Page 62 of Twin Surprise for the Italian Doc

They were only a couple of hours old.

And it didn’t seem to matter so much now that he hadn’t known he was their father as they’d entered the world. A lot of fathers missed the actual delivery of their children, especially when they arrived unexpectedly early. Hecould have known and then missed the moment by something as simple as being caught in a traffic jam. Georgia hadn’t stolen something irrevocable from him because it wasn’t making any difference to this bonding process. To this genesis of being someone totally new.

Afather...

The love he felt for these tiny beings was swamping him.

It was the most beautiful thing in the world but...but therewas a fear there as well.

The fear of something bad happening to them.

Matteo had always been protective of the people he loved but this new determination to guarantee safety was so fierce it was painful.

Did Georgia feel like this, too?

Of course she did.

She had probably felt like this from the moment she’d known she was carrying these babies.

He’d seen the fear in her eyes that night,hadn’t he? When he’d surprised her by arriving to be Luke’s best man at his wedding.

She hadn’t wanted him to know the truth because...

Because she’d lived her whole life being afraid of her own father.

Would he break his own iron-clad rules of not being dishonest if he thought it could be the guarantee that would keep these precious babies safe?

Yes. In a heartbeat.

And Georgia had beenright, hadn’t she? Technically, she hadn’ttolda lie. She had done what he might have done himself, if he’d believed he was protecting these babies.

She had been prepared to walk away from the love they had found for each other, if that had been what it took to keep her babies safe.

Did that mean he could forgive her?

Did he love her that much? As much as the love he was feeling for his first-bornchildren?

An image of Georgia filled his mind. Sitting on that bed looking so pale and exhausted.

Looking as afraid as she’d been when he’d first arrived back in her life.

Crying...

She never cried. He should have taken her into his arms as soon as he’d seen that tear trickling down her face but, instead, he’d only been thinking of himself.

Of how hurt he was by the deception. How angry hewas that he’d had the most important moment in his life stolen from him.

Matteo bent his head, to place the softest kiss ever on the forehead of his son. And another one for his daughter.

Nothing had been stolen from him. He had, in fact, received the biggest gift he could ever get.

He turned his head to catch the glance of the nurse.

He was ready to have that photograph taken now.

Then hewas going to take the image back down to the maternity ward and show it to Georgia.

And he was going to tell her that he understood. That he had already forgiven her.

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