Page 25 of Twins to Tame Him

He gave of himself freely. Or at least he was smart enough to spin that illusion. Only now did Laila realize that he hadn’t told her anything more about his migraines or what caused them or how long he’d had them. Neither had he let her bring Guido up again. God, she was going to drive herself half-mad with these circular thoughts.

And at the end of it all came anger with herself. Did she have so little trust in herself? As the old woman had pinpointed, what was it that Laila truly wanted?

“Dr. Jaafri?”

Laila sighed.

The reprieve Sebastian had been able to give her—from his grandmother, from the media, from the outside world—was apparently over and she only realized now how much effort he’d spent holding his twin and his grandmother, his family lawyers and the entire world at bay, so that she wasn’t overwhelmed.

At breakfast this morning, Alexandros had mentioned the need to release a formal statement to the public regarding their presence in Sebastian’s life, before the paparazzi got hold of the news and spun it into a narrative that none of them could control.

He talked of appointing a secretary for Laila who could organize her life to include things like photo shoots—because he insisted it was important to release a PR-approved photo of the boys and her and Sebastian to the media to reflect a “happy situation”—and schedule her travel. Because Laila shouldn’t go back to the university or her Baba’s old house or anywhere for that matter on her own willy-nilly. And to organize a party soon with all of the Skalas extended family and friends to announce Nikos and Zayn’s joining the family.

All she’d been able to do was to turn to Sebastian like a helpless little fish flip-flopping on the land. The very idea of having a PA or performing little stunts for the media or having someone organize her very boring, very mundane life...was her worst nightmare come true. All of it bringing to head the constant doubts she chewed through about Sebastian and her belonging to different worlds, the constant taunts from Nadia that she didn’t belong in her world and their mother’s.

God, she hadn’t even told her mother and half sister for fear of having to face their reactions. For fear of cold reality crashing through whatever foundation she was trying to build with Sebastian.

Sebastian had responded by scolding his twin for ruining their appetites and informed him that Laila and he would come up with a plan together that was convenient and comfortable for them.

Before Laila could wrap her mind around all the things Alexandros demanded and how out of control her life suddenly felt, Thea Skalas had arrived, a month to the day since Laila had shown up.

The older woman’s frail outward appearance had made Laila concerned for her until two minutes later, Thea had launched her campaign about the boys needing to be legitimized first thing at breakfast. The one thing Laila couldn’t find fault with her was that whatever her beliefs about Laila, she’d openly and with tears flowing down her face welcomed Nikos and Zayn into the family.

“What would seal the deal in legitimizing my great-grandsons as Skalas heirs, once and for all?” Thea demanded, her impatience growing at Laila’s silence.

Fortunately, Nikos and Zayn were seated far enough at the table now—near their papa and uncle that afternoon—so they didn’t hear their great-grandmother’s imperious demands.

“Grandmama!” Sebastian said, in a deceptively soft voice so that it didn’t catch the boy’s attention but delivered the warning anyway.

Thea turned her steely gray gaze toward him, even as she, too, kept an easy smile on her lips. “You might have spent your entire life mocking the Skalas name, Sebastian, but I know you damn well want it for the boys. Family matters to you too much to let it go. For whatever reason, you are letting her set the pace.”

Family mattered to Sebastian.

It was an admission he’d made himself to her and yet, it landed in a different way falling from Thea Skalas’s lips. Almost like an entity that held value in some abject form instead of gritty reality. Which she had handed him, part and parcel, by not only seducing him, then getting pregnant—yes, he’d played his part—and giving him two sons. Like he had himself ordered a nice, ready-made family off Amazon.

Sebastian turned to Laila, that small tilt to the right corner of his mouth.

Despite the unending string of questions in her head, that look he cast her was an instant injection of adrenaline. She adored it when Sebastian left the field to her—whether it was about the boys or other matters that concerned their life together—or when he didn’t minimize her fears. For the first time in her life, she felt like she was part of something bigger than herself, like she belonged to a team or a unit, rather than operating alone as she’d done for so long.

“Maybe because he agrees with me,” she said, addressing Thea, “that jumping into an outdated arrangement for the simple purpose of legality is less important than making sure the boys aren’t caught up in something we’re not ready for.”

Thea pursed her lips while Alexandros said, “I thought you were simply taking time to get to know each other.”

Laila heard his poorly concealed outrage in his tone—he disliked the fact that his nephews were not legal Skalas family members yet. Thank God, Annika had been too tired to join them for this elaborate meal. She had no doubt her friend would take Laila’s side in this particular argument, and it would only alienate Alexandros toward her even more.

The last thing Annika needed was more strife in her life because of Laila’s...reluctance for matrimony. Neither was she unaware that her active resistance to the idea had already morphed into vague reluctance.

Sebastian peeled an orange and handed the juicy kernel to Nikos, who fed it to Zayn, immediately making a game of it, then stretching his pudgy palm toward his papa, for more.

“This matter is no one’s business but mine and Laila’s.” Then he turned that intractable gaze toward his family members. “When did I ever give the impression that I will do as you two or the media or the entire damned world pleases?”

“I see you have him wrapped around your finger already. I must commend you for that,” Thea said, shocking Laila yet again.

Something about her gaze said she meant it. She knew it was pointless to engage the older woman, but Laila couldn’t help it. Plus, she wanted these people on her sons’ side, which meant she needed them to respect her, if not like her.

“I have no intention of controlling Sebastian in any way. It’s a partnership that I want.”

“Ah... So you’re a modern woman who doesn’t respect the institution of marriage?”

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