The Daughter He Wanted

by Kristina Knight

  “Joe?” she said again. Tuck’s blue eyes widened in surprise when he realized Alison was talking about him. “Could you help me in the kitchen, sweetie?”

  “Ah, sure, sweetie.” He straightened his six-foot-plus frame from the deck post.

  The two of them disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Paige with her parents and Alex.

  There was just no way to explain to Dot and Hank who Alex was without ruining Paige’s plans. Paige’s actions frequently met with disapproval from her parents. When Paige first decided to use a fertility clinic, they’d told her she would make her child abnormal. Their opinion had gradually softened as Kaylie stole their hearts, but Paige still saw flickers of condemnation in their eyes from time to time.

  She was not telling her parents exactly who Alex was. Not now. Not when her mother was working her way up to a full-blown migraine after less than five minutes. Alex deserved better than a full-on Dot Meltdown.

  Alex cleared his throat behind her and she realized she was standing between him and her parents like some kind of guardian. Maybe she was. Hank and Dot might be doing a good job with grandparenting, but they were anything but picture-perfect parents.

  Paige motioned from Alex to her parents and back again. “Hank and Dot Kenner, this is Alex Ryan. He’s a—”

  “Friend,” Alex interrupted before Paige had the chance to say anything else. Which was good because her mind blanked when she realized she had no idea how to introduce him. “Uh, Joe and I can’t resist good barbecue.”

  Dot grabbed Paige’s upper arm and turned her away from Alex. “You’re on a date with Kaylie ten feet away?” Dot faux-whispered the words, as if Alex might be deaf as well as gorgeous.

  “Yes, Mother, and we were thinking about going inside to do the dance with no pants—” she used her mother’s least favorite sex slang despite feeling like a rebellious child for doing so “—and leaving Kaylie listening to the football game—so it’s a good thing you’re here to help out.” Paige pulled her arm from her mother’s grasp. “Of course we’re not on a date. He’s a friend. You know, a person with whom you talk and play on softball leagues with, and have barbecues.”

  “You play sports?” Her mother seemed dumbfounded by the idea. True to form, though, Hank was already bored of the conversation. He made his way to a chair at the head of the table and sat, hands folded in his lap, thumbs twiddling.

  Paige sighed. “It’s just part of the definition, Mom.”

  “Although I do play in a rec softball league during the summer,” Alex added.

  “You don’t have to be sarcastic,” Dot said, ignoring Alex completely. She pressed her fingertips to her temples. “I just never know with you, Paige.”

  Yep, full-blown migraine would be hitting any moment. Paige tried not to feel bad that she had caused her mother pain—again—but couldn’t. She gently took Dot’s hand and led her to a cushioned chair in the deep shade.

  “I’ll get you a cold cloth for your head, Mother. I’m sorry.” She motioned Alex to follow her inside. “I’m sorry.” She whispered the words as soon as they were inside.

  “For what?”

  “I—” Paige wasn’t sure what to say first. Sorry for not knowing what to call him? Sorry for that silly argument with her mother? Sorry she’d invited him here altogether? All of the above seemed like a good bet at this point.

  “We all have crazy people in our families,” he said and bumped his shoulder against hers. The tingle returned with a vengeance. “Your craziness is just a little closer than most.”

  Paige twisted her mouth to the side. She pulled a washcloth from a drawer and wet it in the sink. Alison and Tuck returned to the room, faces slightly red. “Where have you been?”

  “I, um—”

  “Alison needed some help in the, ah, basement,” Tuck said helpfully.

  “Alison doesn’t have a basement.” Paige wrung out the cloth before focusing on her friend. “You’re the troubleshooter, remember? You keep me from saying stupid things to my parents and in return I buy you wine.”

  “She didn’t take Kaylie’s Flying Wallendas act well, did she?”

  Paige shook her head and then shot Alison a wicked smile. “On the other hand she thinks you’re dating Joe here, so there’s plenty of fun dinner conversation in store for you. With the added benefit of her calling your mother once they’re home.”

