Bachelor Dad: A Single Dad Romance

The confusion in Paige’s eyes didn’t make him feel any calmer, nor did her next question for Sophie. “And who do you belong to?”

His nerves were like pins sticking him when Sophie slowly looked up at him. He had no choice but to answer.

After all, that’s why he was there to see his sister. “She belongs to me.”

Paige slowly turned her head to stare at him, her surprise bordering on disbelief.

“She’s my daughter.”

Paige’s mouth opened, as if she was going to say something, but instead, she closed it and turned back to smile at Sophie. “And how old are you, Sophie?” she asked.

To Garrett’s surprise, Sophie held up four fingers.

Standing, Paige turned to him and spoke softly. “I’ve always wanted a pretty little niece.” More quietly, she added, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Relief washed over Garrett, and he leaned against the desk again. The activities of the afternoon had definitely tested him. At the moment, he wasn’t sure he was passing.

“Are you all right?” Paige asked.

He nodded and stood straight. “I’m good.” After glancing at Sophie, he turned back to his sister. “I’d feel better if I knew Sophie is okay.”

Paige smiled at his daughter. “We can do that.” When she opened the door to step outside, Fran Simpson, the other nurse, was in the hallway. “Which examining room can we use?” Paige asked her.

“They’re all free. The last of the patients are gone.”

“Good,” Paige replied. “I’ll lock up. You and Cara and Susan can go on home. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Have a good evening,” Fran called, her voice coming from farther down the hall.

When Paige motioned for Garrett to follow her, he held out his hand to Sophie, who hesitated at first and then took it. Her tiny hand in his felt fragile as they followed Paige into the hallway, and his heart constricted at the thought of what Sophie’s life might have been like before she’d arrived at his office. He didn’t have a clue, and now that he thought about it, it scared him. If anything had happened … If anything was wrong with her …

“Right in here,” Paige said, stepping into the nearest examining room. She pointed to the padded table. “Put her up there, while I go grab a new chart.”

Sophie let go of his hand, and he lifted her onto the table. The paper runner crackled beneath her as she settled on it, and she looked up at him, her eyes wide.

“She’s my sister,” he said, moving back. “The doctor is,” he added. “Do you know what a sister is?”

Sophie shrugged her shoulders.

“So much for that,” he muttered.

Paige breezed back into the room, a manila folder in her hand. “They’ve all gone, so there won’t be any interruptions. Is there anything special I’m looking for?”

“Anything,” he answered. “Everything. I just want to know that she’s okay. Healthy.”

Placing the stethoscope at her ears, Paige glanced at him. “You have some explaining to do,” she said quietly, before putting the flat, round end of it on Sophie’s chest.

Fifteen minutes later, after what Garrett was sure was a thorough exam, Paige reached down into a basket on the floor and pulled out a children’s picture book. “Do you like to read, Sophie?” she asked. A nod was Sophie’s reply, and Paige handed her the book. “Your daddy and I are going to go out in the hall for a minute. If you need anything, all you have to do is jump down and open the door. We’ll be right on the other side of it. Okay?”

When Sophie had nodded and opened her book, Garrett followed his sister into the hall, still reeling at someone using the word daddy when referring to him. “Well?”

“She appears to be healthy. Her vitals are good. Heartbeat is strong, lungs are clear, no cold or anything else going on. Of course I can’t be completely sure without lab tests, but at this point in time, I don’t see a reason for them, unless you want them done.”

He shook his head. As soon as he could track down Shana, he’d know more. Lifting his gaze to his sister’s, he brought up the one thing that had been bothering him the most. “She hasn’t spoken.”

Paige shrugged. “My best guess is that it isn’t physical. Her hearing seems normal, as does everything else. She said ‘Ah’ when I asked her to, so it’s nothing with her vocal cords. It may be that she just isn’t ready to talk. Any clue why that would be?”

Knowing she was expecting an explanation, he told her what had happened, starting with the call from Tootie while he was having lunch. “If I’d known …”

“Apparently her mother didn’t want you to know. Her loss. She doesn’t sound very stable.”

“She isn’t.” But that’s all he would say. There wasn’t any reason to tell his sister about a relationship that had ended five years before. Not unless there was something wrong with Sophie, and apparently there wasn’t. Not physically, anyway.

Paige put her hand on his arm. “Is there anything else I can do to help?”

Garrett hoped what he was going to say next wouldn’t come out sounding wrong, but he didn’t have a choice. “I’d like to have a paternity test done.”

Paige nodded, her expression serious. “I can arrange that for you.”

“Good,” he answered. “I’d appreciate it. Just let me know when and where.”

“Do you have someone to watch her during the day?” she asked.

“That’s next on my list of things to do.”

“I’ll be happy to help when I can, but all I have free is evenings and weekends. That won’t help you during the day.”

“I’ll find someone.” At least he hoped he would. He didn’t know what types of day care were available in Desperation. He’d never needed to know.

“One more thing,” Paige said. “As soon as you can, have Jules talk to her. This whole thing sounds terribly traumatic. I’m not all that surprised that she isn’t talking.”

“I will.”

She gave him a quick hug. “You may not think so, but everything will work out. Give it time.”

He thanked her, and then he retrieved Sophie and headed for home. They were a block away when he realized there might not be anything in his house for dinner. Too often he didn’t think ahead and simply grabbed something at the café or at Lou’s. He was going to have to learn to do some real shopping. Cooking, too. Not that he didn’t know how, but cooking for one had never excited him, so he didn’t do a lot of it.

He slowed to a stop when Vern Isley stepped out between two parked cars to cross the street. Even when the eighty-something gentleman was all the way to the other side of the street, Garrett remained stopped. He chuckled to himself. Where there’s Vern, there’s Esther.

Sure enough, Esther Watson stepped out between the same two cars and hurried across the street, several yards behind Vern. “One of these days …” Garrett said, the car now in motion again.

Glancing in his rearview mirror, he tried for a cheery voice. “You’re in for a real treat, Sophie,” he said, while making a U-turn at the end of the block. “I’m going to take you to the Chick-a-Lick Café for dinner. You can’t ask for much better than that.”

From the used booster seat that Tootie had managed to find and was now attached in the backseat, Sophie watched him. The sky was darkening as dusk began to settle in, but he could see his daughter’s solemn expression. He hoped that would soon change. She’d come to him with a small suitcase, a battered teddy bear and a lot of questions that might or might not be answered. He had a lot of work to do, but he didn’t have a clue where to begin.

LIBBY PULLED INTO AN EMPTY parking spot at the sports park and shut off her engine. The view from her car made her smile. A dozen or so nine- and ten-year-olds, dressed in football pads and helmets, were gathered in a huddle in the middle of an unmarked, grassy field. She watched as they stacked their hands in a pile, then shouted, before breaking up the huddle and taking their places in the lineup.

It wasn’t difficult to find her nine-year-old in the midst of the others. He was the one making encouraging signals to the others. It was only a practice, but Noah didn’t let anything stop him from trying to inspire his fellow players with the will to win.