Page 122 of Cole

“That’s a small part of it,” Duncan conceded. “But the larger part is you. I need to protectyou. 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 ofNew 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.

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