The Twin Bargain (Love Inspired)

by Lisa Carter

  Ethan took hold of her hand, lacing his fingers in hers. “Suppose they didn’t take the road?”

  “You mean through the woods?”

  He nodded. “As the crow flies, not that far from the trailer.” He made a face. “And I’m the one who showed them the deer trail. I’m sorry.”

  She squeezed his hand. “You would never intentionally put them in harm’s way, Ethan. I know that.”

  He studied her face. “Nor you, either, Amber.” Breaking eye contact, he ran his hand over his head. “The road will get us there quicker.” He cranked the engine and set the truck in motion. “Text your dad. Let him know where we’re headed.”

  The pitted driveway jostled her.

  She fell against him. “Sorry.” Flicking him an embarrassed glance, she scooted back to her side of the vehicle and got out her phone.

  A muscle jumped in his cheek. But he kept his gaze trained on the gravel drive, not looking at her.

  He nosed the truck out onto the paved secondary road. Minutes later, he veered onto the rough farm track. There were more bumps as the truck lurched past the split-log fencing and the hay-filled meadow.

  When they rounded a clump of trees, she sat forward on the seat, willing the truck to go faster. She knotted her hands.

  Please, let them be here, God. Let them be safe.

  “There!” He pointed to the windshield.

  Her heart thumped. Their blond hair glimmering in the sunshine, the twins tossed handfuls of corn at the ducks.

  At the sound of the vehicle, both girls looked up and froze. He slowed, but throwing open the door, she clambered out of the truck before he could bring it to a standstill.

  She ran toward them, her arms outstretched. “Lucy! Stella!”

  Wings flapping, the squawking ducks skittered away across the surface of the pond. Ethan got out of the truck and closed the door with a soft click.

  Lucy frowned. “Mommy, you scawed dem.”

  Amber swept her children into an embrace, clutching them to her chest. “How could you scare me like this, girls? I’ve been frantic. What were you thinking? How—”

  “You’re squeezing me, Mommy.” Stella wriggled in her arms. “I can’t breathe.”

  Amber loosened her hold but only slightly. “Why, girls?” Crouching, she searched their faces. “Why did you run away?”

  Stella glanced over Amber’s shoulder. “Ethan. Ethan.” Wrenching free, she hurled herself at him. Lifting a crying Lucy, Amber turned.

  He caught her daughter in his arms. “Why, Stella? Why would you hurt your mommy like this? We were both so... So...”

  Ethan buried his face into Stella’s hair, but not before Amber glimpsed the moisture welling in his hazel eyes.

  He swiped the tears off his face. “Tell me, sweetheart.” With his thumb and forefinger, he lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “Why did you and Lucy run away? We—I was so worried.”

  Stella’s body shuddered with sobs. “I’m sorry, Ethan. I’m sorry, Mommy.”

  “I’m sowee, too, Mommy...” Lucy wailed, dissolving into a fresh round of tears. “I’m sowee, Efan.” Letting go her hold around Amber’s neck, Lucy strained toward him.

  They loved him so much. Why had she even considered keeping them from him? But she knew. Because she was afraid—terrified—of the way he made her feel. She’d been protecting herself at their expense.

  He gathered Lucy close. And the four of them became one unit. Something altogether beautiful.

  A family.

  Amber’s heart sped up at his proximity. How had she thought she—much less the twins—could ever bear to be parted from him?

  Then he let go of Lucy—and her—pulling back a pace. Unlatching the tailgate, he set Stella down, and Amber deposited Lucy beside her sister.

  Now that her initial fear had abated, Amber planted her hands on her hips. “Where did you think you were going? Anything could’ve happened to you out here alone. And there wouldn’t have been anyone to help you.”

  “We had to say goodbye to the ducklings,” Stella whispered.

  “And now Mommy’s mad...” Lucy tuned up as if to wail again.

  “Mommy has every right to be angry.” Ethan’s mouth flattened. “I’m feeling none too happy with the two of you myself.”