  “You didn’t!” Alison’s eyes widened to quarter size.

  “Nope, she totally inferred it.”

  “You let her.” Alison put her hands on her hips. “And after I cooked your favorite chicken for lunch.”

  “I couldn’t let her think I was dating Alex, could I?”

  “Uh, ladies, we kind of like being talked about, but not when we’re actually in the room.” Tuck spoke up from the kitchen counter. “And if we’re dating, Alison, you should probably know my name isn’t Joe. It’s Tucker.”

  Alison blushed a bright red that clashed completely with her auburn hair. Tuck grinned at her and wrapped a strand around his finger.

  “But you can call me Tuck.”

  “Back to the issue at hand.” Alex spoke up from the doorway, where his gaze shot from the people on the porch to the little girl in the yard. “What do we tell them about me?”

  “Nothing,” Paige finally said after weighing her words. “You’re a friend here for a barbecue. That’s all anyone needs to know.”

  * * *

  THE PANICKED LOOK on Paige’s face made Alex want to march out onto the deck to order Hank and Dot to stop treating their daughter as if she were five, or an unwanted annoyance. But that wouldn’t solve anything. He’d never gotten to fix the strained relationship he’d had with his parents because they’d died in a car accident when he was in college. Then Deanna had come along with her boisterous family and a home filled with love and encouragement. Knowing her family helped him make peace about his own.

  Alex had no idea how to give the same peace to Paige and that made his stomach clench in a weird way.

  Why did he want to tell them anything? Part of him wanted to scream from the rooftop that he was Kaylie’s father. Watching her in the backyard had been a treat and after only an hour, she had already wound her way into his cold heart. But part of him wanted to keep his relationship with Kaylie a secret. Let it grow naturally without any preconceived notions or ideas. He had a feeling that if Hank and Dot knew he was Kaylie’s father, Kaylie would also know before the day was out. He didn’t have to have read a million parenting books to know this was not the way to spring a new relationship on a kid. Although he had read one. A long one Dee had picked out before she got sick; the author insisted children needed structure, unconditional love and encouragement. Mostly structure and authority, though. Nowhere did the book say a child’s sperm donor should swoop into her life acting like Daddy Dearest within a thirty-minute time span.

  “So we’re just friends, for now, and leave the dating to Joe and Alison over there,” he finally said. “Works for me.”

  Alex was tasked with carrying the additional place settings to the table while Tuck was given chicken duty. Paige and Alison filled glasses while Hank and Dot ignored the goings-on entirely. He might not have a romantic relationship with Paige, but he wanted to kick her parents in the shins to make them straighten up.

  From what he could see Paige was the perfect daughter. He’d done some checking and learned she volunteered making receiving blankets for a charity hospital in St. Louis. She was a teacher and she was raising an amazing kid! How could her parents not see all the wonderful things about her?

  She brushed against him as she took the last of the glasses to the table and a hot zing of pleasure rocketed from the light contact at his shoulder to his groin.

  Eventually his body would get the message that his brain already knew: Paige was the mother of his child. She might become his friend. She was not going to be his girlfriend.

  The table was quiet as they passed plates of food around.

>   “My friend at the gallery wants to know when you might have another piece for him,” Dot said, her gaze intent on Paige. “There is a big show for local artists coming up at the end of the month, you know.”

  Paige took a bite of her salad and chewed slowly. “I’m focused on school during the year, you know that. My students need all of my attention.”

  “Paige, these offers aren’t made lightly, dear, and they won’t be made for long if you keep turning them all down.”

  “Is the painting in your living room for school?” Alex interrupted, sensing Dot was about to go on a tangent. “The white daisy?”

  She shook her head. “That one is for Kaylie, actually. She wanted something pretty in her room. Didn’t you?”

  Kaylie nodded, her wavy hair bouncing around her shoulders. “I wanted something warm so when the snow comes after Christmas my room won’t be so cold.”

