Page 48 of The Rough Ride

“More than okay. She really likes my beard. Kept trying to eat it.”

Liz snickered. “Mom’s been teaching her to give kisses. She was probably kissing you.”

Oh?He chuckled. “Why don’t you put that tea down and sit on the footstool here so we can see each other?” He forced his legs off the ottoman.

“Sure. What if I turn on the little lamp so we have some light? I could take Ella from you, if you want.”

“No. I like it dark right now, and I’m not ready to let go of her just yet.”

“I know that feeling.” Liz set her tea on the changing table and sat on the footstool in front of Nick’s chair. “What’s up?”

“I took a few pictures of Ella tonight. She’s a happy kid and easy to be with. I couldn’t resist. I got some good shots, too.”

“Really?” Liz cocked her head and gave him a tentative smile.

“And I sent one to my aunt and told her Ella was your daughter. You’d mentioned wanting more people to know that you had a little girl now, so I figured you wouldn’t mind. I mean, Eileen’s always loved you. She thinks the world of you.”The muted rays from the nightlights danced in Liz’s hair and his fingers itched to slide through the dark silk.

“The feeling’s mutual;I don’t mind. May I see them?”

Nick pulled out his phone and scrolled down. “Take a look at this.”

She gazed at the picture and paused. “Wow, that’s a great picture of my girl. What app did you use to get the old-fashioned tint to the picture? It’s lovely.” She handed the device back to him.

“Yeah, well, here’s the thing, babe.” He cleared his throat and fought to control the waver in his voice. “That’s a picture of me at seven months old. Eileen sent it.”

“What?” She gasped and reached for the phone.

He located his aunt’s text and handed it back to her.

She read the text and their eyes locked, the phone slipping from her hand to the ottoman.

Shock rolled across her beautiful face, and her expression froze. But seconds later, her eyes widened and her lips slowly softened into a trembling smile. Unabashed tears spilled down her cheeks.

“I’m not real sure what to say right now, Sergeant,” she murmured.

He rocked the stirring Ella in his arms and slid his fingers over one of Liz’s hands. He knew exactly where to begin. “I’m the one who never said a word about trying to have the vasectomy reversed. It never occurred to me that I wasn’t shooting blanks. I’d read about some reversals healing over time but didn’t even consider I was in that small percentage.”

Liz stared at the baby picture. “You and Ella look almostidentical at the same age. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen a baby picture of you before now. The resemblance is uncanny.”

“I know. You’ve never seen a baby picture because my mother hid everything she valued so my father couldn’t destroy it. There were many nights I slept with photo albums and her jewelry under my mattress or in the toy box. When Eileen helped me clean out the house, I told her she could have whatever she wanted. During those bitter days, I wasn’t interested in keeping anything. But I’m glad she saved that picture.”

Nick leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on Liz’s lips. “Ella’s my daughter. I’ll still get the blood test and make it official, but there’s no doubt in my mind that she’s mine.”Damn.His voice was trembling.Notsomething he wanted to happen while conveying his acceptance of such a life-altering biological fact. “I’m not prepared to be a parent, babe. You’ll help me figure it out?”

She grabbed a tissue and dabbed at her cheeks. “Of course I will. I can’t imagine what changed your mind between Friday night and now. But, for the record, I don’t blame you for this situation. This ismyfairytale ending. It doesn’t have to be yours. I’m the one who decided to have Ella.”

His mouth quirked up on one side. “Yeah, well, it’s pretty obvious I’ve been involved since her beginning.”

“Let me put the baby in her crib now, so you and I can talk in the living room?” Liz gently removed Ella from his chest and tucked her in bed.

29

Nick stood, wavering a second. His knees were like rubber.

Never in his life had he imagined something like—like this happening. Yeah, sure, he’d watched movies where the guy ended up with a kid by accident, but he’d always shoved another handful of popcorn in his mouth and thought,dude, you’re in over your head.

Liz took his hand and urged him down the hallway to the kitchen. She poured two fingers of Southern Comfort into a glass, took a sip, and offered it to him. “It’ll take the edge off the shock, Sergeant. You’ve got that deer in the headlights look on your face.”

He sipped slowly and paced the kitchen, guilt tugging on his heart. “I can’t believe you’ve been through all this alone, babe. Honestly, I had no idea. I’ve spent a lot of time berating Ella’s deadbeat dad in my mind, and as it turns out,I’mthat dad.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I wouldn’t blame you for being really pissed.”

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