His-And-Hers Twins Read Online Free Page A

“Friday.”
    â€œYeah. Everybody else’s mommies will be there.”
    Drive the knife in a little deeper, girls. Henrietta added to his guilt by whining and giving him a pitiful flop-eared look. He gritted his teeth and tossed her his pizza crust. If he could find Renee right now, he’d throttle her.
    â€œI have an idea.” He forced a cheery smile. “Your grandmother can come. I’m sure she’d love to visit your school.”
    Both girls’ faces fell.
    â€œYou can call her yourselves.” Zeke tried to brighten his voice with enthusiasm. “Maybe you could even spend the night with her.” And you could have a night out, a silent voice whispered. Call Paige. Have a date. A conversation with an adult, not a child or an animal.
    Summer’s eyes lit up. “All night long?”
    â€œYep. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
    August nodded. “Grandma lets us eat cookies for breakfast.”
    Grandma would. Zeke ran a hand through his hair. Oh, well, it would only be one morning. And he had to do something for his heartsick daughters. He couldn’t allow them to be the only ones at school without a mother figure.
    He handed them the phone. “Here, dial Grandma’s number. She’s been begging me to let you spend the night.”
    Together the girls punched in the number. When he heard his mother’s voice screeching over the phone, he assumed by the pleased expressions on his daughters’ faces she’d accepted the invitation.
    One more problem licked. At least temporarily.
    When they hung up the phone, the girls’ moods had drastically changed. August gobbled another piece of pizza and Summer gulped her milk, then ran to the bathroom. He breathed a sigh of relief but the feeling disintegrated when Summer screamed. “Daddy!”
    He sprinted through the house to find her. August trotted behind him, stepping on his heels in her haste.
    Summer was standing in the bathroom, her eyes dazed. Her little hand shook when she pointed at the cat huddled in the bathtub. “What’s…wrong with Buffy?”
    Zeke swallowed nervous laughter. “There’s nothing wrong with her,” he said gently. He knelt down beside the fat, panting calico cat and wrapped his arms around his daughters’ shoulders. He’d barely survived one traumatic moment before another struck.
    Now, he had to explain the facts of life to his four-year-old daughters. Buffy was having kittens.
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    T HE CREATIVE SIDE of design and the actual sewing intrigued Paige. She started sketching various ideas for thedesign project, considering fabric choice, cost and accessories as she worked. For this project, she only needed to design one outfit, but for her final, she’d design an entire wardrobe, taking into account the busy lives and schedules of the women who might wear her creations.
    Several minutes later, she stared at the sketch, crumpled the paper and tossed it into the trash. The dress looked all wrong. Too high of a neckline. Not tapered enough. She started another drawing, but the telephone rang, disturbing her concentration.
    Maybe it’s the sexy guy next door, calling to ask you for a date.
    She reached for the phone, ordering herself to decline the invitation, then sighed in disappointment at the sound of Amelia’s voice. “Hi, Amelia.”
    â€œHey, Paige. You have to come to my party next week!”
    â€œA party?” Paige blinked in surprise, searching her mind to see if she’d forgotten an important date. No holidays coming up. No birthdays. “What brought this on?” she asked, when nothing special registered.
    â€œI’m getting married!” Amelia squealed so loudly Paige had to hold the phone away from her ear.
    â€œMarried? When? To whom?”
    â€œTo Derrick, of course. He asked me this afternoon!” Another bout of squeals filled the line. “We’re having an engagement party next