Still Here: A Secret Baby Romance by Kaylee Song, Laura Belle Peters Page B

but her.” My father shook his head pointed at me. He was angry.
    I grinned and said what I’d been waiting to say for thirty years, “I learned it from watching you, dad.”
    I swore he was going to haul off and smack me, but he just stood there with his hands balled into fists. It wouldn’t be the first time we’d gone to fisticuffs. Or, more than likely, the last.
    “I put up with a lot of your shit, kid. But if you use her up and spit her out the way you do women-” I was done with his shit. I wasn’t listening to any more of it.
    “My intentions are honest, Dad. I’m not going to do that to her.” I wasn’t going to back down either. He couldn’t forbid me anymore I wasn’t a kid.
    “See that you don’t. I made a promise to her momma that I would look out for her when her dad passed. I don’t aim on breaking it.”
    “You talked to her mom?” I knew the two of them had history. Hell, I knew that Jack stole her right out from under his nose. But that was before I was even born. A lifetime ago.
    “Called her to give my condolences. She loved Jack Shannon better than me, but no one loved her more than I did. Doesn’t matter that there is a lifetime between us.” I saw a softness in my father that I’d never seen before in my entire life. “Haven’t talked to her since.”
    “Maybe you should go see Miranda. Talk to her?” Whatever softness fell over his face quickly left it as he brushed the thought away.
    “No, it’s a burnt bridge. It doesn’t matter. I have Milly,” he said.
    “I thought her name was Molly?” I asked sarcastically. We both knew that we didn’t know or care what her name was.
    “Shit, you’re right. Whatever. She probably found her way down to the islands without me,” he said. I knew he was right. And that he’d be finding a new one soon enough.
    “Just, don’t give me a reason to have to beat your ass, son.” With that he turned and walked out of my office.
    It was the closest I’d ever get to a heart to heart with my father.
    But he was right about one thing. I wasn’t going to take Rose for granted. I was planning something for her. The perfect third date. I just had to made sure that it all went according to plan.
    I picked up the desk phone and dialed.
    “Hello, public works,” the voice on the other line said.
    “Hello, Adele, how are you doing, darling?” I asked. She was a year from fifty and happily married, but even a girl like her liked a little sweet talking.
    “Wyatt?” she asked her voice hopeful. “I’m doing just fine, thank you for asking. What can I do for you today?”
    “Can I talk to Jeremy? I need a favor.” I asked.
    “I’m sure he would do anything for you, hon,” she said as she put me on hold.
    It was going to be a night neither of us would ever forget.

I sat at my desk and tried to make the world stop spinning. Spinning and swaying. That was what it seemed to do as of late.
    No wonder I was so nauseous. I was going to have to get my eyes checked. Might be time to change my contact prescription. It had to be what was making me dizzy.
    "Rose?" Bill called from inside of his office. I stood up and popped my head in. It had been slow all morning.
    "What do you need, Bill?" I asked.
    "It's been kind of slow today, and I'm really craving coffee and donuts. Would you mind walking down to the bakery and picking up some? Here, you can get yourself something too," he handed me a ten dollar bill.
    "Sure, is there anything else you would like?" I asked. The old me would've found it insulting. Hell, I would've been downright pissed. But that was back when I was a paralegal. When I thought my life was going somewhere.
    When I thought, I had some prestige.
    "No, I don't believe. Just a raspberry filled donut and a french vanilla brew. Black."
    Laurel wasn't the type of place that had fancy coffee shops with exquisite pastries. No, there was one bakery, and they had a handful of donut selections and two flavors of coffee. French Vanilla