  Their faces fell at the gruffness of his tone.

  Amber could feel herself starting to shake. The adrenaline that had coursed through her body now exited her limbs, leaving her trembling.

  His hand went to the small of her back. “They’re safe. Breathe, baby. Breathe. It’s okay.”

  She blinked rapidly.

  Lucy tilted her head. “Mommy’s not a baby, Efan.”

  His gaze became steel. “And neither are you two. You’re both old enough to remember Mommy told you never to go anywhere without telling her first. This kind of behavior is not acceptable, girls. Running off is definitely not okay.”

  She sagged against the truck. This was Ethan having her back. Not making her always be the enforcer. Shouldering the parenting alongside her.

  Lucy rubbed her eyes. “But we heard you awe-gu-ing.”

  Stella dropped her chin. “Mommy said she couldn’t ever be happy again.”

  Amber’s eyes cut to him. “I never said that. Did I?” Comprehension dawned. “I said...” She gulped.

  “You said we could never be happy together.” He looked away.

  “Because of us,” Lucy said.

  She squeezed Lucy’s hand. “No.”

  He placed his palm on Stella’s head. “Not because of you two.”

  She and Ethan exchanged a long look.

  His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Never because of you, Lucy and Stella. None of this is your fault.”

  Inserting herself on the tailgate between the twins, Amber placed an arm around each of them. “This is my fault.”

  “It’s nobody’s fault,” he grunted.

  Lucy grabbed hold of his shirttail. “Don’t you wuv us anymore, Efan?”

  Dwight’s SUV lumbered into the clearing.

  “I will always love you, Lucy Lou.” Ethan touched the tip of her nose. “I will always love you, Stella Bella.” His hand cupped her cheek. “But sometimes...” His voice deepened to a gravelly rasp. “Sometimes things don’t work out the way we hope.”

  Dwight got out of the SUV.

  Ethan moved aside, putting more than physical distance between them. “Since your dad’s here, Amber, it might be better if you rode home with him. He’ll be concerned.”

  At the look on Ethan’s face, her heart leaped into her throat. I’ve lost him. He’s leaving. What have I done?

  Coming alongside, Dwight lifted Lucy and then Stella, placing them on their feet. He hugged them.

  Amber jumped off the tailgate to the ground. “Ethan...”

  He shook his head, his features suddenly fierce. “We might never be the family I hoped for, but I’m not leaving Truelove.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean Grandma is staying, and so am I. We both love Lucy and Stella. And if you’ll allow me, I’d like to be a permanent part of their lives. To be here for them.”

  She’d been so wrong. Ethan was nothing like Tony.

  “But your job... You were looking forward to working in your buddy’s boat shop on the coast.”

  “I’m thinking my granddad’s business would suit me fine.” He slammed the tailgate shut. “Kids need a dad, Amber.”

  The remembered anguish in his voice broke her heart.

  He staggered toward the driver’s side. “And I may not be your idea of father material, but I aim to be there for them any way I can.”

  “But you hate Truelove, Ethan.”

  “I don’t hate Truelove. Truelove is home. I’ve realized home is more than the place where people love y
ou.” His gaze locked on to hers. “Home is the place where the people you love live. And I love Lucy, Stella, Grandma and you. Because of that, Truelove will always be my forever home.”

  Wait. Had he just said...? She blinked at him. He loved her?

  Ethan wrenched open the truck door. “I—I’ve got to go. Take care of my girls, Dwight.”

  Her father took a step forward. “Ethan...”

  “Efan. Efan,” Lucy called.

  “Don’t leave us,” Stella cried.

  Gazing at them over the bed of the truck, he rested his arms on the frame. “I’ll see you little ladies soon. Be good for your mama, okay? But I just...” He gulped. “I just need to check on Grandma.”

  He threw himself into the truck and sped away.

  Something tore in Amber’s chest. And it was a moment of clarity. She loved him. With a love far greater than any adolescent crush.

