Page 30 of Twins for the Silver Foxes

“Liddy!” Panic laced Hannah’s voice.

I understood her fear. All she saw was Liddy running away from her and hugging a random man. Her motherly instinct would instantly paint me as some villain set to steal her baby. I raised my head and met her horrified gaze.

She stopped her headlong rush. Liddy had grown enough in the passing months that her legs dangled to my waist when I stood. I set her on the curve of my elbow and patted her back.

She continued to cling to my neck. “Hi.” Her tiny voice whispered into my ear. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” I whispered back. All the emotions I’d kept bottled up threatened to spill out. Seeing Liddy and Hannah uncorked the stopper and let them run rampant through my body.

Hannah smiled and clasped her hands in front of her waist. A brisk wind teased her hair and put pink in her cheeks. Hesitation showed in her slow steps and the way she looked from me to Liddy, her throat dipping in several hard swallows.

Liddy raised her head from my shoulder and poked my topknot. The familiarity of the gesture took away the last of my unease. Whatever happened between us and Hannah, Liddy still showed her genuine affection for me.

“Hello, Hannah.” I bent at the waist and set Liddy down when she kicked at me.

Liddy darted back to Hannah’s side and danced around her in a circle. “Ryland’s here. Ryland’s here. Where are Scott and Arthur?” Even her voice seemed to have changed, losing some of the baby tone.

“They’re at home,” I answered through the clenching in my gut. Questions bombarded me. I bit them back, reluctant to speak them in front of Liddy. “How’s school?”

“Great.” Liddy continued to twirl. “Mama got the stomach flu and barfed all over the place. We stayed home two whole days.” She stopped dancing long enough to hold up two fingers.

“That sounds terrible.” If only she’d stayed, we could have taken care of her instead of them being alone. Hannah ducked her head, hiding her eyes, and leaned down to button Liddy’s coat. “I’m all better now.”

“Yep. And I didn’t get sick once. Mama says I have a super ‘mune system.”

“Immune system,” Hannah interpreted when confusion stampeded across my face.

I nodded. “Ah.”

And with that, the conversation dwindled. Hannah stuck her hands deep in her pockets and looked everywhere but at me. The urge to reach out and touch her was overwhelming. Every nerve vibrated until my body hummed with enough tension that a single strum of energy would have caused me to shatter.

16

HANNAH

What a stroke of bad luck.

I rocked from heel to toe and tried to hide my discomfort. Ryland read me easily enough, but I hoped Liddy’s distraction worked to keep him from inspecting me too closely. I’d not started to show yet, and my coat covered my belly enough to keep the surprise hidden a while longer.

So much for the good I thought Liddy and I would gain from the fresh air and sunshine. I’d come here to think, not cause myself more anxiety. Did I dare tell them about the baby? My ex’s face flashed before my eyes, the way he recoiled when finding out about Liddy. I wasn’t sure I could handle that kind of rejection again. Telling them was the right thing to do, but not the easy thing.

“How have you been?” The simple words coming from Ryland’s mouth almost caused a maniacal laugh to burst out.

I smothered it with a roll of my lips and shrugged. “It’s life. I’m fairly sure it’s not always meant to be easy.” Now why the hell did I say it like that?

Ryland gave me a deep, searching look, the exact one I’d been trying to avoid. Damn, it was nice to see him. I’d almost lost mymind when Liddy bolted from the swing, but as soon as I saw who she ran to, my heart melted. I’d have run straight into his embrace too if I felt I had the right to do so. After how I left them, I waited for the recrimination from Ryland, the demand to know what I was doing here in their part of town and why I’d taken off like I did. It never came. He kept staring, a slight hitch to one side of his mouth like he knew a secret about me. I tugged my coat tighter over my stomach.

“What about you?” I hated the wispy breath that barely pushed the words into existence. All my efforts to get over him, Scott, and Arthur had failed miserably. One minute spent with him and I wanted to take it all back. His presence filled the empty cavern I’d become. How did one look from him make it all better?

He stepped in close and hugged me to his chest. The thought to resist fell the instant his arms went around me. God, how I’d craved this.

“What brings you to the park?” His voice was warm and sweet in my ear, his arms secure but not binding.

I stiffened, my defense mechanism taking over. “Am I not allowed to be here?” If I didn’t have the power to push him away physically, maybe my attitude could do it for me.

“Of course you’re allowed to be here. It’s a public park, Hannah,” he whispered my name and my knees turned to jelly. I’d heard him say my name a hundred different ways, but this was my favorite, the low breath of desire that dropped his voice and sent shivers down my spine.

“I like this park.” Liddy bounced around us, her ponytail bobbing up and down. I pulled away from Ryland and concentrated on her.

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