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She jutted her chin out. “You lost out on those moments because of my choices and your own actions. My father may have been dishonorable, but he didn’t wreck our relationship. We did that all on our own.”
Paige’s words slithered inside him like a poisonous viper. Was Paige trying to make him responsible for her poor decision? Was she once again deflecting blame from her father? And onto him?
Suddenly all he felt was fatigue. The news about Emma being his daughter had left him reeling. He’d got way more than he’d ever imagined when he set off to track Paige down at the homestead. What he needed right now was some time alone with his thoughts. He needed God as a sounding board as he worked through this situation.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I think it’s time I left, Paige. I came here tonight to get answers about the funds you mentioned wanting to return to the town. Let’s leave this discussion for another time.”
Paige nodded. “I agree. It’s late, and we could probably go round and round this issue for hours. Nothing has really changed in two years between us.” A sigh slipped past her lips. “Although I know I’ve changed. I like to think I’m a better person now, one who’s grounded in her faith and her values. Two years ago God wasn’t a factor in my life, but now He’s my anchor.”
Her faith? God? Two years ago Paige’s beliefs had been nonexistent. Much like his own. During their relationship neither of them had been leading a faith-based life. Matter of fact, he couldn’t remember a single time they had attended church or prayed together. Faith had not been a part of their lives.
He nodded. “I can appreciate that. I’ve turned my life over to God, as well.”
Paige opened the front door for him. Her expression was shuttered. He stood on the threshold, his body half-turned toward her. He bowed his head down for a moment, then swung his gaze up to meet her scrutiny. “You’re wrong about nothing changing, Paige. Emma changes everything. From this moment forward, my life is never going to be the same. I wish you had seen fit to tell me about her fourteen months ago.”
He charged off into the night, not even waiting for Paige to respond. His heart and mind were filled with a hundred different emotions. Fear gripped him. What if he wasn’t cut out for fatherhood? What if it was too late to bond with Emma? Despite those questions, the major emotion he felt was pride in the chubby-cheeked beauty who bore a stunning resemblance to him. However, her mama made him want to scream with frustration and yell at the top of his lungs. She made him feel other things, too. Tender sentiments that tempted him to reach out and caress her cheek or plant a sweet kiss on her lips. It had been entirely too long since romantic feelings had swept over him. It was safe to say he missed those moments.
Even after all this time, Paige made him feel things he had thought were dead and buried in his stone-cold heart. Things he had no intention of resurrecting.
* * *
Paige stood in the doorway and watched as Cameron roared off into the darkness. She wrapped her arms around her middle as the wind whipped straight through her. When she could no longer see his taillights, she headed back inside the house. Seeing Cameron so turned upside down left her feeling guilt-ridden and sad. What had she expected? She had dropped a bombshell on him with no warning. He had been blindsided.
It wasn’t as if they were close. The love they had once shared had died out years ago. All they shared in the present was a precious child.
Although she knew she had done the right thing in returning to Love, it didn’t feel like it at the moment. So much time had passed, yet Cameron was still consumed by anger and bitterness. Would he be able to put those emotions aside in order to co-parent with her? To be the father Emma deserved?
Stay the course.
It was her mother’s expression, one she’d used often during Paige’s upbringing. Emma Reynolds had been a firm believer in sticking to a plan and seeing it to its fruition. Don’t give up so easily. Her mother’s voice washed over her like a welcoming summer breeze. She smiled to herself, knowing that once again her mother was sharing her wisdom, even though she was no longer with her. It made her feel not so alone in the world. It gave her courage.
With the large sum of money she now had and a plan to resurrect the cannery deal, Paige knew she could help revitalize this town. If Cameron agreed to join forces with her, they would be unstoppable. But after being bamboozled by her father, she had no idea whether he would ever agree to take this journey with her. And finding out about Emma might just have convinced him that she couldn’t be trusted.
Lord, please let Cameron see Emma as a blessing in his life. And please don’t let his anger over the past blind him to the possibilities for the future.
As she headed to her bedroom to turn in for the night, she couldn’t help but peek in on her baby girl. She soundlessly entered the room, praying the floorboards wouldn’t creak as she tiptoed toward the bed. Emma was curled up on her side, sleeping soundly. Her little thumb was rooted in her mouth. Paige’s chest tightened with raw emotion. What she felt could never be expressed with mere words. It was the purest form of love. Instinctual. Maternal. And more than anything in the world, she wanted to give Cameron the opportunity to bond with Emma so that he too could feel this way about his daughter. Emma deserved two loving parents.
Tomorrow she would seek him out again. This time, though, she was bringing Emma to town with her. There was no way she was going to hide her daughter away like a dirty little secret.
* * *
Cameron fidgeted with the coffee machine, his nerves teetering on the edge as he made the first batch of the day. On a normal morning the scent of coffee wafting in the air served as a shot of adrenaline to his senses. But after last night he was going to need a mega shot of espresso to get him going. He couldn’t seem to focus on the day-to-day tasks that he usually performed like clockwork. It had started with him fumbling over the keys to the Moose Café. It had taken him several tries to find the right one to fit the lock. And judging by the taste of this coffee, he’d messed up his usual process. His mind was somewhere else.
Had he dreamed up the events of last night?
Was he really and truly the father of a little girl?
Emma Prescott. For the first time since he’d found out he was a father, it hit him that his nephew, Aidan, now had a cousin. Aidan, the son of his brother Liam, was about to turn four years old. In his mind’s eye he could see the two of them becoming buddies and playmates. Maybe even going skating on Deer Run Lake or tobogganing out in Nottingham Woods as they grew older.
Whoa. He needed to slow down before he made any plans about the future. He had a hard time imagining Paige relocating to Love. He chewed his lip. How could he maintain a decent relationship with Emma if they lived back in Seattle? A twinge of doubt speared through him as he recalled how terribly Paige had been treated in the aftermath of the scandal. And he’d done absolutely nothing to intervene or make things better. He’d been too busy licking his wounds and dealing with angry townsfolk.
What might have been if Robert hadn’t conceived a twisted scheme to fleece the town? And if there hadn’t been so much suspicion thrown in Paige’s direction?
“Morning, Cameron. Isn’t it gorgeous outside?” A chirpy voice rang out behind him. “All that fresh Alaskan air is so invigorating. It’s like I used to say when I lived in Saskell—if I could bottle up fresh air, I could make a fortune.”
He swung his gaze up from his rank cup of coffee. His employee Sophie Miller looked as bright and fresh as a daisy. That was Sophie through and through. A regular burst of sunshine peeking out from the clouds. With her red hair and green eyes, she was striking in a girl-next-door kind of way.
Cameron grunted a greeting. He hadn’t got more than a few hours’ sleep last night and he felt as foul-tempered as a grizzly bear. Sophie’s upbeat personality might just kill him today.
