Unexpected Family by Laurie Campbell

Author:Laurie Campbell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-06-09T00:00:00+00:00

Four hours later he was still feeling good. Still thinking about Meg. The bank record matched the total she’d printed in his checkbook, the editorial was finally off to typesetting and the Herald Angels had already begun their weekend kickoff party. Normally he would stick around for that—it was his nickname the group had adopted, and he always enjoyed their Friday night festivities—but tonight he felt like heading home.

It felt pleasantly nostalgic following his old route without the detour to pick up Tony. Not that he minded swinging by the school, but driving through the heart of Oakville had its own appeal. The brick-front grocery on the corner. The real estate office where he’d signed the papers for their house. The Posy Place where he’d stopped to get Meg flowers on their anniversary.

On an impulse, Joe parked at the corner and went back inside the Posy Place. With her garden underway, Meg wouldn’t likely need any flowers for the rest of the summer... but for some reason he felt like surprising her tonight. And he could imagine her pleasure at an unexpected bouquet.

The flower shop was more fragrant than he remembered from his last visit, but maybe things always smelled better in May. There were two boys chasing each other around the waiting area up front while their mother conferred with the new florist, and he felt a twinge of sympathy for them—they looked as if they’d rather be anywhere else in the world. Whereas their mother and the girl waiting on her looked absolutely content in this haven of pink and lavender and lace.

Basic difference between men and women, Joe decided, realizing with a sudden flash of understanding why Meg was so eager for a daughter. Being the only girl in the house must be kind of lonely, especially when he and Tony started wrestling over the soccer ball. Not that she’d ever complained about it...but still, she had to be feeling outnumbered.

Not that he could do much about it. Except hope for a girl if they ever reached the top of the adoption waiting list—but he had to admit he wasn’t in any hurry for that. The child they already had was more than he’d bargained for, and even though he would never be sorry they’d taken in Tony, he had never realized how much it cost to be a father. Not as much in terms of money, or even time, as in emotional involvement. With a child, it was harder to keep your feelings at a distance.

But there was nothing to worry about, Joe reminded himself. He had everything under control.

“I said, can I help you?”

It was his turn, he realized with a start. The woman before him was shepherding her sons out the door, and he had lost himself in some kind of half-baked philosophical musing. “Yeah,” he said hastily. “I wanted to get some flowers.”

The clerk seemed to recognize that he was out of his element, because she assumed a professorial air. “For a hostess

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