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“Not at first. He was going to be a pro-football player, but he got hurt in college, and his path shifted a bit. I’ll admit, I’m glad.”
“I bet.” I smile and lay my head on my hand, my elbow also resting on the back of the couch. “I have a sister. Joy is exactly one year older than me. We were both born on Christmas Eve.”
“Joy and Noel,” he says and smiles.
“Christmas names. Our mom passed away a few years ago, which was hard. Dad, especially, has struggled, but I talked to my sister yesterday, and she said Dad has a date on Saturday. Maybe he’s starting to heal.”
“I hope he is,” Reed says. His dark eyes are kind. He’s watching me, truly listening.
“Me, too. Are you close to your parents?”
“I wouldn’t say we’re close, but we’re not estranged. I see them on holidays. They don’t live in Washington anymore. They haven’t even met Piper yet, but I think they’re planning to make a trip up after the new year.”
I nod and sip my wine. “I have some personal questions, too.”
“Sweetheart, if I have my way, you and I are headed for as personal as it gets, so ask all of the questions you want.”
I tip up an eyebrow. “I do like your honesty.”
“There’s no need to be anything but honest.”
“You’re right. Okay, how did Piper come to be? And don’t give me the whole when a mommy loves a daddy line.”
He laughs and shakes his head. “I dated a woman for a while. I never let it get as serious as she wanted, which I know makes me sound like an ass. She broke things off, and I didn’t look back. I figured she was just finished, and we both moved on with our lives. Flash forward almost five years to about two months ago. I was in my office, and a woman showed up with Piper and said, ‘She’s your daughter.’”
I feel my jaw drop. “No written notice? Nothing?”
“If they sent anything in writing, I never got it,” he says. “The woman had a note from Piper’s mom addressed to me, asking me to take care of our daughter.”
“So you didn’t know until two months ago that you had a daughter?”
“No.”
“You took her in, bought her a new house, and basically turned your life upside down for her.”
He frowns and looks down into his mostly empty glass. “I would have done the same if Vanessa had told me when she was pregnant. Though I probably still wouldn’t have married her. Again, I know I’m an ass.”
“You didn’t love her,” I reply, my voice calm. “That’s not a crime.”
“No, I suppose not.”
“What happened to Vanessa?” I ask. “And why didn’t she tell you? Aren’t you mad at her?”
“I’m angry at her for not telling me about Piper before, yes. I missed so many years, so many firsts that I’ll never get back. But part of me knows why she didn’t tell me. Was it wrong of her? Yes, absolutely, but I think she was afraid of how I’d take the news. I can only guess that those are her reasons because she didn’t leave me any other explanation. She passed from cancer,” he says and sips his wine. “According to the paperwork I got, she had an aggressive form.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I reply. “Poor Piper.”
“She was devastated. She still talks about her a lot, and I encourage her to. For the first couple of weeks, she was pretty depressed. Didn’t want to eat much or play. She was grieving.”
“Of course she was. I was twenty-six when I lost my mom, and I’m still grieving. I can’t imagine being four, confused, and in a new home with a stranger.”
“Exactly,” he says and reaches over to take my hand in his. His skin is warm and smooth. “But she’s coming out of her shell. She likes her preschool, and I have her in counseling once a week, just to make sure she’s adjusting well.”
“I have to tell you, I know you’re new to this whole parenthood thing, but I think you’re rocking it.”
“You do?”
His eyes are full of hope and vulnerability, and I want to pull him in for a hug.
So I do.
I push up to my knees and gather Reed close, hugging him tightly. “I do,” I whisper. “She’s lucky to have you. And I can see that she loves you very much, even after just a couple of months.”
His arms tighten around me, and the next thing I know, he shifts me into his lap, and the roles are reversed. Now, he’s cradling me.
In those strong, muscly arms of his.
I’ve never wanted anyone to kiss me so badly in my life.
He slowly lowers his lips to mine and pauses, just as our mouths touch. His eyes are open, watching me as if he’s waiting for me to tell him to stop.
