She reached out and touched his thigh. ‘Wait and see.’
His sighed his impatience but didn’t press the matter. Kelly just hoped he wasn’t going to be too shocked. Maybe she should have telephoned and explained the situation to him, but she daren’t do that at the time, and now it was too late to do more than present him with a fait accompli.
Everything was very quiet when they entered the house, no baby crying to warn Jordan of its existence. The reason for that soon became obvious, Mrs McLeod was cradling the baby in her arms, talking in a soft voice as it gazed blankly up at her.
‘What the hell—!’ Jordan had gone grey, frozen to the spot.
‘It’s all right, darling,’ Kelly touched his arm. ‘Come and meet your son.’
‘My son…?’
‘Yes.’ Kelly took the baby from the housekeeper, his blue babygrow still far too large for him, and placed him gently into his father’s arms.
‘I’ll go and check on the food.’ Mrs McLeod tactfully left the room.
‘Kelly—,’ Jordan was having trouble articulating. ‘I can’t—This baby—’
‘Your son,’ she confirmed, looking at the thatch of dark hair so like Jordan’s, the determined chin that reflected his stormy little nature, having already proved how powerful his lungs were. He was too like Jordan to be anything other than his child.
Jordan sat down before he fell down, holding the baby awkwardly in his strong arms. ‘You must have been expecting him when you left me,’ he finally said raggedly. ‘Did you know?’
‘Yes.’ She bit her lip. ‘Jordan, there’s more.’ She looked at him pleadingly.
‘More?’ he choked. ‘What else could there be?’
‘Don’t be angry with me, Jordan. Please!’
‘I’m not angry, I’m just dazed, incredulous.’
She took a deep breath. ‘Then you’re going to be even more so in a moment.’ She bent over the carrycot and lifted out a second tiny shawl-wrapped baby.
‘Twins!’ Jordan gasped.
‘Your daughter,’ she nodded, taking off the shawl to reveal the pink babygrow-covered baby.
‘My God!’ He shook his head. ‘All this and you never let me know!’
‘Because I couldn’t bear to see you suffer!’ she told him desperately. ‘I couldn’t stand your pain, don’t you see that?’
‘And instead you went through all that alone. What a coward you must think me!’ His face was harsh with self-loathing as he looked down at the baby in his arms.
‘You aren’t a coward!’ Kelly cried. ‘And I didn’t go through so much. I’ve spent the last seven months in bed, and the birth was so easy. I’ve had a lovely time.’ She could never tell him of the lonely days when she had longed for him with a fierce desperation.
‘Don’t lie to me.’ He wasn’t fooled for a moment. ‘What are their names?’ He looked at his children with a tenderness that lightened Kelly’s heart.
‘They don’t have any yet,’ she smiled her relief. It was going to be all right, she knew it was. She grinned. ‘They were the only babies at the nursing home that didn’t have names. I didn’t think it fair to decide on something that important on my own.’
‘Thank you,’ he said deeply. ‘Care to swap?’ he quirked an eyebrow teasingly. ‘I have an urgent desire to hold my daughter.’
Kelly’s expression was impish as she handed him the little girl, another tiny replica of Jordan. ‘Don’t you think I’m clever?’
‘Very clever,’ he drawled.
‘Actually, Jordan, I do have one name, if you wouldn’t mind? I wanted to call our daughter Jordana.’
His expression was searching, obviously remembering the baby they had lost. ‘If you’re sure that’s what you want,’ he said uncertainly.
‘Oh, I’m sure,’ she gave him a glowing smile. ‘I’ll let you name our son.’