His Best Mistake. KRISTI GOLD
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buttoning her blouse, she took Carly back into her arms, popped a soft kiss on her cheek and laid her in the bassinet positioned next to her bed. “Tell him I’ll be right out as soon as I’m presentable.”
Macy scowled. “Who cares what you look like? He’s the sperm donor, not your prom date.”
Ignoring her friend, Leah moved in front of the bureau’s mirror and ran a brush through her hair. “Be that as it may, he’s still Carly’s father.”
“He’s a jerk, Leah. He doesn’t deserve to be a father.”
Leah stared at Macy from the mirror’s reflection. “You’ve never even met him.”
“But I know what he did to you, and that makes him an A-one jackass in my book.”
Leah turned and leaned back against the bureau. “Just tell him I’ll be with him in a minute, okay?”
Macy shrugged. “Fine. Mind if I kick him in the jewels on my way out? If I do it hard enough, that could prevent him from procreating again.”
Leah pointed the brush at the door. “I would prefer you deliver my message without any violence and then go to work.”
“You’re absolutely no fun,” Macy said as she did an about-face and marched out of the room.
Going back to the mirror, Leah took a long look at her appearance and grimaced. Her face showed the signs of fatigue, right down to the bloodshot eyes. Balancing a baby’s needs and a busy schedule had begun to take its toll. She applied a little lip gloss then scolded herself for believing she had to make herself up to see Kevin. Macy was right; this wasn’t a date. At least not in the traditional sense. A date with destiny could be in the offing, depending on Kevin’s reasons for showing up unannounced.
She walked back to the bassinet to find Carly still snoozing, her fists balled up at her chest, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Evidently her daughter was having a sweet baby dream, completely unaware that the man responsible for her birth was waiting in the next room.
Leah wondered if Kevin would ask to see his child. If so, maybe she should change Carly into something more appropriate than the yellow, hand-me-down sleeper. Another silly idea. Carly was an infant, for goodness sake, and she wasn’t required to impress her father. If Kevin couldn’t see past his daughter’s apparel to the blessing beneath, then Macy was right—he didn’t deserve to be in Carly’s life. As if he really wanted to be involved with his baby, something she genuinely doubted.
After drawing in a deep breath, Leah walked into the tiny living room to discover Kevin seated on the floral chintz sofa, looking somewhat weary. He also looked incredibly handsome in an expensive navy silk suit with a white tailored shirt, sans tie. She hated the flutter of awareness, the remembrance of a time when she would have greeted him with a kiss. Hated that he could still move her so easily into those memories, those feelings that were best left unfelt.
“A phone call might have been nice,” she said on the heels of her exasperation. “But then you were always full of surprises, Kevin.” Some very nice surprises, and some not so nice.
He came to his feet, his gaze fixed on hers. “I had an appointment downtown this morning. Since I was so close, I decided to stop by.”
That explained his business apparel, even if it didn’t provide all the answers Leah required. “How did you find us?”
“Your address was on the envelope you gave me, remember?”
Actually, she hadn’t remembered. “Did you have a business meeting?”
“I met with my accountant.” He pulled an envelope from the inside of his jacket pocket. “This is the outline of the trust fund I’m setting up for Carly. The actual documents haven’t been drawn up yet because I want you to look over this first and make any changes. You’ll have complete access to the funds and if you need more, you only have to tell me.”
After a brief hesitation, she took the envelope from him. “As I’ve said before, I don’t expect you to be financially responsible for Carly if—”
“I know what you said, but she is my responsibility, and I want to provide for her.”
Leah wondered if a monetary obligation was the only tie he planned to have with his baby. Still, she’d gladly accept anything that would give her child a better life, at least until she had all the student loans paid off and her private practice up and running. “I’ll take a look at it and get back with you. Anything else?”
“I’d like to see her.”
At least that answered one of Leah’s questions, and prompted some concerns. But now that she’d involved Kevin in the situation, she had no good reason to deny him, particularly when he seemed so sincere. “She was sleeping when I left her a few minutes ago, but I guess you could take a peek.”
Leah led Kevin into her bedroom that also served as the nursery. When she moved to the bassinet, she discovered her daughter wasn’t sleeping at all. Instead, Carly was intently focused on the multicolored mobile dangling above her.
Leah sent a quick glance over her shoulder to see Kevin standing near the door, as if uncertain what he should do next. “She’s awake, so you can come closer.”
He took his place beside Leah and stared down on Carly, who favored him with a smile, as if she somehow sensed he was a special guest.
“She’s started smiling a lot in the past month,” Leah said.
Kevin didn’t respond, but the awe in his eyes spoke volumes. “She’s beautiful.”
Leah couldn’t agree more. “She’s a good baby, as long as she’s fed and dry. But she does have an occasional bout of mild colic and a little bit of a temper that comes out when she doesn’t get what she wants right away.”
He remained quiet for a time before asking, “May I hold her?”
Leah certainly hadn’t prepared for the question, even though that would be a logical request from a first-time father. Regardless, she gestured toward the rocker next to the crib. “Have a seat and I’ll hand her to you.”
After Kevin complied, Leah lifted the baby from the bed and laid her in the crook of his arm. Carly smiled at him again and Kevin smiled back. “Hey, kiddo. I’m your dad,” he said, his voice soft, almost reverent.
Leah couldn’t count the times she’d envisioned this scene, under very different circumstances. She’d often engaged in the happy-family fantasy of three. A pipe dream that would never come to pass, even now. But she couldn’t refute how natural he looked holding his daughter. Couldn’t discard the surge of emotions, the threat of tears as Kevin closed his eyes and pressed his lips against Carly’s forehead as he held her close to his heart.
This beautiful man, who had never mentioned wanting children, looked as if he, too, was battling his own emotions over seeing his child. But Leah had to remember this was only one special moment. Possibly a goodbye moment.
A brief time later, Kevin slowly stood and laid the baby back in the bassinet. When he faced Leah again, he pulled another envelope from his pocket. “I stayed up most of the night thinking about these papers.” He opened the flap and withdrew the document. “And here’s what I really think about them.”
After setting the envelope on the rocker, he turned, systematically shredded the paper and tossed the remains into the nearby trash bin. “She’s my daughter, Leah, and I want to be a part of her life. I need her in my life.”
When Leah was able to speak around her shock, she asked, “You’re absolutely sure about this?”
“Yes, and I want to prove it.”
Leah hugged her arms tightly to her midriff. “How do you propose to do that?”
“By taking care of her while you’re working.”
And Leah had just thought