Free His-And-Hers Twins by Rita Herron Page A

“Mothers, mothers, here we are, dancing near, dancing far, Thank you for all you do, You are great, we love you!”
    The children hugged their mothers, then presented them with small books they had made entitled, “All About Me.” Paige blinked furiously to control her emotions, knowing she would need to return the prized booklets to Zeke, but touched to be included in the girls’ special day. She understood now why the twins had been so upset about the idea of coming to school without a mother or even a stand-in. It would have been devastating for them.
    When they took their seats, August ran up with a friend. “Paige, this is Betsy.” Betsy bit into her cookie, dropping crumbs all over her ruffled dress.
    Betsy’s mother, a short, pudgy woman extended her hand to Paige. “I’m Amy. We’ll have to get the girls together to play sometime.” Before Paige could respond, Janet ruffled August’s hair. “You girls certainly do favoryour mother. You have the same red hair and green eyes—it’s amazing.”
    Paige caught her lip between her teeth. She hadn’t considered the possibility people would mistake her for the girls’ mother. “I’m Paige Watkins, I live next door to the girls.” She saw Summer and August watching her carefully. “I’m afraid their mom couldn’t make it today, so I came as a friend.”
    The woman gave her an uncomfortable smile and Paige tried to smooth over the awkward moment by suggesting the twins invite Betsy over to play one afternoon.
    â€œBut Daddy works all the time,” Summer grumbled.
    â€œYeah. He gots mergencies and stuff,” August croaked. She stuck her finger in the icing on her cookie and smeared it around in circles.
    â€œWell, I’m sure we can arrange something,” Betsy’s mother said. “We’ll give him a call sometime. Maybe I could pick you up from school and he could get you on his way home from work.”
    â€œHey, if you want something bad enough you’ll figure out a way to get it,” Paige said. “Maybe you could play together on a Saturday or Sunday.”
    Summer nodded, brightening to the idea. August licked the icing off her finger. Paige gobbled up the cookies, making a big deal about how well the twins had decorated them, then allowed the girls to give her a tour of the center. Computers, TVs, tape recorders and video games lined the walls of the media room. Listening centers and comfy beanbag chairs created small cozy areas for reading. A separate section housed blocks and games, a housekeeping corner filled another area and an art center equipped with easels, paints and a child-size sink served as a separate activity center. The day care had obviously undergone a face-lift since her childhood.Paige’s admiration for Zeke Blalock rose a notch. He had chosen a safe and friendly atmosphere for his children.
    Better off here than with her.
    Paige hugged them both as she started to leave. “You girls have a good day.”
    â€œYou wanna come over later?” August asked.
    Paige’s hand settled on her purse strap. “I can’t tonight, sweetie. I have plans.”
    â€œOh.” The disappointment in the girl’s voices worried Paige. Had she given them false ideas by coming?
    â€œBesides, I bet your dad has plans for you tonight,” Paige said.
    Both girls threw their arms around her neck. Paige glanced up and saw Zeke standing in the doorway. His gaze captured hers, his eyes dark pools of honey and trouble all at once, and his sexy mouth curved slightly into a heart-stopping smile that nearly snatched the air from her lungs.
    Zeke stared at Paige, a current of sensuality rippling between them, a thread of need materializing that he tried to banish from his thoughts. For the last few minutes, he’d watched the scene in the day care with growing unease and a tightness in his chest that wouldn’t go