CHAPTER TWELVE.

'DEE...?' Sapphie said, surprised, as she stood by the car and next to Rik and watched as her sister strode forcefully down the pathway, blonde hair flying, her cheeks bright with anger, green eyes glowing like a cat's. 'But I thought you were flying back to the States this afternoon?'

'I was,' Dee confirmed, at the same time moving to stand in front of Sapphie, the full force of her anger directed at Rik as she faced him with all the ferocity of an Amazon warrior. 'Just who do you think you are?' she demanded. 'How dare you come here and threaten my sister in this way?'

Sapphie's initial surprise had turned to complete incredulity now; Dee was here to defend her? That had to be a first. And, given the circ.u.mstances, it was very surprising; she would have thought Dee would be angry with her, not Rik.

Dee turned to give her a rea.s.suring smile. 'I was-concerned after your call earlier, so I telephoned the house and spoke to Mummy. She told me what happened this morning, the reason you absolutely had to find Rik.' Dee's mouth tightened as she turned back to face him. 'You may be one of the almighty Prince brothers, Rik, but-'

'Er-Dee-'

'No, Sapphie, I'm not going to shut up,' her sister second-guessed her. 'You may think that you're all-powerful,' she continued to berate Rik, 'but you'll find I can be just as formidable an adversary if someone threatens my family. Or, at least, Jerome can.'

Sapphie's eyes widened in alarm. 'He isn't here too, is he?' This was already turning into something of a fiasco!

Dee shook her head. 'I persuaded him that it might be better if I came alone. But I'm sure he will be here like a shot if I ask him. You are not going to take Matthew away from Sapphie.' She poked Rik in the chest with one long painted fingernail. 'Not even if I have to give evidence against you myself,' she stated determinedly. 'I don't think a judge would look too favourably on a man who treated Sapphie in the way that you have. I realised long ago, because of the timing, that Matthew's father had to be someone Sapphie met at my wedding. But it never occurred to me that he might be you!' Angry colour had returned to her cheeks and her eyes were glittering with accusation as she stared at Rik.

'Dee, could we go inside and discuss this?' Sapphie suggested. Several of her neighbours were out washing their cars on this lovely summer's afternoon. She was still totally stunned by the fact that Dee was actually here to defend her, and that was without giving the neighbours a free show!

'Fine with me,' Dee acquiesced tightly. 'After you,' she invited Rik challengingly.

To give Rik his due, he looked as bemused by this changed Dee as Sapphie did. Admiringly so? Probably, Sapphie decided. Although, for once, she was sure her little sister wasn't out to impress anyone, that she really was angry. Rik was clearly impressed, anyway. She just couldn't win with this man, could she?

'Mummy has taken Matthew to the shops to buy some sweets.' Dee explained Joan and the little boy's absence once they had entered the unusually quiet house. 'I thought it best in the circ.u.mstances,' she added, giving Rik another venomous glare. 'You got my sister pregnant, and five years later you think you can just walk back into her life and claim your son? I don't think so!' she snorted.

If Dee had suffered any shock or hurt at this tangible proof of Rik's defection five years ago, then she wasn't showing it; her indignation was all on Sapphie's behalf.

Which Sapphie was still having trouble coming to terms with; what on earth could have happened to bring about this change in Dee? Not that Sapphie was complaining-far from it; it was nice to have her sister as an ally after all these years, rather than an adversary. It was just unexpected.

'There's a lot more to being a father than the act of procreation, you know,' Dee continued her a.s.sault.

And Rik continued to take it. Because he was as stunned as Sapphie? Or was it because of that increasing admiration for Dee that Sapphie could see in his eyes?

Sapphie turned away from him, shaking her head. 'Dee, I really don't think...' The pressure of Rik's fingers on her arm silenced her, her gaze questioning as she turned to look up at him once more.

'Let Dee finish what she has to say,' he said softly.

'Take your hands off her!' Dee slapped his hand away from Sapphie's arm. 'Being presented with a lovely four-year-old isn't fatherhood!'

