“Good morning, Ryan. I guess our daughter is ready to have breakfast. Are you?”
“Emma! Uh, yeah.”
She was already making her way out of bed, dressed in a thin cotton nightgown that brought him fully awake. “I’ll be right back.”
Was she going to bring Andy in here to feed her? Was he finally going to get to watch Emma nurse the baby? He’d longed to share that experience with her.
He heard her voice. “Billy, breakfast in half an hour, please?”
“You got it!” Billy roared back.
Then she appeared in the door with a whimpering Andy. “She’s not very patient, is she? Billy says she gets that from you. He said Ryan, Jr., was the same way.”
He was stunned by her mentioning his son. He stared at her as she returned to the bed. Until she landed Andy in his lap.
“Can you hold her while I pile up some pillows?”
“Uh, sure,” he muttered, a little confused about Emma’s behavior.
She settled in the bed, leaning on him, and arranged her gown to expose one breast. Then she took the baby from him, and he watched his tiny daughter latch on to Emma’s breast as if she were starving to death.
She looked up. “If you don’t want to be here for Miss Piggy’s breakfast, I’m sure Billy has some coffee ready.”
“No! No, I want to watch. But I don’t think you should call this sweet baby a pig.”
She chuckled. “If you were the one breast-feeding her, I think you’d agree.”
They sat in silence after he slipped an arm around her shoulders. Holding the two of them close to him filled him with contentment.
When she needed to change breasts, Emma asked Ryan to burp Andy while she got ready. He rubbed and patted Andy’s little back, still amazed at how small she was, until she produced a large burp.
Emma laughed again and took her daughter back. “Good to have an expert around,” she said. “How long did it take Ryan, Jr., to sleep all night? I meant to ask Dr. Lambert, but I forgot.”
“Emma—I don’t understand.”
“What?”
He didn’t want to have a discussion now. He was just inside the door of paradise, but he couldn’t continue until they talked.
“Why are you talking about—about my son?”
She acted as if she hadn’t heard him, staring at Andy as she ate. Just as he was about to ask his question again, she looked up at him. “I wanted you to know I made a mistake.”
“About what?”
“I didn’t make it clear what I wanted.”
He frowned. “Tell me now.”
“I didn’t mean you had to forget Merilee and Ryan, Jr. I know you loved them and always will. All I wanted was for you to let us in, too.”
Tears filled his eyes, and he wrapped her into his embrace, along with Andy. He laid his head on hers and said a prayer of thanks. “I do love you. I love Andy.”
“Then everything’s all right? You still want us to stay?”
“Of course I do!” he exclaimed, pulling back. “You had doubts?”
“I wasn’t sure you were aware of what you were saying yesterday morning. I didn’t want to assume—you were pretty out of it.”
“What did I say?”
“You said you wanted me to stay.”
“I hope I added forever?”
She shook her head no.
He leaned down and kissed her, a deep, satisfying kiss. When he raised his head, he said, “When did Steve say you could—you know?”
“I didn’t ask. There didn’t seem like there were any prospects of—you know—when I saw him.” She tilted her head. “Besides, I think you may not be ready for that yet. You were pretty weak last night.”
Before he could answer, Andy pushed away from Emma, her tummy full. “Burping duties again,” Emma said, handing Andy to him.
“I like this shared stuff.”
“Me, too,” she assured him with that brilliant smile again.
“Breakfast!” Billy called up the stairs.
“We’ll be right there,” Emma said. Then, as Andy burped, she said. “You’d better give her to me and put some pants on. We don’t want to shock Billy.”
“Are you going down like that?” he asked.
“No, I’m going to wear the robe my wonderful hus—I mean, you bought me at the hospital.”
“You can call me husband. We will be soon enough,” he assured her.
“Oh, good, then I can tell you your mother is already planning it.”
“That’s fine, as long as it’s soon.” He got out of bed, surprised to find his legs a little shaky. He crossed to the dresser to find a pair of jeans. As he opened the second drawer, his gaze fell on a portrait, nicely framed, sitting on top.
It hadn’t been there before.
After Merilee’s and his son’s deaths, he’d removed all the pictures. He couldn’t bear the sight of them. But his favorite picture of the three of them now occupied a place of honor on the dresser.
“Emma? Where did this come from?” he asked, his voice cracking.
Having shrugged into her robe, Emma, with Andy in her arms, joined him. “I hope you don’t mind. I thought—I thought it would show you that I’m not trying to shut them out. We’re all family now.”
He wrapped his arms around her and the baby, his gaze still on the picture. “I believe you, sweetheart, but I appreciate your putting the picture there.” He kissed her forehead. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Never.”
Ryan held her closer against him. Finally, he had his family again. All of them.
“These eggs are getting cold!” Billy yelled.
“Are you okay?” Emma whispered.
“Yeah, I’m okay, for the first time in a long time.”
“Then we’d better go fatten you up so people won’t think I’m a horrible cook when we get married.”
They went down the stairs arm-in-arm—as they would always be.
ISBN: 978-1-4603-5276-2
NEWBORN DADDY
Copyright © 2001 by Judy Christenberry
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*The Lucky Charm Sisters
†The Circle K Sisters
Newborn Daddy (The Baby Secret) Page 14
