Lincoln smiled warmly. “Whatever you need.” Kinsley nudged his shoulder and Stevie knew what she wanted her husband to ask.
“You want to know your brother,” she whispered.
Lincoln looked at her, his eyes concerned. “No. There’s a reason you haven’t contacted the father. I’ve known you for just under an hour, but I don’t think you’re a horrible person. So, there must be a reason he’s not in the picture.”
Stevie’s sigh was profound as relief surged through her. Still, this man was kind and she sensed that he was a good soul. Besides, Frankie had vouched for him.
“His name is Janus Meyers,” she blurted out, staring at her children.
There was a stunned silence. “Not the football player, is it?”
Stevie shrugged. “Yes. One and the same,” she replied with a bit of bitterness. She hadn’t know that Janus was a football player when they’d been together. But she’d figured it out when his lawyer had threatened her. “When I realized I was pregnant, I tried to let him know. But he ignored my phone calls. I went to his business address, but he refused to see me.” She took in a long, slow, deep breath, letting it out just as slowly. “When I got home, there was a letter from his lawyer’s office explaining that if I persisted in harassing Janus, I would be prosecuted.” She looked at Lincoln. “So, make of that what you will.”
Lincoln swore under his breath, and they watched as Halley and Harrison raced across the playground, yelling excitedly.
“I agree,” Stevie laughed.
“Okay, so we’ll ignore him for a while.” Kinsley smiled and leaned her head against Lincoln’s shoulder. “But can we be in your children’s lives? I’d love for my baby to get to know their cousins.” She grinned. “And you are officially this little one’s aunt.”
Stevie was startled by that realization. “Wow! I hadn’t thought that far yet!” She paused, then smiled weakly. “That’s…amazing!”
Lincoln recognized the look in Stevie’s eyes. “You’re not alone anymore, Stevie. We’re here for you.”
Tears welled up again. “Thank you!” she whispered. Lincoln squeezed her hand briefly. “That means a lot.” Then she straightened up. “Why don’t we all head back to my house for lunch? I can introduce you to the kids and they can get to know their aunt and uncle.”
Lincoln grinned and Stevie felt a warm glow with his approval. “That sounds great.”
Chapter 13
Janus stared at the person sitting in his office. “Excuse me?” he snapped. The man looked…incongruous among the refined elegance of his massive office.
“Kids,” the guy replied succinctly. He pulled a wrinkled envelope out of his pocket, and tossed it on the desk. “Two of ‘em. Twins. They’re pretty cute,” the guy chuckled, shifting in the expensive leather chair.
Janus stared at the man. “How do you know they are my children?” Janus demanded. The floor to ceiling windows behind him revealed an extraordinary view of Elliot Bay on one side and Century Link Field, where he’d played many hours of football, on the other.
“Your father hired me.” He snorted and grinned as he added, “He’d hired some chick as well, but he said she wasn’t moving fast enough to suit him. That’s why I’m here.”
Janus ignored the envelope. “I don’t know who my father is. How can you know?”
The guy…Jerry? Yeah, that’s the name he’d given. This private investigator was one of the world’s slugs. He was the kind of person who preyed on the weak, the kind that pissed Janus off.
“The mom,” he continued with a lecherous chuckle. “She’s quite the hottie!” The guy snorted at his joke. “But the kids, they’re cute.”
Reluctantly, Janus opened the envelope and pulled out several photographs. His heart stopped when he found Stevie laughing at something off in the distance. She looked…amazing, he thought. Simply amazing. It took him several seconds to remember that Stevie had ignored him while he was in the hospital. She’d only contacted him months later, after he had recovered the full use of his legs again. After she was assured that she wouldn’t be saddled with a disabled man for the rest of her life.
Bitch, he thought and put the photo off to the side.
The next photo was of a pair of toddlers, a boy and a girl. For a long moment, Janus wondered how this guy had gotten a picture of himself when he’d been small. But looking at the image more closely, Janus realized that this wasn’t himself. This was…!
He flipped to the next picture. It was a close up of the boy. The next picture was a close up of a girl. They were adorable, with huge grins and…and hauntingly familiar silver eyes. The next picture was of both kids hugging a dog…or maybe it was a pony. He wasn’t sure, but if it was a dog, then it was beyond huge! The dog was sitting on his butt and a toddler leaned in on each side. The kids’ heads didn’t even reach the collar on the dog, but they looked…right together. They looked happy. Especially the dog, who looked as if he’d just been crowned king of the jungle.
He flipped to the next and…Oh hell! It was Stevie and she was holding the two kids on her lap with that enormous dog behind her. It was a picture of a happy family and…and these were his children? No, she would have told him if she’d gotten pregnant.
“How old are they?” Janus demanded.
The guy smirked. “They were born on
