Dockside by Susan Wiggs

Author:Susan Wiggs [Wiggs, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance, Contemporary, Adult
ISBN: 9780778324751
Goodreads: 958714
Publisher: Mira Books
Published: 2007-08-01T00:00:00+00:00

“Baby, I want you to meet…my friend,” Nina said cautiously. “His name is Laurence Jeffries.”

“Hello.” Sonnet pressed herself against Nina, gazing up at the stranger.

“Hi.” Following Nina’s advice, he went down on one knee as though genuflecting—or assuming the position to fire a gun. Even so, he was still tall and imposing. “I’m very glad to meet you, Sonnet.”

“Sonnet Maria Romano,” she said dutifully. Nina had taught her to introduce herself. “I found a garnet.” She dug in her pocket and held out a stone in her slightly grubby palm. Rough garnets were common in the area, and one of Sonnet’s uncles had shown her how to spot them. Though she eagerly held out her prize, she also kept a tight grip on Nina with her other hand.

Nina was proud of her little girl’s precocious intelligence and grown-up-sounding speech.

Sometimes Nina had to remind herself that Sonnet was too young to understand complicated matters.

Despite her sophisticated vocabulary, she couldn’t be expected to comprehend the fact that the handsome soldier before her was her father.

“That is a garnet,” Laurence said. “You’re lucky to find it.”

“You keep it,” Sonnet said. “For a present.”

The offering brought the first genuine smile to his face as he put out his hand, palm up. “I sure will,”

he said. “Thank you, Sonnet. I’ll keep it forever. I’ll never lose it.”

She beamed at him. “Okay.”

For a second, her tiny hand disappeared inside his and the three of them were connected—Nina, Sonnet and Laurence, a family of sorts. The thought made Nina dizzy with a sweep of euphoria.

Maybe…

A car door slammed again, and they all turned. Laurence snapped back into military mode, straight as a steel sword blade. Nina hoisted Sonnet into her arms.

“This is Angela Hancock,” Laurence said as a beautiful, well-dressed woman joined them.

“Angela, this is Nina and Sonnet Romano.”

She was, in her own way, as scary and self-possessed as he—a tall, graceful Nubian princess to his storybook prince. “How do you do,” she said.

“Angela’s my fiancée,” he continued. “We’re getting married in a week.”

Ah, thought Nina. No wonder the guy was a wreck. It wasn’t all about her or even all about Sonnet. She mustered a smile and said, “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Angela said.

Nina set Sonnet down. “Go play with Jenny on the swings, baby.” As the little girl ran off, Nina turned to Angela. “I realize this whole situation is awkward. I’ve explained to Laurence that I don’t intend to make any trouble,” she stated. “I simply want my daughter to know who fathered her.”

“Of course.” Angela had a lovely, resonant voice, like a stage actress. She was remarkably calm and seemed oddly familiar.

Nina suspected Laurence had prepared her as much as possible for the meeting. “How you and Laurence deal with this is your business. I’m not making any demands.”

“Indeed.”

“I keep thinking we’ve met.” Nina felt apologetic, which was annoying. She owed no explanation or apology to anyone. “Have we?”

“Angela’s father is the Reverend George Simon Hancock,” Laurence said, shining with pride.

“She’s been with his ministry, so maybe you saw her on TV.

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