“I've been trying to get hold of you for a long time,” Laura said at last, when they were both seated and looking out over the children playing baseball and couples walking hand in hand.
“I was away in Colorado,” Daniel told her.
“I know.”
Although he was talking to her, Daniel's eyes were fixated on Annie. Undoubtedly, could see himself in her. Now that the two were side by side, Laura could see that the resemblance was striking.
It felt strange to be sitting next to this man after all this time. The last time they’d sat close together like this it had been just before they had come together in the most wonderful way and they had both been wild and uninhibited, chasing their passions to their sweet ends. Now they were sitting side by side with their daughter between them and Daniel's unspoken question burning in the air.
“Is she...?” he managed to stammer out at last.
Laura simply nodded. “She looks like you, doesn't she?”
The captain hesitated a moment and then turned his gaze back to Laura. “Are you sure she's mine?” he asked a little tentatively.
“I'm sure,” Laura replied with a tad of annoyance to her voice. “Believe it or not, the way I was that night... Well, it was out of character for me.”
“Me too,” Daniel replied.
“I find that hard to believe,” Laura said.
“Why is it hard to believe?” Daniel retorted, taking offense at her tone.
“Come on,” Laura said patiently. “A guy like you? You must be with a different woman every night.”
Daniel leaned over the stroller to look more closely at his daughter, drinking in every detail of her precious little face and tiny hands and feet.
“I'm not that kind of guy,” he told her. “You just had an effect on me that I can't explain.”
Laura didn't push the issue. After all, if wild attraction to a man could turn her into a sensual seductress, why couldn't it turn him into a confident player?
“Is she healthy?” Daniel asked with concern, nodding towards Annie with wide-eyed fear. “I mean, I haven't been there. Was everything okay? Is she... Are you...?” he sighed as he stumbled over his words. “Just tell me everything.”
“Her name is Annie,” Laura told him. “She's just over three months old. She's very healthy. She laughs all the time.”
“Annie,” Daniel repeated. He stared at his daughter with utter enchantment, although there was still that nervousness in his eyes. He took a deep breath and fell back against the back of the bench, running his hands through his hair in a panic, much the same way that Laura had done, siting on the edge of her tub, all those months ago. She couldn't help but smile a little to see him go through the same motions that she had, unaware of what a blessing Annie was.
“I tried to find you as soon as I found out I was pregnant,” Laura explained, “but you were already gone. I phoned every station in Colorado a hundred times and I went back to the station here every week for months until I was sure you weren't coming back. I had a decision to make and, well, here she is.”
“I'm sorry I wasn't here,” Daniel said sincerely. “I had no idea. I'm sorry you were on your own. Wow, I can't believe this. I've had a daughter all this time. I mean, just... I don't know what to say.”
“I was shocked too when I found out,” Laura half-laughed. “A baby wasn't part of the plan.”
“No,” Daniel agreed, shaking his head slightly in his disbelief. “It was brave of you to keep her.”
“I couldn't have done anything else,” Laura told him honestly. “I knew I had a child inside of me and I couldn't let her go. As soon as I knew she was there, I could feel her somehow. I hadn't planned this, but I'm glad she happened. She's an incredible child, Daniel.”
“I'm sure,” Daniel nodded. “I'm sorry, Laura. I'm a bit shell-shocked. I can't believe I've been walking around all this time, clueless that she existed. I'm so sorry.”
Laura held up a hand to stop his apologies.
“What's done is done,” she told him. “All that matters now is where we go from here. Annie is in this world now and God knows, I love her to pieces and am always going to be there for her. I've just been waiting to find out whether you will be there for her too.”
Daniel knelt on the ground beside the stroller and reached a hand in to stroke his daughter's soft curly hair. When the little girl reached out to grab his finger, the masculine man simply melted.
“She's adorable,” he said emotionally. “Of course I'll be there for her. For both of you. Anything you need. Just name it.”
“Well, we're getting by,” Laura told him. “And I'm not a gold digger, but a little help here and there as she grows with clothes and things would go a long way. She grows so quickly.”