously. “This isn’t kind or professional of me, but I need to warn you. If you decide to move forward with…this…you should know that Edward Meyers is…he has a very powerful personality.”
Stevie blinked. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t like him,” Frankie replied bluntly. “In fact, he’s more than a bit of a bastard. He will do his best to intimidate you and might…well, I don’t know what he’ll do with the knowledge that he has grandchildren. The court system only allows grandparent rights if there is a question of parental neglect. But…well, I wouldn’t put anything past him.”
Stevie went cold. As hard as it was to raise two rambunctious twins, Stevie loved her children desperately. She loved them more than anything in the world and there was no way she would put them in jeopardy.
“Then no. Absolutely not!”
Frankie nodded. Was that approval in her eye?
“There’s more.” She pulled out a card that only had a phone number on it. “This is the private cell phone number of a man named Lincoln Meyers. He’s also a son of Edward Meyers, but Lincoln doesn’t want to have anything to do with Edward or his business. The man is…”
“I’ve heard of him,” Stevie gasped. “He’s the one that designed the programmable coffee maker that grinds the coffee prior to each cup, and then stores the used coffee grounds for composting.” Stevie gestured towards the coffee maker in the corner. “I love that thing! It’s a life saver for me in the morning.”
Frankie laughed. “Yeah, I have one too.”
“Lincoln Meyers is Edward Meyers’ son?” She paused, then lifted her eyes to Frankie. “Doesn’t that make him my children’s uncle?”
“Yep. That’s exactly right. He’s married to a wonderful woman named Kinsley Meyers and they are expecting their first child in a little more than two months.”
Stevie’s mind whirled. “Cousins!” she whispered.
Frankie nodded. “As horrible as Edward is, Lincoln and Kinsley are the best! He’s a truly nice guy. I have dinner with them about once a month. I met Kinsley when I was searching for Lincoln, trying to verify his DNA. I spoke to Kinsley recently, without giving away any names,” she assured Stevie. “Kinsley helped me work through the issues with what was going on with the investigation.” She leaned forward conspiratorial. “But they are on your side. Not Edward’s.”
Stevie stared at the phone number, still struggling to take it all in. “But…you don’t know that Halley and Harrison are related to Lincoln Meyers, right?”
Frankie smiled. “Actually, their DNA proves that, yes, they are related.”
Another long silence.
Stevie finally sat down and Frankie moved over to finish making the sandwiches. “What does all this mean?”
Frankie expertly spread peanut butter and jelly, and pressed the two sides together. She even cut them into triangles, exactly the way Halley and Harrison preferred, before putting the sandwiches into the plastic containers. She sliced the grapes in half and added them into the small section. Then the carrots. The woman had obviously done this before, Stevie thought as she watched.
Finally, Frankie came over and sat down in the opposite kitchen chair. “This is completely up to you. I can’t, and won’t, do anything until you’ve made a decision and you can take as much time as you need. Because your kids are involved, you call the shots. Whatever you decide, I’ll respect your answer.”
Stevie let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Thank you for that.”
Frankie continued. “I’d like to add though, that Lincoln is a really good man. He’d love to know who his brother is. And because I’m friends with them, if you allow me to tell him, I will keep this news private between you and Lincoln, or I can tell Edward.” She paused again. “Please, if you choose to contact your children’s grandfather, only do so with Lincoln by your side. He’ll protect you.”
With that, Frankie stood up and walked quietly out of the house. Absently, Stevie heard the lock click and was grateful to the lovely woman who remembered to lock the door. Of course, as a private investigator, Frankie probably knew how to get around locked doors, but still…it was a comforting gesture.
Stevie put the lunch containers into the fridge, then turned off the lights, double checking the doors to make sure they were locked before going upstairs. Herbie was by her side the whole time, but when she went into her bedroom, the dog went back to Harrison’s bed, curling up to keep watch over her babies.
Chapter 12
Stevie pulled the edges of her coat closer together and waited. The playground was crowded, so Stevie kept her eyes on her kids. Thankfully, the joke about twins preferring each other’s company was true, so Halley and Harrison were never far from each other, although they were gregarious and invited other kids to join in regularly.
“Stevie Hunt?” a deep voice come from behind her.
Stevie spun with a gasp, recognizing the voice. But instead of seeing the tall, wonderfully handsome face of Janus behind her, she saw a man that was similar. Leaner, she thought. Just as tall but with shorter hair. The silver eyes though…! The silver eyes were the same ones she looked into each morning and every night.
As she stared into those eyes, Stevie had an awful premonition that her life was about to change. Dramatically. And perhaps not for the best.
“Lincoln Meyers?” she whispered, then cleared her throat. “You must be Mr. Meyers?”
