CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
When Annie’s legs buckled, Cole moved quickly to catch her, wrapping his arms around her again. Maybe he shouldn’t have been the one to tell her the news, but she’d known something was wrong. Plus, he hadn’t liked keeping the news a secret from her.
He’d understood why secrecy was the best course of action while they weren’t sure. But now that it had been pretty much verified, he felt it was time to let her know.
When Duncan had informed him that they’d managed to confirm that the woman was Angelica, he’d been shocked. It had only been a few hours since he’d given the man the information.
But then he remembered… this was one of the richest men in the world. People didn’t ask how high when he said to jump. They just jumped as high as they possibly could and hoped it was enough.
In this case, whoever Duncan had called with the information Cole had given him, had managed to dig deep with only a name and phone number. It wouldn’t surprise Cole if he discovered that the person responsible for digging up the information was able to hack government servers.
“Are they sure?” Annie asked, her voice thready.
“Your dad seems pretty certain, given the information his contacts dug up.”
“How?”
“Why don’t we go in?” Cole suggested. “Then your dad can give you all the details.”
“I don’t know how I feel about this.”
Cole tucked her against his chest and ran a hand down her back. “I know it’s a shock. You don’t have to feel anything right now.”
Annie clung to him like he was a life preserver, and maybe, in that turbulent moment, he was. And that was just fine by Cole. If she needed him to support her, he would absolutely be there for her.
A whine had Cole looking down. Sitting pressed against Annie’s legs was a large tawny-colored dog.
“I think Nyla is worried about you,” Cole murmured.
“Yeah. She picks up on my moods.” Annie moved back enough to put her hand on Nyla’s head.
“I’m okay, girl. And Cole is safe,” Annie said, then took Cole’s hand. She removed his glove, then held their joined hands out for Nyla to sniff. “Safe.”
She said another word that he didn’t quite catch, but it made Nyla’s tail wag, and she licked his hand.
“What did you say?”
“I used a word the trainer made up to let her know you’re a friend.”
“Oh, I see. Can I pet her?”
“Yep. She loves to be scratched behind her ears.”
Cole lowered himself so he was closer to the dog’s level, without actually sitting or kneeling on the cold ground, and used both hands to give her scratches. He had always liked dogs, and they’d had one when he was growing up, but he’d never considered getting one as an adult.
“She’s beautiful,” Cole said as he straightened.
“She likes you,” Annie told him with a smile.
“I’m glad.” Cole took her hand. “Should we go talk to your dad?”
Annie sighed. “I suppose. Has he told Julian?”
“I don’t think so. He wasn’t sure that Julian was in any state to hear the news.”
“Well, Jill should be happy.”
“Jill?”
“My birth mom. She’ll be getting her favorite daughter back.”
Cole didn’t know what to say to that. This was a situation that he’d never imagined facing, though he had heard stories of kidnapped children being found years later.
He had to admit that he was very curious about the years Angelica had spent away from her family.
But first and foremost, his focus had to be on Annie.
Hand in hand, they made their way back to the house. In the mudroom, they removed their outerwear in silence.
“Ready?” Cole asked.
“No.” Annie’s blue-green eyes were damp with unshed tears. “But here we go.”
Nyla followed at Annie’s side as they made their way through the mansion to Duncan’s office.
The office door stood slightly ajar, just liked he’d left it, and Annie paused before it, her fingers tightening around Cole’s. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, silently telling her he was right there with her. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Duncan looked up from his computer, his face drawn with a mixture of emotions Cole couldn’t fully read. Relief, anxiety, hope—all seemed to war for dominance in the older man’s expression.
“Annalisa,” Duncan said, standing immediately. “Come in.”
The office was warm and smelled faintly of leather and the expensive cologne Duncan favored. A fire crackled in the ornate fireplace along one wall, casting dancing shadows across the rich mahogany furniture.
“Dad,” Annie’s voice was barely audible. “Cole told me.”
Duncan nodded, gesturing toward the leather chairs positioned in front of his desk. “Please, sit.”
