Heart of a Hero by Sara Craven Read Free Book Online

to?” He waited until she met his gaze. “I want to get to know my daughter. I want to be with her every day—I can’t get back all the time I missed but I sure as hell don’t want to miss any more.” He closed his eyes against the surge of anger that shook him and waited for her to argue.
    “Okay.” Her voice was small.
    He was startled. “Okay?” The Phoebe he knewmight be quiet and calm, but underneath she was a fighter when she believed in something.
    But she nodded. “Okay.” She swallowed. “I was wrong not to tell you as soon as I found out, Wade. I’m sorrier than you’ll ever know.”
    He didn’t know what to say to that. She was right—she had been wrong. Because she’d chosen not to tell him, his mother had died without ever knowing she had a grandchild.
    He simply couldn’t utter the words to accept her apology yet. He liked to think he was a big enough man that he’d soon be able to forgive her…but he didn’t feel that magnanimous right now. Instead of answering, he stood and went out the front door to his car.
    When he returned, Phoebe was still sitting on the couch with her hands clasped. She jumped up when he walked back in without knocking and dumped his duffel on the floor inside the door. There were tears on her face, which she hastily wiped away, and then she did a double take.
    “What are you doing?” She already knew, and she was aghast.
    “Moving in.” He shrugged. “It’s the only way to really get to know Bridget without taking her away from you.”
    She nodded as if she saw the logic, but amoment later, she shook her head vigorously. “Wait! You can’t just move in here!”
    “Why not? You and I have always gotten along well. We probably know each other better than a lot of couples do. And you have an extra bedroom. I saw it last night. I’ll pay rent.”
    She opened her mouth, then closed it again and shook her head helplessly. Finally, she said, “This is outrageous. So how did you just make it sound so utterly logical?”
    He grinned, feeling a lot more relaxed now that she hadn’t kicked him out first thing. “I’m gifted that way.” He’d hoped her obvious guilt would help sway her to his point of view and, apparently, it had worked.
    Suddenly, he realized she hadn’t spoken. She was staring at him as if he’d grown a second head. “What?”
    She shrugged. “That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile since you got off that swing yesterday.”
    “I haven’t had much to smile about,” he pointed out.
    Instantly, the angry tension was back in the room, humming between them like a downed electrical wire. He was about to speak again, to get more answers to the questions she’d never givenhim a chance to ask, when an odd whispering sound filled the air.
    It was barely audible, but Phoebe reacted instantly, a blinding smile lighting her face. “Bridget is awake.”
    His body reacted to that smile. But—
    “A-ba-bah-bah-ba,” It was a little louder now. Wade glanced around the room and spotted a baby monitor on one end table. Aha.
    Phoebe started for the stairs. “If I don’t get her fast, they’ll hear her down at the end of the street. I’ll be back in a minute.”
    Wade smiled to himself as she took the steps two at a time. Bridget was six months old. That had to be a bit of an exaggeration—
    “A-bah-bah-BAH-BAH!”
    Whoa. His kid had a set of lungs on her like Pavarotti.
    “Bridget.” Phoebe’s voice was a gentle singsong. “How’s my girl? Did you have a good nap?”
    The baby gave a delighted squeal that just about split his eardrums. Did Phoebe have that monitor turned up too high?
    “Hello, my sweet baby girl.” No, the monitor wasn’t too loud, because Phoebe’s voice sounded normal. “How was your nap? I’ve got somebody downstairs who wants to meet you.” He heard herchuckle. “But first we’d better change your diaper or he’s liable to keel over.”
    He listened to the rustle of the plastic diaper and the baby