and headed down the hallway leading to the kitchen, and a moment later his father appeared. “Well, this is a surprise! I thought you were going to be on the East Coast for at least a month.” The two men grabbed each other in a typically male, back-pounding hug.
Phoebe stood, rooted to the spot in horror. A
surprise?
Hadn’t Wade told his father about Bridget yet?
“…someone here I want you to meet,” Wade was saying as the men walked toward her.
Reston, Wade’s father, did a double take when he saw her standing there. “Phoebe Merriman. I didn’t know you were back in town, honey! It’s great to see you—and who’s this?” His tone was filled with delight. “I didn’t even know you’d gotten married and here you’re a mama.”
An immediate silence fell, awkwardness hanging in the air like thick smoke.
“Aw, hell.” Reston scrubbed a hand over his face. “Forget I just said that. Mothers don’t have to be married these days, I know.” He stumped on toward Phoebe, and she remembered that his uneven gait was the result of arthritis that forced him to favor one hip. When he reached her, he peered down at the sleeping child she had shifted to hold in the cradle of her arm. “Aren’t you a beauty?” he asked, his tone tender as he brushed a finger along Bridget’s cheek, catching one fiery curl on his fingertip. He chuckled. “Got that Merriman red hair, didn’t she?”
Phoebe nodded, forced herself to smile. “When she was born, all the nurses laughed because it was sticking straight out all over her head.”
Wade cleared his throat. “Ah, Dad? Can we sit down?”
Reston straightened and shot his son a wary look. “Okay. You bringing bad news?”
Wade shook his head. “No, I think you’re going to like this news.” He ushered Phoebe ahead of him into the living room and took a seat beside her on the couch. “There’s no easy way to tell you this, so I might as well just say it. Phoebe and I…well, the baby’s name is Bridget and I’m her father.”
Seven
I ’m her father.
Phoebe wondered if Wade’s words sounded as shocking to his parent as they did to her. How long was it going to take before she accepted that Wade was really alive—and in her life for good, if he had his way?
Reston Donnelly’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. “Get out!”
“It’s true.” Wade smiled at his father’s obvious astonishment. “You’re a grandfather.”
Reston’s gaze flew back to Bridget. “That’s—you’re—she’s my granddaughter?”
Wade nodded.
“Why…?” Reston cleared his throat. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“He didn’t know,” Phoebe said hastily. She couldn’t bear the look of hurt on Reston’s face. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you—”
“Phoebe thought I was dead.” Wade cut off her attempt at apology. “She heard the first news after my unit got cut off, but she never got the correction when I was found.”
Reston’s head snapped up from his inspection of Bridget, his expression changing from hurt to horrified. “Oh, honey. If I’d known where to find you, I’d have let you know. No one knew where you’d gone after…”
“I know. I needed a fresh start.”
Reston nodded. He looked back down at the child in Phoebe’s arms. “I imagine you did.” His gaze landed on his son. “How’d you find her?”
Wade uttered a short bark of laughter. “Hounded every person she’d ever known, hoping someone could tell me where she was. I finally got lucky with one of her high-school friends.”
“Must have been the shock of your life when he showed up alive.” Reston transferred his gaze back to Phoebe.
“You could say that.” No way was she getting into that minefield. “Would you like to hold her?”
Reston nodded. “You bet.” Phoebe’s heart melted at the look in Wade’s father’s eyes. Dazed. Delighted. Tender.
Reston nodded. “Please.” He settled back in his chair as Phoebe rose and approached, laying Bridget in
Phoebe stood, rooted to the spot in horror. A
surprise?
Hadn’t Wade told his father about Bridget yet?
“…someone here I want you to meet,” Wade was saying as the men walked toward her.
Reston, Wade’s father, did a double take when he saw her standing there. “Phoebe Merriman. I didn’t know you were back in town, honey! It’s great to see you—and who’s this?” His tone was filled with delight. “I didn’t even know you’d gotten married and here you’re a mama.”
An immediate silence fell, awkwardness hanging in the air like thick smoke.
“Aw, hell.” Reston scrubbed a hand over his face. “Forget I just said that. Mothers don’t have to be married these days, I know.” He stumped on toward Phoebe, and she remembered that his uneven gait was the result of arthritis that forced him to favor one hip. When he reached her, he peered down at the sleeping child she had shifted to hold in the cradle of her arm. “Aren’t you a beauty?” he asked, his tone tender as he brushed a finger along Bridget’s cheek, catching one fiery curl on his fingertip. He chuckled. “Got that Merriman red hair, didn’t she?”
Phoebe nodded, forced herself to smile. “When she was born, all the nurses laughed because it was sticking straight out all over her head.”
Wade cleared his throat. “Ah, Dad? Can we sit down?”
Reston straightened and shot his son a wary look. “Okay. You bringing bad news?”
Wade shook his head. “No, I think you’re going to like this news.” He ushered Phoebe ahead of him into the living room and took a seat beside her on the couch. “There’s no easy way to tell you this, so I might as well just say it. Phoebe and I…well, the baby’s name is Bridget and I’m her father.”
Seven
I ’m her father.
Phoebe wondered if Wade’s words sounded as shocking to his parent as they did to her. How long was it going to take before she accepted that Wade was really alive—and in her life for good, if he had his way?
Reston Donnelly’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. “Get out!”
“It’s true.” Wade smiled at his father’s obvious astonishment. “You’re a grandfather.”
Reston’s gaze flew back to Bridget. “That’s—you’re—she’s my granddaughter?”
Wade nodded.
“Why…?” Reston cleared his throat. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“He didn’t know,” Phoebe said hastily. She couldn’t bear the look of hurt on Reston’s face. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you—”
“Phoebe thought I was dead.” Wade cut off her attempt at apology. “She heard the first news after my unit got cut off, but she never got the correction when I was found.”
Reston’s head snapped up from his inspection of Bridget, his expression changing from hurt to horrified. “Oh, honey. If I’d known where to find you, I’d have let you know. No one knew where you’d gone after…”
“I know. I needed a fresh start.”
Reston nodded. He looked back down at the child in Phoebe’s arms. “I imagine you did.” His gaze landed on his son. “How’d you find her?”
Wade uttered a short bark of laughter. “Hounded every person she’d ever known, hoping someone could tell me where she was. I finally got lucky with one of her high-school friends.”
“Must have been the shock of your life when he showed up alive.” Reston transferred his gaze back to Phoebe.
“You could say that.” No way was she getting into that minefield. “Would you like to hold her?”
Reston nodded. “You bet.” Phoebe’s heart melted at the look in Wade’s father’s eyes. Dazed. Delighted. Tender.
Reston nodded. “Please.” He settled back in his chair as Phoebe rose and approached, laying Bridget in
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