Ranger's Family in Danger by Lara Lacombe

Author:Lara Lacombe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-11-09T16:48:53+00:00

* * *

For the second time that day, Carter found himself staring at Sophia, unable to speak.

Deaf?

He’s deaf?

He looked down at the baby in his arms, trying to reconcile this news with the squirming boy he held to his chest. Ben grunted, pushing his hand down forcefully.

“Oh,” Carter said numbly, finally catching on. The baby was trying to make the sign for down.

He knelt carefully, ignoring the aching in his hips, and placed Ben on the floor. Apparently deciding the adults weren’t entertaining enough, Ben started to crawl toward the other room.

Carter stood, his hand on the counter for support. When he looked at Sophia again, he saw her eyes were bright with tears.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I wanted to tell you earlier. I didn’t mean to keep another secret from you.”

“It’s okay,” he replied automatically. He shook his head, the cobwebs clearing from his mind. “I know why you waited.”

And he did. Earlier, when he’d first learned about Ben’s existence, he hadn’t exactly given her a chance to share this information. Even if she had told him, he’d been so blown away by the shock of finding out he was a father he probably wouldn’t have heard her.

A muffled thump came from the other room. “We should probably—” He gestured to the dining area.

Sophia wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “Yeah,” she said, voice thick with emotion. “No telling what he’s getting into out there.”

She took a few steps toward him, then headed out of the kitchen. Carter reached up and grabbed her arm before she could move past. “Hey,” he said softly.

He waited for her to meet his eyes. Emotions swirled in her gaze: apprehension, fear...and a glint of sheer determination. She’s a warrior, he realized with a growing sense of awe. For the first time since learning about Ben, he caught a glimpse of how hard things had been for her. Being pregnant alone. Having a baby by herself, no one by her side to cheer her on during the delivery. The sleepless nights, the countless feedings and diaper changes. The terror she must have felt, knowing something was wrong with her baby.

She’d done it all alone, with no one to help her. And she’d managed to work on her studies, as well.

She was a damn superhero.

Carter was humbled by her strength. He’d thought his own situation had been tough. How many hours had he spent feeling sorry for himself, thinking things couldn’t get worse? All the while, Sophia had been working night and day to care for a baby. A baby she hadn’t planned on, either.

He suddenly felt very small, standing next to her. How much grief had he caused her today? How much stress and worry had he added to her already full plate? He’d handled things badly earlier. But he was here now, and he was determined to step up and do his job as a father and as a man.

“It’s okay,” he told her. “Really.”

She held his gaze for a moment, as though trying to judge his sincerity.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.