“She didn’t even know me. Not really.”
Putting her cheek back to his chest, Pixie gave a quiet laugh. “She disagreed. And I disagree.”
“Tell me why, Pixie.” He desperately wanted to believe her.
She finally released him, but took his hand and led him back to the couch, saying, “We don’t want to wake up Shayna.”
He knew his little Sugar. She wouldn’t wake up until she was good and ready, but he didn’t mind sitting now. All the turmoil he’d felt minutes ago had dissipated beneath confusion. And hope. Such desperate hope.
“Now,” Pixie said. She sat well away from him, both legs curled up on the couch and that lucky throw pillow once again held close to her chest. “When Connie visited you that first time, your immediate thought was protecting her.”
Doubt brought his brows together. “It was a dangerous area.”
“Right. Not to you, but for her—that’s what you told me, even though she was older. And so your first instinct was to get her to safety.”
That didn’t make him trustworthy. Or capable of raising an infant.
It made him a realist.
“Then you not only joined the military, but you became a SEAL. That proves a lot.”
“Like?”
“So many things! Special operations forces aren’t for average people. That service requires dedication and intelligence, not just strength.” Smug, she added, “I read up on it after you told me you were a SEAL.”
She was interested enough to do a little research on me?“I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
“And see, you’re humble, too.”
“No,” he corrected with a sound that should have been a laugh, but didn’t quite make the cut. “I’m not humble.”
“Your denying it just proves you are.”
“What kind of twisted logic is that?”
“It’s the logic of someone who is getting to know you. You’re an in-command, take-charge kind of guy—and before you ask, I know that after seeing how you handled things with Benny.”
“Connie wouldn’t have known that.”
“Of course she would. She saw how you reacted after her parents freaked out over you, just because she’d visited you. They were complete jerks. To spare her, you cut all ties.”
“How do you figure that?” His motivation had been to spare himself—right? He’d cut ties in a childish snit.
“Geez, Brogan, give me a little credit. And give some credit to your sister. I’m beyond certain that she looked you up. She met you, knew you, found out what she could about your service, and then she made the very intelligent decision—as a mother who loved her daughter—to name you guardian of her baby if anything happened to her.”
He wanted to grab her conviction like a lifeline. “So you don’t think it was a mistake?”
“No.”She gave him a “come on” look, as if to sway him. “Remember, I’ve seen you with Shayna. No one could love and care for that little girl more than you do.”
“I do love her.”
Softly, Pixie said, “It’s obvious.”
“But, Pixie, I’m not the sterling person you seem to think I am.”
Another challenging and exasperating look landed on him. “Puh-leeze.”
He hated to disillusion her. “There are things about me you don’t know.”
