Stronger Together by Sherryl Woods

Author:Sherryl Woods
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MIRA Books
Published: 2018-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

“Mommy, is Ford going to be my new daddy?” Caitlyn asked as she spooned cornflakes into her mouth on Sunday morning.

“No, absolutely not,” Emma snapped. After her disconcerting conversation with Matt, this was absolutely the last thing Emma needed today. She swallowed hard when she realized that Caitlyn’s eyes were brimming with tears. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to yell.”

“I like him,” Caitlyn said with a sniff. “I want him to be my new dad. Besides, if you married him, we could live here.”

Emma didn’t have the patience or the words to explain all of the flaws in her daughter’s logic. What worried her most, though, was how eager Caitlyn was to claim Ford as a father. The two of them had only spent one day together, yet Caitlyn was already making up fantasies about him. That suggested she was desperate for a replacement for the man who paid no attention to her back in Denver.

“Baby, you don’t really know Ford all that well,” Emma explained. “Before somebody can be your daddy, we both have to get to know him and make sure he’s the right person.”

“I know he is,” Caitlyn said, regarding her seriously.

“What makes you so sure?” Maybe her six-year-old daughter had insights that would help her see Ford in a new light. How pathetic was that?

“Because he was really, really nice to me,” Caitlyn began predictably. “And he’s cute, and he understood that it was really, really important for me to have ice cream even though we’d already had pizza.”

“Yeah, I can see why that would be a clincher,” Emma said wryly. “But there are more important things to consider.”

“What things?”

“Grown-up things.”

“But I get a say, don’t I?”

“When the time comes, of course you get to express an opinion,” Emma assured her. “Yours is just not the most important opinion.”

“Who gets that?”

“Me.”

“Maybe I should pick,” Caitlyn said, a frown puckering her brow. “You didn’t do such a good job last time.”

It was all Emma could do not to burst into tears. For her daughter to say something so matter-of-factly condemning her own father—and her mother’s judgment—spoke volumes about what she’d been through, about what the adults in her life had put her through. Emma had always prayed that Caitlyn had been oblivious to most of it. Obviously she’d been wrong.

She reached for her daughter’s hand and pressed kisses to her fingers. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. But there’s one thing we should never, ever forget, no matter how mad or sad your dad makes us.”

Caitlyn regarded her doubtfully. “What?”

“If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have you,” Emma said softly. “And you are the very best thing that has ever happened to me. So every single day I thank God that your dad and I made you.”

Caitlyn seemed intrigued by the concept. “You mean like you’d make a doll? Did you put me together?”

Emma laughed. “No, it didn’t work like that. Someday I’ll explain.”

“I want to know now. I saw Pepper have her kittens in the barn yesterday.

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.