Cole wanted to ask why she hadn’t called him. He wanted to ask why she hadn’t wanted him to know she was here. And why had she referred to his son or daughter as the babies? A thousand questions swirled in his mind but, at the moment, none of them mattered. And he had to ask her forgiveness.
A nurse bustled in and proceeded to check Tallie’s vitals. She looked at Cole. “Are you the proud father?”
“Yes,” he said firmly, his gaze going to Tallie. “I am indeed.”
Tears filled Tallie’s eyes. A silent message passed between her and Cole. One of pride and acceptance.
“You guys have two beautiful baby boys. We think they are both gonna be just fine. May have to stay in the incubator a couple of weeks, but they are breathing on their own and screaming for that bottle. Give it a while for the drugs to wear off and we can get you into a private room. Then you can feed them if you wish, Mrs. Finley.”
“Oh, yes,” Tallie answered.
“Your vitals look good. Give it about an hour and someone will come and get you,” the nurse concluded and bustled out the door.
Cole could only stare. Twins. He needed to sit down.
“Cole, are you all right?”
He silently shook his head. “Hon, we are having twins. Twins.”
He heard her chuckle. “We have twins, you nut cake. Why are you here?”
“I love you, Tallie.” He kissed the palm of her hand.
“But you don’t believe there is such a thing as love.”
“I was wrong. I was stupid. I can’t call what I feel anything else. I’ve honestly never felt this way before about anyone. When I thought you had died... Tallie, can you forgive me for reacting the way I did? Forgive me for doubting? And marry me, Tallie. My life won’t be complete without you in it. I know we can make it work.”
“You’re not ready to settle down with a wife and children. You have your work. I’m not going to be the one to negatively impact your life.”
“You are the first and only woman I’ve ever been this drawn to. And you will be the last. I don’t want anyone but you.” He wanted to scream it to the whole world but gritted his teeth to maintain control. “Marry me, Tallie. Marry me because you love me and because you believe I love you. Marry me with no regrets.”
“I love you, Cole. And if you’re sure, yes.”
“Yes? You will marry me?”
“I’m an easy sell when it comes to you.” She smiled and the twinkle was back in those emerald green eyes.
He bent over the bed and touched his lips to hers. It felt so right. He placed a hand on her head and followed with more kisses, loving this woman with everything he had inside. “You are so beautiful,” he told her and knew she could see the honesty in his face.
A little while later, a team of nurses came into the recovery room, and rolled Tallie’s bed down the hall to a private room.
“Mr....Finley?” one of the nurses said to him. “While we get her settled in, if you would like to feed the babies with your wife, stop by the nursing station. They will provide a mask and gown.”
Feeling excited and numb at the same time, Cole did as the woman suggested. When Tallie was settled in her new room, two nurses placed one newborn infant wrapped in a little blue blanket in his arms and gave one to Tallie.
Cole could only stare at the tiny new life he held. He was perfect. His cry sounded more like a kitten’s than a baby’s but it was the most beautiful sound Cole had ever heard. He caught Tallie’s attention and mouthed “I love you.” She smiled and said it right back. There was no expressing the love that grew in his chest at seeing his soon-to-be wife feed one newborn son then the other. Two sons. She had given him two incredible miracles.
The babies fed and back in the nursery, Cole left Tallie alone to rest. He’d kissed her goodbye with a promise that he would be back.
Had she agreed to marry Cole Masters? Still full of emotion, she felt tears of happiness welling up in her eyes. For the first time in her life, she was loved, truly loved, by an incredible man. She never thought she would trust another, yet there was no doubt in her mind that Cole loved her. With that in mind, she closed her eyes.
An hour later she awoke to a soft knock. “Come in.”
It was Cole. He was grinning ear to ear while he held the largest bouquet of red roses she’d ever seen. Setting them on a table, he moved to Tallie and gave her a deep, meaningful kiss. “How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good, considering.” She pushed herself up against the pillows. It was time to ask him a difficult question that had been bothering her.