'I do know that, Dee-'

'No, you don't,' she contradicted Rik forcefully. 'Being a father starts way before the babies are even born! It's getting up in the early hours of the morning when your wife is being violently ill with morning sickness. Bathing her face and hands before helping her back to bed. Putting up with her cranky moods. It's holding her hand during the scans, seeing your babies' heads and bodies clearly outlined. And then weeping together when the tests they've taken tell you that they're both healthy-'

'Dee...?' Sapphie looked at her sister wonderingly. 'Their heads and bodies? Both healthy?'

Dee's face softened, tears swimming in her deep green eyes. 'Twins,' she choked proudly. 'And I don't even know them yet.' Her voice strengthened as she turned once again to Rik. 'Haven't held them, kissed them, stroked their creamy cheeks-but I already know that if anyone attempted to take them away from me that I would fight them with every weapon available to me! As I will help Sapphie fight you where Matthew is concerned,' she stated fiercely. 'He's her baby, not yours. He doesn't even know you-'

'Sure he does,' Rik contradicted gruffly. 'I'm the bad man.'

Sapphie felt a knife pierce her own heart at how much that must hurt him. Matthew didn't mean it, of course, he just hadn't liked Rik being angry with his mummy. She would talk that through with Matthew, help him to understand that Mummy had been just as upset and cross.

'I'll talk to him, Rik,' she a.s.sured him quietly. 'Help him to understand-'

'How can he possibly understand something like this?' Rik said wearily. 'Dee, everything you've said about me is true,' he continued. 'Except for one thing.' He straightened. 'I will never take Matthew away from Sapphie-'

'Too d.a.m.ned right you won't!' Dee agreed.

'No, Dee-I meant that I won't even try to do that,' Rik explained evenly.

'Oh.' Dee looked taken aback now.

As was Sapphie. She knew that, for Matthew's sake, they had decided to drop hostilities, but she hadn't believed Rik would back down this far...Was it because he didn't want to hurt her and Matthew? Or because of the things Dee had said to him...?

Dee frowned. 'But my mother said-'

'Your mother thought that was my intention when I left here this morning,' Rik explained. 'The-situation has changed since then. I'll leave Sapphie to tell you.' He took his wallet out of his jacket pocket, writing something down on the back of a business card. 'Sapphie, you can call me on this number-any time, day or night-when you have decided I can see Matthew again.' He handed her the card. 'Call me. Soon,' he added, before turning on his heel and striding out of the room, the front door closing softly behind him seconds later.

'Well.' Dee stood like a deflated balloon in the middle of the sitting-room. 'Was it something I said, do you think?' She arched blonde brows.

No matter what he might have just said, Sapphie knew the situation with Rik was pretty bleak, and she still had no idea how it was going to be resolved.

But, at the same time, this change in Dee was so comical she couldn't help laughing. 'You were magnificent!' She hugged her sister before stepping back to look up at her admiringly. 'You had me pretty scared, anyway!'

Dee looked sheepish, then moved to sit down, more shaken by the encounter than she had been willing to show. 'I just hope he never realises that some of that dialogue was a direct steal from a film I made two years ago!' she laughed shakily.

Sapphie's eyes widened. 'Not the bit about the twins?'

'Oh, no, that bit's true,' Dee a.s.sured her happily. 'We cancelled our flight after the doctor called us earlier and told us the good news. We were going to come over this evening and tell you over a celebration dinner. Mummy is over the moon!'

'So am I,' Sapphie a.s.sured her warmly, relieved-and still slightly surprised!-at her changing relationship with Dee. This was the sort of closeness she had always wanted with her sister. She only hoped it lasted.

Dee looked at her sadly. 'I haven't been a particularly good sister to you so far, have I?' she admitted. 'And I doubt I'm going to change overnight, either. But I am going to try,' she promised. 'For instance, I'm not even going to ask how you and Rik got together five years ago...!' She gave Sapphie a wry look.

'Best not to,' Sapphie agreed.

Dee smiled. 'It's strange, you know; the twins are here, inside me...' she covered her stomach protectively with her hands '...my b.u.mp is hardly showing. And yet I feel different.' Her eyes glowed with sudden laughter. 'I'm probably going to be an atrocious mother, but at this moment in time, now that the morning sickness has finally stopped, and I have my picture of the two of them, I feel as if I could right the world before breakfast and play tennis in the afternoon!'

