As far as he was concerned, it definitely wasn’t going to be their last!
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Ready?” Ellie prompted.
Another cab had dropped them off at their destination, and the two of them now stood outside the house in Long Island that Karen and Geoff had bought and moved into after learning Karen was pregnant.
The other couple had told Ellie they wanted the children to grow up outside the rush and bustle of the city and also have a backyard where they could play outside when they were older.
Ellie had taken hold of one of Knox’s hands the moment she joined him on the sidewalk. She now gave that hand a reassuring squeeze.
Knox drew in a fortifying breath before nodding abruptly. “Ready.”
Seeing how pale his face now was, Ellie was glad that he had shared his past trauma with her. “I’m pretty sure that if the babies are awake, Karen is going to want you to hold one of them. Are you ready for that? If not, you could always claim to have a cold as a way of keeping your distance.” She could see a nerve pulsing in Knox’s tightly clenched jaw, and his eyes had completely lost their mischievous sparkle.
It was heartbreaking to see such a strong man brought to his knees just at the thought of seeing, and possibly being asked to hold, one of Karen and Geoff’s babies.
Ellie waited for Knox to answer, knowing that only he could make this decision.
She was a little nervous about holding a very young baby herself, never having had reason to be this close to one before now. One thing she did know was that they had always looked very fragile to her.
“You really think Karen will want me to hold one of them?” Knox’s eyes were wide, like a stag caught in the headlights of a car coming straight toward him.
Ellie could lie and say no, but she knew her cousin-in-law too well to believe that. She nodded. “And if she does, it will be up to you to make the decision whether you want to or not.”
“Okay,” he bit out through gritted teeth.
She pressed her finger on the doorbell, knowing they couldn’t continue to just stand out here on the welcome mat.
Geoff was the one to open the door, her cousin tall, his hair as blond at her own: it was a family trait. He grinned at the two of them as he stepped back to warmly invite, “Come on in. You have perfect timing.” He turned to walk in front of them for the short distance down the hallway to where the family room was at the back of the house overlooking the yard. “Karen has just finished feeding the twins. And thank you for the pizza delivery last night, Ellie. It was a godsend.”
Knox’s fingers grew tighter and tighter about Ellie’s the closer they came to being in the same room as those babies, only to drop away completely once they stepped inside the family room.
It was a little more untidy than when Ellie had joined the couple last month for dinner, but that was to be expected when there were now two very young babies in the house.
Ellie’s gaze was instantly drawn to the wide awake and tiny four-day-old baby cradled in Karen’s arms. The second baby was asleep in a cot beside the sofa where Karen sat.
The awake baby was tiny and so beautiful. Ellie felt tears sting her eyes as she looked at— “Which is which…?”
“This is Aaran Knox,” Karen introduced the sleeping baby in the cot. “And this”—she glanced at the baby in her arms—“is Eleanor Millie Rose, to be known as Nora.”
Ellie had heard Knox gasp after hearing the name of Karen’s son. He staggered back a step, his face pale, when she introduced her daughter to them.
Ellie didn’t hesitate to once again grasp one of his hands firmly in her own.
“I’m okay,” he assured her after a couple of seconds. “The boy’s name was a surprise. And an honor, of course. The girl’s…” He glanced at Karen. “Is that a coincidence or… No, of course it isn’t,” he realized by the compassion in her expression. “How long have you known?”
Karen’s smile was gentle and caring. “I was Magnus’s PA before I was yours, which means I had full access to your personnel file when I knew you were going to take over the New York office from him.”
He swallowed. “Why didn’t you ever say anything…?”
Karen stood up. “If you had wanted me to know, you would have told me,” she accepted softly. “But I understand that some things are just too painful to be put into words.” She glanced at the baby in her arms. “Geoff and I wanted to honor your Millie Rose in the only way we can.”
Ellie was thankful for Knox having confided in her about his daughter as he made a choking sound, as if he had something stuck in his throat, or was attempting not to cry.
She stepped back as Karen quickly handed the baby she was holding to Geoff before stepping forward to put her arms about Knox’s waist, murmuring to him softly as he bent to rest his head against her shoulder.
Ellie turned away from the emotional scene, knowing Knox wouldn’t thank her later for having been a witness to his breakdown. A breakdown she had a feeling was long overdue for this usually self-contained man.