  Their own biological father hadn’t loved them enough to stick around for their birth, much less anything afterward. Ethan was the kind of man who’d be there for her and the girls. Through thick and thin. The good and the bad. Through the happy times and the sad.

  He was a good man. An honorable man. A man she could trust with the lives of her children. With her heart. He wouldn’t leave or desert her when the going got tough.

  Dependable. Reliable. Wonderful. She’d never needed to fear him leaving them. She’d never needed to fear letting him into her girls’ lives.

  Why had she been so foolish to push him away? Her stupid, stupid, abominable pride. She never needed to fear giving him her heart.

  God, forgive me. Again.

  But would Ethan?

  She’d hurt him so badly. Had she lost a chance with him? Had she destroyed everything?

  Like his parents, she’d wounded him. Deeply. Beyond repair?

  Somehow she had to find a way to convince Ethan that with him her heart found its truest home, too.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Over the next three days, Ethan did his best to avoid Amber.

  Not an easy task in a town the size of Truelove. And not with so many interfering, if well-meaning, matchmakers at large. But manage it he did, by sticking to his granddad’s workshop and burying himself in a flurry of client orders.

  Anything to keep his thoughts from straying to what he’d never have with Amber. Maybe the what-ifs weren’t the worst. But the never-could-be’s gutted him.

  Struggling with a wood joint late Wednesday afternoon, he glanced at the wall where he’d tacked Stella’s artwork. The hole in his heart felt huge. Throwing the hammer on the workbench, he swiped his arm across his brow.

  On Monday, Amber had started her job at the pediatrician’s office. Her new hours allowed her to not only drop off the girls at school each morning, but pick them up afterward, too.

  Who knew he’d miss car pool so much? He shook his head. Which only proved how certifiable he’d become. Certifiably in love with two little girls and their beautiful mother.

  His cell phone buzzed on the table. He frowned. Why was Miss GeorgeAnne texting him? Urgent. Crisis at the Mason Jar.

  Another text followed on its heels. Mr. Green: A matter of some urgency requires your immediate attention. Please respond ASAP.

  The cell buzzed again. He sighed. Guess who? Emergency. Get your butt to the Jar. Now. Grandma.

  His heart quickened. Had something happened to Grandma? Had she fallen again?

  Ethan took off at a run for his truck. All the way into town, he prayed he wasn’t too late. But comforted himself that whatever Grandma’s emergency, she’d been well enough to text. He blew by the sign that said Truelove, Where True Love Awaits.

  He grimaced. He barreled around the town square and jerked to a stop in one of the empty parking spots at the Jar.

  Throwing himself out of the truck, he raced across the sidewalk. Why were there so many available parking places in front of the diner? He yanked the door open. The bell jangled.

  He rushed inside only to come to an immediate halt. He scanned left. He scanned right. The place was deserted. He did a slow three-sixty. What was going on?

  Then the door to the kitchen swung open, and Amber walked into the dining room.

  “Where’s Grandma? Is she okay?”

  Amber wrinkled her brow. “Why do you think—”

  “I got a text. Three texts.” He clenched and unclenched his hands. “From GeorgeAnne. IdaLee. And Grandma.”

  Amber blew a breath between her lips. “Miss ErmaJean’s fine. I’m so sorry. I never meant to scare you. I should’ve known better than to get them involved. But they told me they knew how to get you to the Jar. I had no idea they’d—”

  “What’s this all about, Amber?”

  He had an unsettling feeling he’d been the victim of yet another Truelove conspiracy. Although at this point, he wasn’t sure what the matchmakers thought to gain. “What did those old women do? Rent out the entire diner?”

  Amber gestured to the booth. Their booth. “Since you’re here, maybe we could talk?”

  He couldn’t help but drink in the sight of her. She looked very professional in her lavender-blue scrubs.

  “Please, Ethan?”