Sapphie knew that feeling only too well, and, although it abated slightly, it never completely went away.

But, loving Rik as she did, and seeing the admiring way he had looked at Dee such a short time ago, she didn't think it was a feeling she was ever likely to know again...

'Have you been attempting to slit your throat-and failed!-or did you just cut yourself shaving?'

Rik continued to look in the mirror, glaring at his brother's reflection beside his own, his face pulled grotesquely out of shape as he attempted to stick a piece of tissue over the freely flowing cut on his neck.

'Not that I'm complaining either way, you understand,' Nik drawled as he leant against the doorframe to the bathroom. 'All this self-flagellation gets a little wearing after a while, anyway!'

Rik gave his brother a glare, before picking up a piece of fresh tissue and trying again to stop the blood flowing.

'Aren't you overdoing it a little?' Nik continued tauntingly. 'You're only going out for a pizza with Sapphie and Matthew, not off to meet royalty!'

Rik turned after finally succeeding in sticking the tissue to his cut, knowing that Nik was right; the evidence was in the adjoining bedroom-clothes he had tried on and discarded, before settling on faded denims and a white T-shirt. Only to cut himself shaving and bleed all over the T-shirt, meaning he had to start all over again.

Nik and Jinx had very kindly invited him to stay for as long as it took to sort out this situation with Sapphie and Matthew, but, considering this was the first time he had seen either of them since that meeting four days ago, Sapphie having telephoned him yesterday and made the invitation to go for pizza, he had a feeling Nik and Jinx were going to tire of his being here long before any progress was made. In fact, Nik's comment just now confirmed that his brother was already tired of him moping about the place.

Rik sighed. 'This is just so important-I don't know how to explain.'

'You don't need to explain anything to me,' Nik a.s.sured him. 'But have you considered that there may be a short cut to all this?'

Rik looked weary. 'I've already told you, Sapphie refuses to marry me!'

'I don't mean that,' his brother returned. 'In the circ.u.mstances, I can understand her saying no to that.'

Rik was puzzled; after all, it had been Nik's suggestion in the first place! 'You can?'

'Sure I can,' his brother rejoined. 'Rik, have you tried telling Sapphie that you love her, and then asking her to marry you?'

No, he hadn't told Sapphie he loved her-because he was too wary of what her answer might be!

He had messed this up from the beginning, hadn't appreciated what he had found in Sapphie five years ago; now he was determined to take things at the pace she set. And going out for a pizza with her and Matthew was as good a place as any to start.

The bistro where they were to meet was only a few minutes' walk from where Sapphie lived. However, Rik arrived ten minutes earlier than six-thirty, when Sapphie had suggested they meet, his anxiety to see them again was so acute.

He was sitting at the table drinking iced tea when Sapphie and Matthew walked in the door. His breath caught in his throat at how right they looked together, Matthew holding his mother's hand as the two of them talked and laughed.

Rik wanted to just gather the two of them up in his arms and carry them away to somewhere quiet where he could tell them how much he loved them.

Which would probably frighten the h.e.l.l out of Matthew-and wouldn't exactly thrill Sapphie, either!

'Hi,' he greeted, standing up as they reached the table, not quite sure whether or not he should kiss Sapphie and shake Matthew by the hand, or vice versa! Instead he did nothing except smile.

'Matthew,' Sapphie avoided meeting Rik's eyes as she bent down so that she was on a level with the little boy as he looked up curiously at Rik, 'you know we've talked about this, that this is your daddy?'

Rik's breath caught in his throat; whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't this!

If he had thought about it at all-and he had!-he had expected Sapphie to introduce him as 'Rik'; it had never occurred to him that she would have told Matthew-that his son would know- 'h.e.l.lo, Daddy.' Matthew smiled up at him shyly, still holding tightly to Sapphie's hand.

He swallowed hard, emotion choking him. 'h.e.l.lo, Matthew,' he finally managed.

Sapphie straightened, obviously not as composed as she appeared as her hands shook slightly, her gaze wary as she met Rik's searching one. 'I thought about what you said,' she said. 'We might as well start the way we mean to go on.'

