Daughter on His Doorstep by Teresa Southwick

Author:Teresa Southwick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-11-08T15:30:48+00:00

Chapter Nine

Shelby had never been quite this nervous. Oh, there had been anxious times like anticipating childbirth or sending Emma to preschool and kindergarten. But sitting in a booth waiting for Luke to show up with his mother took top spot in the history of apprehensive moments.

She and Luke had strategized the location for this first meeting between Emma and his mom, her other grandmother, and decided neutral territory would be best. This was a kid-friendly pizza place with games, a jumping house and the bacteria capital of the world ball pit. If things got heated and intense, there would be a distraction for Emma and Shelby would worry about the black plague when and if it happened. They’d agreed on a time when both of them would be finished with work and now here she was with their daughter.

“Mommy, when are they gonna get here?”

“Are you hungry?”

“A little. But I want to go play and you said I can’t until after I meet her.”

“Her” being the paternal grandmother. “I’m sure your dad will be here any minute.”

“What’s she like?” Emma was sitting on the bench seat beside her.

“I told you, peanut, she’s a very nice lady.”

Luke hadn’t gotten along with the woman, but Shelby had spent a little time with her. Donna McCoy was always pleasant to her and teased her son about why he couldn’t be an A student like she was. Then her mom found out they were seeing each other and she’d been forbidden to have anything to do with him or his family. Pam had pretended there was an empty lot where the McCoy house stood.

Shelby had no idea what to expect now and was prepared to get her daughter out of there at the first sign of hostility. But she couldn’t tell Emma that.

“I’m sure she’s going to love you.” Shelby put aside her misgivings and infused her tone with as much reassurance as possible. “How could she not? You’re fantastic.”

“You have to say that. You’re my mom.”

“I don’t have to say anything. But I’m the first one to tell you when your attitude needs adjustment. If I don’t hesitate to tell you the bad stuff, you can believe me about the good things. Right?”

“But she doesn’t know me.”

Apparently Shelby wasn’t the only one who was nervous. She and Luke didn’t hide anything from Emma. They’d given her the facts: he went into the army and didn’t know Shelby was going to have a baby. He agreed with her that their daughter only needed basic details because she was too young to really understand the emotions. If Emma had questions they tried to answer honestly.

“She knows you’re her granddaughter,” Shelby said. “You know how much Grammy loves you. Your dad’s mother will, too. Grandparents love to spoil their grandchildren.”

“Maybe she’ll buy me a scooter.” This was the first spark of excitement since they’d left home.

“Don’t you dare ask her for anything. Especially not the first time you meet her.”

Emma grinned. “I was teasing you, Mom.

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