  He dragged his gaze to her face. His heart hammered. He’d never been able to refuse Amber anything, and he didn’t aim to start now. So he sat down.

  She slipped into the seat across from him. “You’re a hard man to track down.”

  He shrugged. “Been busy. How is your job with the pediatrician?”

  “Good.”

  “And the girls?”

  “They’re doing well, but missing you.” She gnawed her lip. “I miss you.”

  He missed the three of them so much sometimes it hurt to breathe.

  She raised her chin. “I wanted to apologize for the terrible things I said to you.”

  He let his shoulders rise and drop. “We both said things we shouldn’t have.”

  “I let my fears get the better of me. You are nothing like Tony or your father.” She bit her lip. “Would you forgive me for not trusting you? For not believing you?”

  He nodded. “Of course I forgive you.” Because when you loved someone, you forgave them.

  “Thank you, Ethan.” She gave him a tremulous look. “You have no idea how happy I am you decided to stay in Truelove.”

  His heart already felt lighter. Perhaps to some extent, he would get to remain a part of her life and the twins’, after all. Even if it wasn’t everything he’d hoped for.

  “I’m happy for us to be friends again.” He gazed out the window overlooking the square. “The town and the people have a way of growing on a person. I think this is where God wants me to stay, to put down roots.”

  “You’ve found a church home here, too. I’m thrilled you’ve reconnected with old friends and made new friends like Jake and Jonas.” She squared her shoulders. “Though of course after everything that’s happened, our friendship can’t remain as it was.”

  His throat tightened.

  She tilted her head. “What if we decided to not just be friends anymore?”

  His heart stuttered. “Then what else would we be, Amber? What do you want us to be?”

  Amber bit her lip. “I love you so much it absolutely terrifies me, Ethan.”

  Something he’d believed frozen in his heart warmed. “You love me?” The buzzing ache in his brain quieted for the first time in three days. The longing in her eyes humbled him.

  He swallowed. “Truth is, I think you had my heart from the first moment in the hospital lobby when you said my name.”

  “I was so focused on my pain that I never stopped to consider yours. But somewhere inside, I think I’ve always loved you.”

  They locked gazes.

  She took a breath. “So I’d like to work out a new deal with y
ou, Ethan.”

  “What are you talking about, Amber?”

  “Unlike your previous temporary arrangement—” she made air quotes with her fingers “—this deal would be a permanent one.”

  “Permanent?”

  Amber’s gaze never left his. “As in forever.”

  His pulse thundered. In her eyes, there was love. So much love. For him. And a future. The future he wanted more than anything else on earth.

  “Exactly what are we talking about here? What are your terms?”

  She placed her hands palms down on the tabletop. “What if I promise to never leave you?”

  A slow smile spread across his face.

  “What if I promise to always need you? Because I think we were made for each other. What would you say?”

  “I’d say yours might be the one proposal I can’t refuse.” He cocked his head. “We’d have to think of a way to seal the deal.”

  “I’m open to negotiation.” Her eyebrow hitched. “Do you have something specific in mind?”

  Reaching across the table, he took her hand. “I do.”

  “Something that would signify the binding nature of our agreement.” She smiled.

  “I like how you think.” Letting go of her hand, he leaned against the corner of the booth. “Is there a reason you’re still sitting so far away?”

  Sliding out of the booth, she eased into the seat beside him. “Not one good reason in the world.”

  Reaching for her, he just held her in his arms. His breath ragged, he sighed. “That’s better.” Her shoulder fit in his embrace like she’d been made for him. And he, for her.

  “I love you, Amber. So much.” He sifted his fingers through the silk of her hair. “I want us to be a family. You, me, Lucy and Stella.”

  Her eyes were luminous. “Forever.”

  Ethan trailed his thumb across the apple of her cheek. His mouth found hers. And then he forgot to breathe.

  With a final kiss to her closed eyelids, he drew back. “Think your dad will give us his blessing?”

  “You’ve been an honorary family member since Matt dragged you home when you were kids.”