  “The painting was beautiful. I don’t know a lot about art, but I liked it.” He had. It wasn’t finished and he’d only caught a glimpse but the pretty garden in the painting reminded him of Paige. Her home. Herself. Pretty and interesting.

  “Thank you.” She mouthed the words across the table and Alex lifted his shoulder. Paige grinned and finished her salad.

  “So you are painting, then?” Dot was like a dog with a bone and Paige rolled her shoulders, as if relieving tension. He could only imagine how her mother’s nagging affected her but ordered himself to focus on the chicken, not the woman. “You have the chance to really make something of yourself, Paige. Teaching painting to uneducated children who don’t understand Impressionism much less the Renaissance isn’t using the talents you were blessed with—”

  * * *

  “I LIKE MY JOB, MOTHER,” Paige interrupted before her mother could really get going. This was the same argument they’d been having since before Kaylie was born, and unlike when she was a child, Paige didn’t need her parent telling her she was wasting her talents. As much as she liked painting she was no van Gogh. Besides, she liked teaching, and she had told her mother so. For the millionth time. “I like educating the children about art history, and I can see how their work changes with that knowledge throughout the year. Some of them are really good.”

  “But, sweetheart—”

  “Mommy’s paintings are the best in the school. I seen them in the library.” Kaylie enunciated the last word. She had barbecue sauce all over her face and she turned a megawatt smile to Paige. Dot shot an annoyed look at Kaylie.

  Alison scraped her chair back. “Who wants dessert? I know I’d love some chocolate cake.” She looked around the table at the still-half-full plates. “Okay, chocolate cake it is. Kaylie, why don’t you help me cut a few slices?” She held out her hand and Kaylie jumped up from the table.

  “Can we cut them in shapes?”

  “Sure, kiddo,” Alison said as she slid the glass doors open. “We’ll make cutout cake slices.”

  Their voices trailed off as she slid the door closed behind them. She refused to have the rest of this conversation before virtual strangers so Paige turned to the other side of the table.

  “Tuck, Alex, could you give us a few minutes?” Paige asked and waited until the men closed the door.

  “It’s nice, dear, that you enjoy the school work,” said Dot, a patronizing note in her voice that was the opposite of the slightly uncomfortable expression on her face. She seemed to bite her tongue for a moment.

  “I like my job, Mother—”

  Dot cut her off. “But the fact remains that your talent is above decorating school libraries or a child’s bedroom. We only want what’s best for you.” She pressed her fingers to her temple again. “So stressful, wanting the best for children who don’t listen. Hank?”

  He nodded and stood, not saying a word.

  “Think about what I said, dear. Your work could be hanging in a real gallery if you would only apply yourself.”

  Paige didn’t trust herself to reply with the calm she’d perfected over the past few years. So she focused her attention on gathering the plates left at the table. A few minutes later, Dot and Hank were gone. The door slid open.

  “And I thought my parents were disappointed when I decided to hike for a living,” Tuck said. His flippant words had the desired effect. The ice chilling the backyard thawed and talk turned to football and Alison’s work at a local winery.

  Kaylie skipped onto the deck and finished her juice before running back to the swing set, certain the trapeze was ready for her this time. Alison gathered two serving bowls and started for the kitchen; Tuck followed with the platters of chicken, leaving Paige and Alex alone on the porch.

  “I really did think your painting was good.”

  “Thanks.” Her word was a whisper, and when she caught sympathy in his gaze she knew a hint of pain still shone through her green eyes. “I’m sorry about that. Alison was supposed to call them to cancel but she forgot.” Paige tossed her napkin on her plate. “I should have been the one to call, but somehow they can still make me feel so small.” She folded her arms over her chest.

  “I’ve seen worse.”

  “No, you haven’t.”

  “I changed my major from accounting to natural sciences my sophomore year. My dad was an accountant. His dad. My mother’s brother. My parents thought I was turning into a hippie or something.”

