The SEAL's Secret Heirs

She cut off the tirade there. Oh, there was plenty more she wanted to say, but it would veer into personal barbs that wouldn’t help anything. She had a job to do and the information-gathering stage should—and would—stay on a professional level.

Besides, she knew he’d been stationed overseas. He probably hadn’t had the luxury of jetting off whenever he felt like it. But he could have at least called.

Crossing his arms, he leaned back against the gold velvet cushions of the too-small chair, biceps bulging. He’d grown some interesting additions to what had already been a nicely built body. Automatically, her gaze wandered south, taking in all the parts that made up that great physique. Wow, had it gotten hot in here, or what? She fanned her face with the manila folder.

But then he eyed her, his face a careful mask that dared her to break through it. Which totally unnerved her. This darker, harder, fiercer Kyle Wade was dangerous. Because she wanted to understand why he was dark, hard and fierce. Why he’d broken her heart and then left.

“You got me all figured out, seems like,” he drawled. “Why don’t you tell me why I didn’t hop on a plane and stick by Margaret’s side during her pregnancy?”

Couldn’t the man just answer a simple question? He’d always been like this—uncommunicative and prone to leaving instead of dealing with problems head-on. His attitude was so infuriating, she said the first thing that popped into her head.

“Guilt, probably. You didn’t want to be involved and hoped the problem would go away on its own.” And that was totally unfair. Wasn’t it? She had no idea why he hadn’t contacted anyone. This new version of Kyle was unsettling because she didn’t know him that well anymore.

Really, she wasn’t that good at reading people in the first place. It was a professional weakness that she hated, but couldn’t seem to fix. Once upon a time, she’d thought this man was her forever after, her Prince Charming, Clark Gable and Dr. McDreamy all rolled into one. Which was totally false. She’d bought heavily into that lie, so how could she trust her own judgment? She couldn’t. That’s why she had to be so methodical in her approach to casework, because she couldn’t afford to let emotion rule her decisions. Or afford to make a mistake, not when the future of a child was at stake.

And she wouldn’t do either here. Maddie and Maggie deserved a loving home with a family who paid attention to their every need. Kyle Wade was not the right man for that, no matter what he said he wanted.

“Well, then,” he said easily. “Guess that answers your question.”

It so did not. She still didn’t know why he’d come home now, why he’d suddenly shown an interest in his daughters. Whether he could possibly convince her he planned to stick around—if he was even serious about that. Kyle had a habit of running away from his problems, after all.

First and foremost, how could she assess whether the time-hardened man before her could ever provide the loving, nurturing environment two fragile little girls needed?

But she’d let it slide for now. There was plenty of time to work through all of that, since Maddie and Maggie were still legally in the care of Liam and Hadley.

“I think I have enough for now. I’ll file my first report and send you a copy when it’s approved.” She had to get out of here. Before she broke down under the emotional onslaught of everything.

“That’s it, huh? What’s the report going to say?”

“It’s going to say that you’ve expressed an interest in retaining your parental rights and that I’ve advised you that I can’t approve that until I do several more site visits.”

He cocked his head, evaluating her coolly. “How long is that going to take?”

“Until I’m satisfied with your fitness as a parent. Or until I decide you’re unfit. At which point I’ll make recommendations as to what I believe is the best home for those precious girls. I will likely recommend they stay with Liam and Hadley.”

Without warning, Kyle was on his feet, an intense vibe rippling down his powerful body. She’d have sworn he hadn’t moved, and then all of a sudden, there he was, staring down at her with a sharpness about him, as if he’d homed in on her and her alone. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.

It was precisely the kind of focus she’d craved once. But not now. Not like this.

“Why would you give my kids to my brother?” he asked, his voice dangerously low.

“Well, the most obvious reason is because he and Hadley want them. They’ve already looked into adoption. But also because they know the babies’ needs and have already been providing the best place for the girls.”