“Cole, the day I left the ranch I overheard you on the phone talking to someone named Matt. You spelled it out pretty clearly that I had gotten pregnant on purpose and only wanted your money.” Tears filled her eyes and she snatched a tissue from the bedside table. “If you feel that way, why did you come here? Why would you want to marry me?”
Cole sat on the edge of the bed and took the tissue from her, gently wiping her eyes. “I wasn’t talking about you, sweetheart. I was talking about Gina, my ex-wife. She and her boyfriend set up this elaborate plan to get me to marry her so she could extract money, tens of millions of dollars, from a few of my bank accounts. The night I kicked her out, she drove too fast around a curve on the edge of a cliff and lost control of the car. She died immediately. So did the baby she was carrying. I never found out if it was mine or the other guy’s.”
“Oh, Cole, I’m so sorry.”
“It made me bitter and hard and unforgiving. When I lashed out at you it was really Gina in my mind’s eye. I will regret that until the day I die.”
Tallie raised their joined hands to her face and kissed his palm. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“God, I love you, Tallie. I actually thought I was in love with her. You showed me what real love is.”
Suddenly there was a knock on the door and an entourage of people walked into the room. She recognized Wade Masters, Cole’s older brother. And next to Cole were Chance and his wife Holly. Before she could say hello to anyone, another man stepped forward.
“Hello, Dr. Finley,” he said. “Congratulations. You and Cole have two beautiful sons.”
“Thank you.” What was Reverend Blackhawk from her hometown doing here? And what was the formal-looking paper he held in his hand?
“You said you would marry me,” Cole told her softly. “I intend to hold you to your word.”
“Are you sure?” she asked him. “Now? Here?”
Cole leaned over her and whispered in her ear. “Yes. And when you heal, I intend to show you exactly how sure I am.”
Tallie signed her name and handed the form to the reverend, who passed it on to Wade, Holly and Chance to sign as official witnesses. Some twenty minutes later, after Holly did her hair and added some lipstick and a hint of blush, they said their vows and Tallie became Mrs. Cole Masters. His lips had never felt better on hers. When the clapping began, Cole lifted his head and winked at her.
It was, indeed, a beautiful day.
Epilogue
All the people at the museum were gathered around, wanting to have the opportunity to get closer to Tallie’s babies.
Tallie left the dual stroller just outside her office as her friends oohed and aahed. Stepping into her office she proceeded to power up her computer. She needed to check the dates of certain meetings and what digs were scheduled for the next month. She glanced at her watch and wondered where Cole was. He’d said he would meet her here.
Outside, she heard the small crowd of people greeting Cole, who had apparently just arrived. Pulling up her email software, she began to scan the nearly three months of messages. It was going to take a lot longer to catch up than she’d thought.
“Hi, sweetheart.” Cole walked around her desk and planted a deep kiss on her lips. “Happy six-week anniversary.” He grinned that adorable grin. Tallie saw the sparks in his eyes and knew today marked the end of the safe period. Romantic evenings and spontaneous sex were back on. They had come close a number of times but Cole had held firm, a trait she’d told him she didn’t especially hold in high regard.
“I have a wedding present for you.”
She laughed. “Husbands don’t give wedding presents. But what do you have?”
A huge smile covered his face as he held up an item about the size of a football. It was wrapped in a blanket and she watched as Cole began to carefully remove it. Gasps from all the people who were crowded in the doorway made her realize they were not alone.
“Presenting one certified pot—well, most of a pot, from your dig. Dr. Sterling has put his stamp of approval on it. It’s what you were looking for, Tallie.”
“But how...?”
Cole held it out for her to take. “You had been edging ever closer to the cliffs. I took a couple of men and we climbed up the face of the cliff and found the cave you suspected was there. Inside, it’s full of pottery, spear-type weapons, jewelry...a whole bunch of things. We didn’t enter the cave more than a couple of feet. I wasn’t about to incur your wrath by stepping on something priceless. So, the rest is there for you to discover. Now you have proof positive of the origins of your family’s people, Tallie. Your grandmother was right.”