Cole guided Annie to one of the chairs, taking the seat beside her. Nyla settled at Annie’s feet, her head resting protectively on Annie’s shoe.
“I know this is… overwhelming,” Duncan began, his usual commanding tone softened. “But I wanted you to know as soon as we had initial confirmation.”
“How certain are you?” Annie asked, her voice steadier now.
Duncan reached for a folder on his desk. “Fairly, though I still want a DNA test.”
“Did Cole tell you the role he played in all of this?” Duncan asked.
Annie glanced at him as she shook her head. “How did that happen?”
Cole took a couple of minutes to tell her what had transpired earlier that day. Had it just been that afternoon? It seemed like it had happened much longer ago.
“The group I’ve had working on any leads we’ve received jumped right on this,” Duncan said. “And they found out quite a bit about her.”
“Tell me,” Annie said.
“She’s living in a small town in Kentucky,” Duncan said. “She works in a bakery there.”
“How do you know all this about her?”
“Since Cole could give us her name—Angela Reynolds—as well as her phone number, my team was able to search databases for more information.”
“Angela?” Annie repeated. “So they didn’t change her name a lot.”
“No. But it was a common enough version that it wouldn’t stand out. Plus, if they called her Angie, like you kids called her, it wouldn’t be unfamiliar to her.”
“And what about the people who took her? Are they still in her life?”
“We haven’t figured that out just yet, but we do know there is someone she considers a sister.”
Cole felt Annie’s hand tense in his. He couldn’t imagine how this must feel for her. Although, from what she’d said earlier, she didn’t even know how she felt about it herself.
“So what makes you so certain that it’s her, and not some person posing as her?”
Duncan stared at Annie for a long moment, then he held out the folder his hands had been resting on.
Annie hesitated before she let go of Cole’s hand and took the folder. Cole didn’t say anything, and neither did Duncan. They just waited for her to open it and see what they’d seen. What made them so confident that this Angela was Annie’s missing twin.
It had been weird for Cole, looking at the pictures and seeing Annie, and yet… not.
Finally, she flipped the folder open and gasped, lifting a hand to cover her mouth. “She looks just like me!”
It was true. The only difference that Cole had seen was the length of their hair. Angelica… Angela… wore hers shorter.
He knew that Duncan would insist on a DNA test, but in Cole’s mind, there was little doubt.
“You girls look so much like my mother,” Duncan said. “While Julian looks more like your mother.”
Annie glanced up at her dad. “That’s why all the women love him.”
Cole wondered if Julian was a bit of a womanizer. He was well aware that the man was a bit of a jerk.
“Does she know about our family?” Annie asked.
“I don’t think so,” Duncan said. “It was your picture at the gala that she saw and had questions about.”
“Wouldn’t that be something?” Annie mused. “If the event you got so upset about me attending is what ends up bringing Angelica home?”
Duncan gave a huff of laughter. “I suppose I’ll deserve any and all ribbing you want to send my way over that.”
“So, what’s the next step?” Annie asked, apparently willing to let that go for the moment.
“I’m going to have one of my team make contact with her. To see what more information he can get before we go any further.”
“Is there a chance you won’t tell her who we are?”
Duncan’s silence took Cole by surprise. From what Annie had said, her dad had been obsessed with finding Angelica.
“Dad?”
“I don’t know, Annalisa,” he said. “I need to make sure having her back in our lives doesn’t invite the people who kidnapped her back as well. And who knows how they’ve raised her. I still need to protect you and our family.”
Annie’s face paled as she stared at her father. “Really? After all this time searching for her, you’d just… what? Watch her from afar? Have her followed?”
Cole felt tension radiating through Annie’s body. He placed his hand gently on her back, offering silent support.
“That’s not what I’m saying,” Duncan replied, his tone measured. “I’m simply suggesting we proceed with caution. We don’t know what she’s been told about her past, or who might still be in her life that was involved in the kidnapping.”
“But she’s your daughter,” Annie said, her voice breaking. “My sister.”
Duncan leaned forward, his eyes softening. “And that’s precisely why we need to be careful. I won’t do anything that would put you at risk. You should know that.”
