The Surprise Holiday Dad Read Online Free PDF Page A

said. “I’ve always loved you.”
    “Mom told me you didn’t care.” The boy’s tongue traced a gap in his teeth where a new one was growing. “That you left us.”
    “She forced me to leave.” Much as he disliked maligning the dead, Vicki didn’t deserve to get off easy.
    Reggie considered this. “How?”
    “Your mom had security guards throw me out of the hospital. She told them I was violent, but I never did anything like that.” Wade’s anger rose at the memory. “She lied about me and tried—well, threatened—to have me arrested. I’m a police officer. I’d have been fired from the police department.”
    Reggie folded his hands in front of him. “Mom acted kind of crazy sometimes.”
    “I’m sorry you had to see that,” Wade said. “And I’m sorry I wasn’t here to protect you. I should have been.”
    “Aunt Addie keeps me safe.”
    A spurt of gratitude replaced his annoyance at the doctor, temporarily anyway. “I’m glad she’s taken care of you. Now I’m here to do that.”
    “Why?” Reggie asked.
    “Because I love you.”
    “I mean, why’d you come back now?”
    A reasonable question. “I just found out your mother died. I’ve been living up in Northern California.” Wade brushed his palm across his son’s cheek. “I drove to Safe Harbor as soon as I could.”
    “How long will you stay?”
    Suggesting that he might remove the boy from his home would be a bad idea, Wade surmised. “Forever, if I can find a job.” Silence descended. After waiting a bit, he said, “Any more questions?”
    “No.” Although the boy would probably think of plenty later—this was a heavy conversation for a young kid, Wade acknowledged. Reggie glanced past him out the window. “Did you bring that police-station set?”
    Swiveling, Wade saw his gift sitting atop the others. “Sure did.”
    “Can we play with it?”
    He’s a normal kid. Toys first. Wade chuckled. “I’d like that. But everybody else brought presents, too. It might hurt their feelings if you play with mine and not theirs.”
    “All right.” Reggie wiggled impatiently. Standing in one place for more than a few seconds was obviously a foreign concept at this stage of his development. “Can I go outside?”
    “You bet.”
    The boy stepped forward and then halted. “What should I call you?”
    Longing seized Wade. Go for what you want. “Daddy sounds good to me.”
    The child appeared to be weighing the matter seriously. “Now that I’m six, I’d rather call you Dad.”
    “Done.” Wade held up his hand. To his satisfaction, his little boy ran over and fist-bumped him before scooting out.
    That had gone well, or so Wade assumed. If only he knew more about kids and their thought processes.
    Well, I’ll learn.
    * * *
    R EG TROTTED OUT , eager to join his friends. Adrienne couldn’t tell much from his expression. Through the window, he’d appeared to do more listening than usual, while his father appeared to have treated the boy with respect.
    She still wished the man would leave them alone.
    Wade rejoined her on the patio. “He says you took care of him when his mom...didn’t. Thank you for that.”
    “He seems in good spirits.” A bit grudgingly, Adrienne added, “Thank you for handling that tactfully.”
    “Did that hurt?”
    “Did what hurt?”
    “Thanking me.” His playful tone took the edge off his words. At close range, she noted that his eyes were silver-gray, like Reggie’s. Adrienne had never seen anyone else with that exact shade.
    “Yes,” she answered honestly. No matter how civil this man was, nothing changed the fact that he might try to take her child away. “We’re meeting tomorrow at the lawyer’s, right?”
    Wade’s head tilted in accord. “I’m surprised a doctor like you is free on a weekday.”
    “I work an overnight shift in Labor and Delivery, plus some evening office hours.”
    His forehead furrowed. “Who stays with Reggie?”
    “He has a regular sitter—she’s