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Kendall took off on that, blaming her and saying she never really wanted children and Blake saying he’d never really loved her if he could be so cruel to her about this. Things continued to deteriorate until Kendall announced he was divorcing her and marrying his new lady, who, incidentally, happened to be pregnant with his child.
“Blake? You okay?” Harper asked.
“Uh, yeah, sure.” Pushing her chair back and standing up, she said, “Listen, thanks, bro. I know you mean well, but this just isn’t for me.”
“Come on,” Harper said. “Aren’t you even willing to discuss it? Morgan’s got a beautiful house where you would be safe and sound. You would have your own two-room suite with a full bathroom. And little Ciara is a great kid. I’ve met her.”
Blake glanced at the hunk who was staring at her with a curious look. “Sorry, Morgan. I wish you luck in finding someone really wonderful for your daughter.” She turned and started walking to the door.
“Wait. Blake, you forgot your bag.” Harper lifted her paper gift bag off the table and held it out.
“Oh, I brought that for Morgan,” she said.
“You did? What’s in it?” Harper asked.
“Dog biscuits,” she called over her shoulder as she stepped out the door.
* * *
“Dog biscuits.”Morgan laughed to himself as he drove along the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn on his was back to the North Fork.
“Why are you laughing about dog biscuits, Daddy?” his daughter asked from the back seat.
“Hey, Ciara. Did you have a good nap, sweetheart? I guess running around with your cousins wore you out.” She had fallen asleep the minute they hit the road.
She let out a small giggle. “They never sit still. But I’m pretty good at keeping up with them.”
“I’m not surprised. You are a good little athlete,” he said, his heart swelling with pride in his daughter. “You didn’t give Aunt Aileen a difficult time over the food she served, I hope.”
“Nope. I ate everything. Even stuff nobody in California would eat. Like this melted orange cheese that probably didn’t have any cheese in it.”
“You didn’t say a word about it, did you?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t do that, Daddy. Aunt Aileen is so nice.”
“Good girl. She loves you very much.”
“I love her too,” Ciara said. “Why can’t I stay with her instead of you finding a nanny for me?”
“Because she lives too far away from us.”
“But you said we would see her a lot more than we used to now that we’re on the East Coast.”
“We will, Ciara, but it is too far for everyday stuff.”
Morgan could not help thinking about his younger sister when he observed the interaction between Harper and Blake earlier today. Morgan and Aileen had formed a tight bond in their youth after both parents had died and they’d been left in the care of their toxic grandmother.
“Mattituck is a funny name,” Ciara said. “I’m not sure I like it very much.”
“I think it’s probably a Native American name. You can look it up and tell me what you discover. And it’s not good to decide how much you like or dislike something, whether it’s a place or a person or an idea, until you know more about it. Let’s give our new home a chance, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy. Will my bed and dresser be at the new house?” she asked, sounding excited.
“Yep. I met with the movers this morning. Everything is there. I bet you are going to love your new room.”
“Are we getting a dog?” she asked, bouncing around in her seat. “I would reeeely love it if we had a dog.”
“Um, I wasn’t planning on it.”
