Doorstep Daddy
Page 17
“Pish-posh. I’m fine. I have my daughter, my granddaughter, and my grandneighbor.” She brought Sabrina to her chest and placed a kiss on the eleven-month-old’s forehead. “That’s enough for me.”
Penelope just hmmed.
At the head of the church, Dalton stood at the altar, handsome in a black tux, looking ready as any man to get married, not a trace of nerves on his face. On one side, stood his eight sisters and two of Ellie’s friends. On the other, Dalton’s brothers, and the husbands of Ellie’s friends. The wedding party alone took up a good portion of the guest list.
The wedding march began. Viola rose, pivoting toward the back of the church. Ellie, resplendent in a simple white gown with a scoop neck, started her walk down the aisle, on the arm of her proud father. She joined Dalton at the altar, and twenty minutes later, they were married and sharing their first kiss as husband and wife.
“You have a father now,” Viola whispered to Sabrina.
“Dada,” Sabrina said.
“Yes,” Viola said. “A momma and a dada. Those are all the words you need to know, little girl. Now your world is complete.” She pressed a kiss against Sabrina’s forehead, then handed her off to the happy couple when they paused by her pew, creating the perfect ending.
The very one that Viola had imagined when she’d first left Sabrina at Dalton’s house. That day, she could have, of course, chosen any of a number of the stay-at-home mothers who lived on Larch Street, but she’d never tell Ellie or Dalton that.
“Thank you, Mrs. Winterberry,” Ellie said, her smile warm. Dalton reflected the same smile.
“You’re welcome,” Mrs. Winterberry replied, then wished them well as they left.
Ellie and Dalton headed up the aisle of the church, their daughter between them. Dalton leaned over and brushed a kiss against his wife’s forehead. “She thinks we don’t know.”
“Should we ever tell her?”
“Nah. My mother wants to meet her,” Dalton said. “I’ve still got all those single sisters, remember? If Mrs. Winterberry can work her magic with them, Sabrina will have some cousins in no time.”
Ellie danced her fingers up Dalton’s neck. “I was hoping to work on a little brother first.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist and swooped her gently against him. “That, Mrs. Scott, is a story we’ll start writing right away.” Dalton gave Ellie a short but sweet kiss, just a preview of what was to come that night, before releasing her again. She laughed, her eyes dancing with desire and happiness.
And with that, they walked out of the church and into the first chapter of their new life, one that both of them were sure would be a bestseller.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3265-9
DOORSTEP DADDY
First North American Publication 2009.
Copyright © 2009 by Shirley Kawa-Jump, LLC.
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