A low, rumbling, male voice came from the door. One she recognized, even though she’d only heard it once—three days ago—in the past two decades. Her feet froze in horror before taking flight.
O’Neill. O’Neill was at the door…talking to Gracie.
Good Goddess.
She leapt forward, her pulse throbbing in her head. She hadn’t told Gracie about him yet. Her daughter had been avoiding her over the past three days, disappearing for hours on end. Muriel had planned to talk to her tonight. She hadn’t expected O’Neill to track her down here, not when he could find her on base, at the clinic.
By the Goddess, this was not how she wanted the pair to find out about each other.
“I’m nineteen. Not that it’s any of your business.” Gracie’s voice carried a rare hint of defiance.
“You’re Daniel’s twin,” O’Neill said tersely.
She could hear the shock in his voice. He’d figured it out. He knew.
Muriel’s stomach tightened into a cold knot. She needed to get Gracie away from him before she found out too.
“Gracie.” She practically flew to the door. “Would you get something out of the fridge for dinner?”
The blood was pounding so hard in her ears, she didn’t hear her daughter’s reply, only saw her let go of the door and turn, stepping back into the hall. Muriel squeezed past Gracie’s slender frame and blocked O’Neill’s path into the house.
“What do you want me to get out?” Gracie asked as Muriel stepped onto the porch and pulled the door shut behind her. O’Neill backed up, his face still as stone.
Muriel nudged the door open enough to yell through the crack. “Whatever you feel like.” She tried for an encouraging tone, but feared it sounded more terrified than reassuring.
Once the door was closed again, she turned to her unwelcome visitor. His tall, broad body looked rigid. Intimidating. His face unreadable. He was wearing a blue t-shirt and dark brown tactical pants. And of course, the perpetual warrior’s military-grade ass-kickers boots. Her gaze touched on his bare arms before lifting to his face.
Why inHokalitawas he wearing short sleeves and no coat in the middle of winter? Was it some kind of macho thing? Not that it mattered. She needed to get rid of him.
Below the porch came the sound of a car running; whoever had brought him here was waiting. “You need to leave. Now. We’ll talk at the clinic,” she said in a low hiss.
Anxiety settled like a low-pressure storm in her chest. She’d been lucky so far. Gracie still didn’t know he was her father. She didn’t want her to find out like this, out of the blue—with no warning. She wanted to ease into the revelation...and tell Gracie herself.
“She’s mine, isn’t she?”
Muriel’s hackles rose. She set her feet and shoulders, then leaned forward to drive her index finger into his chest. “Gracie isn’t yours. Or mine. She belongs to herself. She’s not a collection of our combined DNA.”
O’Neill swore softly and took a step back, then stopped to stare at the door, as though he could see right through the wood and into the kitchen where Gracie was rifling through the fridge.
“She said she’s Daniel’s twin, andyousaid Daniel was my son, which would make her my daughter.” His gaze dropped back to her face and his jaw hardened. “Is it true?Isshe my daughter?”
Muriel swallowed hard. “Yes. But she doesn’t know it yet. You need to give me time to tell her…to explain. Once she’s aware of who you are, I’ll feel her out. See if she wants to meet you.”
Before he had a chance to answer, the door jerked open.
“Let him in, mom. I already know who he is,” Gracie said quietly from behind her. “And I want to talk to him.”
Muriel turned, her stomach dropping. Gracie must have been listening at the door. “Oh honey. I didn’t want you to find out like this. I wanted to be the one to tell you.”
Gracie’s hazel eyes were guarded, as they met and held Muriel’s own. “I already knew who he was. I’ve known for years.”
“What?” Muriel swayed, her legs going weak. “How did you find out? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Ignoring the questions, Gracie pulled the door open all the way, her guarded gaze lifting to O’Neill’s face. “I need to talk to you. Will you come in?”
Need?
Muriel frowned. Gracie’s tone sounded like a plea. “At least give me a chance to explain why I didn’t tell you about him. I—”