That seemed practical. Logical, even; there would have been no point in Matthew calling him Rik if he was one day going to call him Daddy. Rik just hadn't expected-wasn't sure he deserved-such generosity on Sapphie's part.

'Thank you,' he accepted, pulling back the chairs for them. 'So, Matthew, what's your favourite pizza?' Not the most inspired of conversation openers, Rik accepted, but it was the best he could do right now, still stunned by the fact that Sapphie had told Matthew exactly who he was.

Actually, the only thing that Rik felt like eating was Sapphie, with his eyes, his mouth, his hands!

She looked wonderful, with her hair swept up in a pony-tail, her make-up minimalised to a light foundation and peach-coloured lip-gloss, her white T-shirt barely reaching the waist of her low-slung denims.

'What have you done to your neck?' Matthew asked a short time later as he wrestled with the trailing melted cheese on his pizza.

d.a.m.n, Rik had forgotten all about the tissue on his cut! Which meant he had been sitting here like a moron for the last twenty minutes-Sapphie was obviously too polite to have mentioned it.

In fact, Sapphie was being extremely polite, too polite, when he had hoped the two of them would get to know each other better too.

'An accident while I was shaving,' he explained as he removed the tissue and shoved it in his pocket; Nik could have mentioned it again before he left the house earlier!

'If you had a beard you wouldn't need to shave,' Matthew told him knowingly. 'Uncle Brian has a beard,' he offered, before turning his attention back to his enjoyable struggle with his pizza.

Rik frowned. Uncle Brian? Who the h.e.l.l was Uncle Brian? As far as he was aware, the only uncle Matthew had was Jerome-he would find out about Nik and Zak later. Much later, as far as Rik was concerned; no doubt Nik had considered it a huge joke earlier to let him leave the house with the tissue still stuck on his neck!

'Brian Glover,' Sapphie offered. 'He's my agent.'

Her agent! Just her agent? Or was there something else between them? Matthew had obviously met the other man...

'Matthew comes with me to see him sometimes,' Sapphie explained at Rik's continued silence. 'When my mother is busy. He's a grandfather four times over, Rik,' she added drily as he just continued to look at her.

Ah. Probably not someone Sapphie would be involved with, then.

But she had already told him that, had said there was no one else in her life but Matthew. And Sapphie, unlike Dee, did not tell him lies. Even if some of her truths he would rather not hear!

Dee had really surprised him that day when he drove Sapphie home, and he had known from Sapphie's stunned expression that, as her younger sister defended her and Matthew with the ferocity of a tigress, she had been surprised too.

Probably it was the first time in her life that Dee had ever taken Sapphie's side in anything! He sincerely hoped it wouldn't be the last, that finally Dee was thinking of someone besides herself. Not that it particularly bothered him what Dee did; she was Jerome's problem-thank goodness!

'That's good,' Rik answered Sapphie's explanation about her agent, just enjoying looking at her.

He never wanted this evening to end, wanted to go right on sitting here, with Sapphie and Matthew, and never leave either of them again. Not that it was going to happen; they were deliberately eating at this early hour so that Sapphie could get Matthew home in time for bed. But it was what he wanted more than he had ever wanted anything before.

'How about dessert?' he suggested once they had finished their pizzas-though Sapphie had merely nibbled around the edges of one slice. 'What do you say, little buddy?' he encouraged Matthew. 'Would you like some ice cream or cake?'

'Chocolate cake, please,' Matthew told him without a moment's hesitation, at the same time giving him a beaming smile.

His son might look exactly like him, Rik acknowledged with a sharp intake of breath, but the rest of him was pure Sapphie. From that unpretentious smile, to his way of saying exactly what was on his mind.

'How about you, Sapphie?' He spoke gently, so full of emotion, of love, that he was surprised he could talk at all.

She smiled teasingly at Matthew. 'I usually have the remains of the chocolate cake that Matthew can't manage!'

Rik already knew from Sapphie that the two of them ate here every couple of weeks or so, and he felt privileged that this time they had invited him to join them; it really was progress, even if it was slower than he would have wished.