Page 19 of Silver Fox's Twin Babies

It left me with a sense of curiosity though, and more suspicion than I cared to admit. I stewed on that this morning as I waited. I knew she was shuttling her kids to school. I’d gotten used to her routine over the past week or so. Jacob reminded me every time I stopped by to check on him that I needed to be patient with her. I didn’t need him to tell me, but he made it a point to do so, which was irritating.

The sky was gloomy again today, snow in the forecast. I thought of how cozy it was beneath my covers with Amber tucked against my chest and smiled. What I wouldn’t give to make that a more permanent thing in my life. She always seemed distant and hesitant, but I was going to win her over.This morning I brought coffee and a bagel in hopes that we could open the lines of communication. She admitted to being afraid of something; I just had to figure out what.

Jacob’s phone rang on line one. I knew it was his direct line since Amber wasn’t in to answer and transfer calls. There were very few people who had this number, so I wasn’t surprised to hear his voice when I answered.

“Evan…” He sounded rough. He’d been tired and sleeping a lot since he came home from the hospital last week. Erin even turned Amber away when she asked to stop by, but I wasn’t sure if that was Erin’s decision or Jacob’s. I knew my brother well. He’d never have turned Amber away if he was feeling well.

“Jake, how are you feeling?” I’d just seen him last night. He wasn’t just struggling physically; he was down and out. It was like being hit by that sudden heart attack had taken his legs out from under him. No one expected it, but it appeared to shock him more than the rest of us. He could have died.

“I’m fine. I’ll be back to work soon. How are things going?” Jacob cleared his throat and had a bit of a coughing fit as I filled him in on work updates. It was the last thing he should’ve been thinking about, but I had deep respect for his desire to not let the company falter.

“Why aren’t you resting?” I tapped my fingers on the desk and let my eyes drift toward the window where light flurries preceded the heavier snow to fall later this afternoon.

“I’m resting,” he grumbled. “There’s only so much lying around a man can do.” Imagining his scowl made me chuckle. “How’s Amber doing? You’re not being hard on her are you?”

Emotion stirred in my chest. So many questions had been swirling around. I’d been able to keep them at bay for a while because I’d been focused on work and thinking of Amber. It was easy to distract myself and get lost in the “what could be”thoughts. Jacob bringing this up, however, reminded me of all my suspicious thoughts about his concern for her.

“She’s fine. You don’t have to worry about her. She’s in good hands.” There really wasn’t a better way for me to stake my claim over her and announce it to my brother without letting on that I knew he was hiding something. I’d seen those kids’ faces. They bore a striking resemblance to the Montgomery genes. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out.

I wasn’t going to call him on it though. He just had a major cardiac incident, and he needed people around him to help him focus on healing. The last thing he needed was for me to get him riled up by exposing his infidelity. And poor Erin. She almost lost him. How would she deal with learning Jacob had knocked up another woman?

“I’m not messing around, Evan. You treat that woman with respect, do you understand? And if she needs anything—anything at all—your answer is yes. If you can’t do it, you call me.” I didn’t like the edge to his tone. I had to bite back my response in order to keep my calm. The pieces just fit together so well. My gut told me the reason Amber was scared and the reason Jacob was being so insistent that I “respect” her were one and the same.

“I’ve got it. You can stop obsessing. I’ll take great care of her.” I smiled as I saw her walk past the windows of Jacob’s office, but my smile wilted a little when I noticed Shelby Cooper following her. Cooper did have to get me some reports, but I wasn’t expecting them both at the same time. “I gotta go. I have a meeting. Go to bed and eat your fiber, old man.”

The joke was as much a dig at my own aging body as it was his. He grumbled an insult in reply and I hung up the phone. We had a unique relationship other people would never understand but he knew my comment was made in love. And I knew he got my message loud and clear.

As I stood, I slid my phone into my pocket and straightened my tie. Amber opened the door and let Shelby in then followed her. Both of them wore skirt suits with heels, but my eyes were only for Amber. The curve of her hips hid beneath the jacket, teasing me, but she couldn’t hide her legs. Drool practically dripped from my tongue as I said, “Good morning, ladies.”

Shelby was the first to speak. “Morning, Mr. Montgomery.” She held out her hand and I walked around the desk and shook it, then nodded at Amber.

“You have your reports?” The faster I got business with Shelby done, the quicker I’d have alone time with Amber. I gestured at the sofa and chair across the room and they each took a seat facing me.

Amber squirmed a little, tugging the hem of her jacket. She set her tablet and files on the coffee table and looked down at the brown paper cup and white paper baggie. My eyes flicked to Shelby who also seemed to notice there was only one cup there. Mine was empty already.

“I, uh…I’m sorry, Shelby. I didn’t realize you’d be in this early. I only got a coffee for Amber.” I pushed the cup and bag toward Amber, whose cheeks turned crimson, and Shelby ran a hand through her blonde hair and shrugged.

“No big deal. I have a coffee at my desk…which,” she said with a sigh, “I will go get.”

Amber’s eyes got wide as Shelby stood up. She looked up at her coworker and if I wasn’t mistaken, a hint of panic shot through Amber’s eyes. She licked her lip and tugged her jacket, then masked the nerves by picking up the cup and sipping.

“I forgot something. I’ll be right back.” Shelby nodded at me and walked out the door, and I took a moment to absorb Amber’s body language and try to deduce what was going on.

“Are you alright?” I asked. My eyes studied the lines on her forehead, the crow’s feet near the corner of her eyes, and the way she used the cup to hide her nervous lip biting.

“Fine … We should get started.”

Getting started was the last thing on my mind. “You left before I woke up.” My body leaned toward her instinctively. It was gravity. It pulled me in. I craved being near her physically and emotionally.

“Uh, yeah. The twins needed me. I sort of promised to, uh…to make them pancakes.”

The way she fumbled for words was adorable. Even cuter than the way she used that paper cup to hide, as if I couldn’t see the warmth in her cheeks or read the anxious tension she carried in her shoulders and face.

“Alright, well as long as you’re not hiding a secret lover from me…” I winked at her but she went rigid. The blood tinting her cheeks drained and her skin blanched like she’d seen a ghost. It was a curious expression—eyebrows high, mouth agape, hand with a slight tremble.

Shelby tapped on the door as she walked back in and Amber’s shoulders relaxed again. I wondered if she had invited Shelby to this meeting to avoid being alone with me, but why would she do that? We were working well together, and she even admitted we could do this. The odd comment at dinner the other night was just her being hesitant because of her fear. But what was that fear?

Shelby jumped into her report and we got work underway, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was right. It frustrated me that both of them were in cahoots, keeping something from me when I had no way of forcing either of them to come clean. It didn’t matter to me if Amber had Jacob’s babies. It was in the past. She was probably really hurt when I left and ran to him forcomfort. I just wished she’d feel comfortable talking to me about it.

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