  “Really?” Paige finally looked at him. Alex nodded. “I keep telling myself I won’t do that to Kaylie. I want to be her support, her encouragement. Not a stumbling block to her happiness.”

  “Then you will be.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “You’re doing a great job, from what I’ve seen, so far.”

  Paige felt herself glow at the compliment. “Thank you.”

  Alex shrugged. He was quiet for a long moment, watching the little girl across the yard. He could see this becoming a normal part of his life. He’d always wanted family, kids. And, yeah, he thought that was over when Dee died, but maybe...

  Kaylie climbed to the top of the ladder and squinted her eyes at the trapeze swinging lightly in the breeze.

  Alex held his breath when she flexed her knees, still studying the handrail. Then she reached forward and jumped. Caught the handle, swung forward and back a few times, giggling madly across the yard. When the trapeze slowed, she dropped to the ground and circled back to the ladder.

  “Good job, sweetpea,” Paige called across the yard, clapping for the little girl.

  Paige was right. The two of them were a unit. They didn’t need him, not the way he suddenly seemed to need them.

  “Would you like to go to dinner sometime? Just us?” The words escaped before he could pull them back. Paige turned, green eyes wide. She swallowed and put her hand to her throat.

  “Why? What?” Paige asked, her voice unsteady.

  Even if he could, Alex didn’t want to take the words back. He wanted more days like this one.

  Maybe Paige and Kaylie were his second chance. Different from what he’d imagined, but second chances didn’t come along every day.

  Maybe moving fast was worth the risk. So he repeated himself.

  “Do you want to go to dinner sometime? Just the two of us?”

  CHAPTER SIX

  PAIGE REACHED FOR her glass, took a slow sip of tea. Have dinner?

  No, that was a bad idea, with a capital B and I for emphasis.

  They were supposed to keep this friendly, get to know one another.

  Still, her heart had leaped in her chest at his words, and she knew they were so much more than friendly.

  Her reaction was similar to the ones she’d had toward her crushes in high school. The flying feeling that accompanied her wild trip to Texas over spring break; the excitement at seeing how her father’s face practically glowed when he learned she was dating one of his students. Every single one of those situations had ended with a loud implosion and weeks of Paige picking herself up and putting herself back together.

  Di
nner was an exceptionally bad idea.

  She finished her glass and, because her hands wanted to fidget, she set the glass away from her and then folded them primly in her lap. Squeezed her fingers until her knuckles turned white as a reminder to remain calm. Poised. Fidgeting was a sign of weakness according to Dot; weakness was not tolerated.

  “Are you asking me out on a date?” She wished the words back but it was too late.

  Alex slipped his finger around the middle of his glass, making a gap in the condensation on the outside. “Yeah, I am.”

  Paige looked through the sliding glass doors, but Alison was nowhere to be seen. For that matter neither was Tuck, and Kaylie was across the yard at the sandbox, having given up on swinging from the trapeze. No one to come to her rescue. No one to interrupt what was going to be a very uncomfortable conversation.

  She cleared her throat. “Why?”

  “Because you interest me. No one has interested me in...well, a long time.” He squinted as he looked into the bright afternoon sunshine. “I want to get to know you. Dinner seems like a good option.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We barely know each other.”

  “That’s how dating usually starts—with two people who don’t really know each other but who want to get to know one another.” He finished his tea. “I think it would be good if I knew Kaylie’s mom a little better.”

  Kaylie was the perfect excuse to turn him down, Paige decided. “I don’t date, not really. I especially don’t date men who have a connection to my daughter. She’s just a little girl, she can’t understand the emotions that go into dating—or stopping dating, for that matter.”

  “It’s only dinner. A chance for me to get to know Paige, not just Kaylie’s mom. A chance for you to understand Alex rather than the anonymous number on the sperm-donor sheet.”

  “We did that already. Coffee last Friday, remember? You know I’m a schoolteacher, I know you’re a park ranger and we’ve already agreed that you’ll start out as Kaylie’s friend before we move to the more serious stuff.” She had to remain firm on this. For Kaylie.