“I never thought that would extend to my own sister.”
“Like I said, we don’t know her. We don’t know how she was raised. What type of person she is. We just need to move forward with caution.”
“Is this about money?” Annie asked. “Are you afraid all she’ll want is money if she finds out who you are?”
“That’s a small part of it,” Duncan conceded. “But the larger part is you. I need to protect you . I won’t let her hurt you.”
“Even at the expense of having her back in your life?”
“Even then.”
It seemed to Cole in that moment Annie truly understood the depth of his love and concern for her.
“Well.” Annie cleared her throat. “Well, I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“We’ll just have to take it one step at a time.”
Cole cleared his throat. “If I may, sir… from what I understand, she recognized Annie in that photo. Wouldn’t that suggest she might already suspect something about her origins?”
Duncan nodded slowly. “A fair point, Cole. But we still need to approach this with caution.”
Annie flipped through the photos again, her fingers tracing the outline of her twin’s face.
“She looks happy, at least,” she whispered. “Do you think she had a good life?”
The question hung heavy in the air. Cole watched Duncan’s face, seeing the pain flash across it before he composed himself.
“I hope she did,” Duncan finally said. “Despite everything, I would want that for her.”
Nyla whined softly, sensing the emotional current in the room. Annie absently stroked the dog’s head.
“When will your team make contact?” Cole asked.
“I’m going to have Jude make a call to her tomorrow,” Duncan said. “Just see if she volunteers more information. He’ll let her know that he’s acting as a representative of our family.”
“And what do we do?” Annie asked.
“We wait,” Duncan said. “You go about your plans with Cole, and maybe tomorrow night we’ll have more answers.”
“Okay,” Annie said. “I can do that.”
“In the meantime, let’s go join your mother and Benji to ring in the New Year,” Duncan said as he got to his feet.
The three of them walked to a part of the mansion that Cole hadn’t seen yet. He was afraid if he was left on his own, he’d get lost.
“Hey, Dad!” Benji said when they walked in.
He and Elizabeth were sitting at a chessboard near a blazing fireplace. On a screen that took up a whole wall was a muted display of some New Year’s Eve festivities. The clock on the screen said that they had to wait just ten minutes to ring in the new year.
Annie pulled Cole over to one of the overstuffed couches, and he sat down beside her. She tucked her feet to one side and leaned against him, wrapping her arms around one of his and resting her head on his shoulder.
Despite the craziness of the day, Cole felt a calmness settle over him. He was right where he wanted to be. Next to the woman he loved, getting ready to ring in a new year. A year that he hoped held many more happy memories for them.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Annie whispered, her voice meant only for him.
Cole turned his head slightly, pressing his lips to her hair. “Me too.”
The quiet intimacy of the moment struck him—how natural it felt to be sitting with her family, her head on his shoulder, as if he’d always belonged there. As an adult, he’d spent plenty of New Year’s Eves at parties with teammates or friends, but none had felt as meaningful as being there with Annie.
“Two minutes, everyone!” Elizabeth called out, rising from the chess table. “Benji, would you pour the sparkling grape juice please?”
“Sure, Mom.” Benji moved to a sideboard where flutes and a bottle waited.
“Or would you prefer something alcoholic, Cole?” she asked, turning toward him.
“The juice is fine,” Cole assured her. “I don’t drink.”
“We don’t much either,” Elizabeth said.
“Except for Julian,” Benji added.
“Yes. Except for Julian.”
Duncan dimmed the lights slightly and unmuted the television, letting the excited countdown commentary fill the room. It must have been a replay of the ball drop from three hours earlier, since it was well past midnight in New York City.
“Penny for your thoughts?” he murmured, leaning close to Annie.
Annie lifted her head, meeting his eyes. “I’m thinking about how life can change so quickly. Yesterday, I was just me. Now I’m… half of something again. Something I don’t remember.” Her voice trembled slightly. “And I’m thinking about how glad I am that you’re the one here with me through it.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be,” Cole said.
