Sarah traced her finger over the picture frame. So well loved. Love had been the driving force behind everything Daniel had done in the past year. He had changed his life to accommodate Katie, had been both mother and father to her, and when faced with the possibility of losing her, he had taken the only steps possible to keep her.
She understood that kind of love. Hadn't she felt it for Tony? There was nothing in the world she wouldn't have done to keep her son with her—nothing—even give up her daughter. She had seen that all-encompassing love in herself as proof that she was a good mother. But instead of seeing that same love as proof that Daniel was a good father, she'd chosen to look at him through the layers of pain and heartache, and she had condemned him for it. She had been wrong—understandably so, but still wrong. "I'm sorry."
Daniel flinched at the quiet words. He didn't want to hear that from her, not when he was the one who should be saying it. He grimly shook his head. "I was wrong," he said, his voice a deep rumble. "I should have been honest with you, but when you agreed to marry me, I—" He gave a weary sigh. "I thought I could have it all—you, Katie, a real family. I thought we could live the rest of our lives together, and you would never know what I'd done, would never hate me for it."
He turned away from her then, his gaze settling on the row of photographs. "I've been alone most of my life, Sarah. When your lawyer brought Katie to me, it was the best thing that had ever happened in my life. For the first time somebody needed me. She loved me unconditionally. I was her entire world, and she was mine." He paused to clear the hoarseness from his voice. "In the beginning I thought I could keep our agreement. I thought I could have her for a year, then give her back to you … but I couldn't."
"So you decided to sue for custody."
He nodded. "I wanted to believe that you were unfit because that was the only way I could have her, but I knew it wasn't true. Even before I found out about Tony … I knew." He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed them with the heels of his hands. "Sarah, I'm sorry for the things I said and did. I'm sorry for the lies, for hurting you… I wanted you to stay with me, to marry me, to have a family with me, to love me." He shook his head helplessly. "I never wanted to hurt you."
"But you did," she whispered. "You hurt me a lot. I've spent the last couple of days telling myself that I was foolish and stupid for believing in you, for loving you." She saw the anguish, dark and bleak, in his eyes when he looked at her, and it wrenched at her heart, but she continued without a pause. "But the only foolish or stupid thing I've done is let you go. Because in the end, when the pain is gone, I'm still going to love you Daniel. I'll always love you. And I'll always believe that you love me."
He stared at her for a long time, searching her face for confirmation of what she'd said, and he found it in the soft, tender look in her eyes and the sweet, gentle curve of her lips. For a moment he was afraid to believe; then he knew he had to, because he loved her, and with love came trust. "Can you forgive me?" he whispered, moving toward her.
She took a step, too, closing the distance between them. "For what? Loving our daughter?"
He raised his hand to her face. It was trembling when it cupped her cheek. "I do love her," he murmured in a thick voice. "And I love you." Bending his head, he kissed her sweetly, tentatively. He tasted her hunger, as quick to flare as his own, and her need, as unending as his own. "Will you marry me, Sarah? Raise our daughter with me? Have babies with me?"
Tears glistening in her eyes, she smiled. "I would be honored to marry you."
Pulling her closer, he kissed her once again, sealing her promise. This time his mouth was hard, hungry, demanding, yet incredibly gentle—like the man himself, Sarah thought in a daze. When he ended the kiss and swept her into his embrace, she gave a soft laugh and twined her arms around his neck. Her next words came out with a whoosh as he lowered her to the bed.
"I love you, Daniel Ryan."
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SOMEBODY'S BABY Page 25
