Changed by His Son's Smile Read Online Free PDF

Who was he to judge her without knowing Chase’s attitude? Without knowing she’d had to protect her baby? Without knowing how hard it had been to leave the man she’d fallen crazy in love with?
    “Listen, I—”
    The kitchen door swung open and the man in question walked in, which immediately sent her pulse hammering at the thought of what lay ahead of them. Telling Drew, and what his reaction would be when he learned Chase was his daddy. What demands Chase might or might not make in being a part of his son’s life. How it all could be balanced without Drew getting hurt.
    Chase filled the doorway, sweat glistening on his tanned arms and face, spikes of dark hair sticking to his neck. A faded gray T-shirt damply clung to his broad chest, his running shorts exposing his strong calves and thighs. His brows rose as he paused in mid-stride, wiping his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt.
    “What is this, a sunrise party? Not used to seeing anyone in here this early.”
    She tore her gaze from his sexy body to focus on wiping Drew’s chin. “Andrew needed food more than he needed sleep. Guess we’re not on West Africa time yet.”
    Chase grabbed a bottle of cold water from the fridge and took a big swig as he leaned his hip against the counter, his attention fixed on Drew. Dani found herself staring as he swallowed. As his tongue licked droplets of water from his lips.
    Quickly, she glanced away and swallowed hard herself. Why couldn’t she just concentrate on the serious issues that lay between them, instead of wanting to grab him and sip that water from his lips herself?
    Toughening up was clearly essential, and she braved another look at him, sternly reminding herself they’d been apart way longer than they’d been together. His demeanor seemed relaxed, but she could sense the undercurrent of tension in the set of his shoulders, the tightness in his jaw. Obviously, he felt as anxious about their upcoming revelation to Drew as she did.
    Trent stood. “Think I’ll get in a catnap before the clinic opens.”
    “Don’t worry about getting to the clinic at nine. I can’t take how cranky you get when you’re tired,” Chase said.
    “Better than being cranky all the time, like you,” Trent said, slapping Chase on the back. “See you all later.”
    The kitchen seemed to become suffocatingly small as Chase stepped so close to Dani that his shoulder brushed hers. His expression told her clearly that it was showtime, and her pulse rocketed.
    Why did she feel so petrified? At least a thousand times since he’d been born, she’d thought about how or if or when she’d tell Drew about his daddy. He was still practically a baby after all. Like she’d said last night, he probably wouldn’t think anything of it.
    But as she looked at her little boy, the words stuck in her throat. She turned to Chase, and he seemed to sense all the crazy emotions whirling through her. The intensity on his face relaxed, his deep brown eyes softened, and he slipped his arm around her shoulders.
    “I promise you it will be okay,” he said, dropping a kiss on her forehead. “No. Way better than okay. So stop worrying.”
    She nodded. No point in telling him she’d been worrying since before Drew had been born, and couldn’t just turn it off now. But deep inside she somehow knew that, even though he hadn’t wanted a child, Chase would never say and do the hurtful things her own father had.
    Chase released her shoulders and pulled two stools on either side of Drew’s before propping himself on one and gesturing to Dani to sit on the other. She sank onto the stool and hoped her smile covered up how her stomach churned and her heart pounded.
    She wiped the last of his breakfast from Drew’s hands and face and slid his bowl aside. “Drew, you know Mommy brought you to Africa so I could work with children here. But I brought you here for another reason, too.”
    Okay, so that was a total lie, and the twist of Chase’s lips showed her