Benji approached with two champagne flutes, handing them each one. “You guys look cozy,” he said with a teasing smile.
“Thanks, Benji,” Cole said, accepting the glass.
“Thirty seconds!” Elizabeth announced, joining her husband by the fireplace.
Cole and Annie stood up from the couch, though Cole kept his arm around her, tucking her close along his side.
As the countdown began on the screen, Cole found himself not watching the celebration but studying Annie’s profile, illuminated by the dancing firelight. The events of the day had clearly exhausted her, yet there was something resilient in the set of her jaw, the quiet determination in her eyes.
“Ten! Nine! Eight!” the family joined in counting.
Annie turned to face him fully, a small smile playing at her lips.
“Seven! Six! Five!”
“Cole,” she whispered, barely audible above the counting.
“Four! Three! Two!”
“Happy New Year,” he said softly. “I love you.”
“One! Happy New Year!”
“I love you too.”
As cheers erupted from the television, Annie leaned up and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was gentle, but it held a certainty that made Cole’s heart race.
He was vaguely aware of champagne glasses clinking around them, of Benji’s good-natured whistle, but all that truly existed was Annie—her warmth, her touch, the faint floral scent that seemed to cling to her hair.
When they finally parted, Cole saw Duncan and Elizabeth embracing nearby, Benji covering his eyes.
“Here’s to finding what was lost,” Duncan said, raising his glass in a toast once he and Elizabeth separated.
“And to new beginnings,” Elizabeth added, her eyes moving meaningfully between Cole and Annie.
Cole felt something stir within him. It took him a moment to realize it was a shifting of his heart. As he said goodbye to one year and greeted the next, he was filled with the desire to be a man worthy of Annie’s love and affection.
She made him want to be a better man. A caring man. And if he wanted to have a future with Annie… a godly man. She deserved a man who would lead their family spiritually.
It was a stunning moment as he realized he wanted all of that. Her. A family. A spiritual leadership role.
That could only happen if he turned his heart to God once again. He’d let his faith lapse for far too long already.
It was time to get his priorities straight for the first time in his adult life.
“Are you going to stay here tonight, Annie?” Elizabeth asked.
“I think I will,” she said. “I brought over what I need for tonight and tomorrow.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Duncan said. “I like having my family under one roof on such an important day.”
Cole waited for one of them to mention why the day was so important, but neither Duncan nor Annie did. He didn’t know how much Elizabeth knew, but Benji seemed rather clueless about what was going on.
And then there was Julian. How was he going to feel about the news that his missing sister had been found? Duncan had probably been right to not give the man that information while he was drunk.
They didn’t linger long once the ball had dropped, then Annie and Benji walked upstairs with Cole. Benji bade them goodnight before heading the opposite way down the hallway.
“I’m so glad you were able to come,” Annie said.
“Me too.” Cole tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Do you think you’ll be okay to hang out with my family tomorrow? If you’re not, that’s perfectly fine.”
“I still want to go,” Annie said. “There’s nothing to be gained by just sitting around here. I’d rather go skating with you, and I know Benji is looking forward to spending time with Amelia.”
“Julian is welcome to join us as well,” Cole said.
Annie’s brows lifted. “Do you really want him there? I’m not sure what sort of condition he’ll be in after how drunk he got tonight.”
“I’m just saying it’s an option. If you feel like he could use some time out of the house, he’d be more than welcome.”
Annie nodded. “I’ll see how he behaves in the morning.”
“I hate to end this evening, but I’m beat.”
“So am I, even though I didn’t play a game of basketball today like you did.”
Cole smiled as he drew her close for a hug. “I love you, Annie, and I can’t wait to see what this next year holds for us.”
“Neither can I,” Annie said. She placed her hands on his shoulders. “And I love you too. So very much.”
They shared one last kiss before calling it a night, and Cole went into his luxurious bedroom filled with hope for his future with Annie.
They’d already weathered some ups and downs, proving that they were both committed to establishing a solid foundation as they worked toward a meaningful and lasting relationship.
He couldn’t ask for more than that.