finding someway that she could keep the baby, someway that she could escape her father and have her child and raise it.
She'd give it everything she'd never had, all the love and affection, all the caring, that hadn't been hers. It had been a hopeless fantasy, which was why she'd never let herself admit to it. It had hovered in the darkest corners of her thoughts, too foolish to entertain, too precious to give up entirely.
And suddenly Dan was offering her that dream. Only it had been taken and twisted around. He was offering her baby a chance at the life she'd wanted for it. And he was offering her a way to escape her father. But to get those things, for herself and her child, she would have to give up that child. It didn't even occur to her that Dan might allow her to see the child once he had custody.
Dan watched her down-bent head, trying to read her thoughts. He wanted her to agree, couldn't remember the last time he'd wanted something so much. It suddenly came to him that he'd thought something similar on New Year's Eve—that he hadn't been able to remember ever wanting someone the way he'd wanted her.
He wasn't a man who put much faith in fate, but if he had been so inclined, he might have wondered if maybe fate hadn't taken a hand in his life that night This was a chance at the home and family he so desperately wanted
And who was to say that this couldn't even work out well for Kelly? From the looks of her and the way she'd reacted when he mentioned her family, her life could use a little help, too. He could provide her with a new start.
She had to agree to this. She just had to.
As if the urgency of his thought reached her, Kelly lifted her head. Her eyes were wide and dark, showing the turmoil she felt
"You truly want this baby? You'd be good to her?"
"I truly want this baby and I'll be a good father to him or her. I inherited some money from my father, not a fortune but enough. The child would never want for anything."
"Money isn't everything," she said slowly, unaware of the impact the cliched statement had coming from someone who so obviously had very little of it "Love and affection are a lot more important. That's what a child really needs," she added, her expression wistful.
"There would never be a moment when this child didn't know it was wanted," he said quietly.
She looked at him searchingly, as if trying to read his sincerity. Dan met the look without flinching. He wasn't sure what she might read in his eyes. Could she see how desperately he wanted this child?
"All right" The word was so low he had to strain to hear it. She lowered her eyes from his, but not before he'd seen the glitter of tears.
He felt a wave of fierce exultation when he realized what she'd just said. He was going to be a father, in the fullest sense of the word this time. This child would never call another man "Daddy."
He wanted to jump up and shout the news to the world. He felt like passing out cigars and pastel balloons. But he couldn't do any of those things. He knew Kelly's decision had been difficult, though not, he suspected, as difficult as her original choice had been.
He reached across the table to catch her hand in his. It was freezing cold and trembling. She didn't look up and he knew she was fighting back tears.
"Thank you," he said simply.
"Just see that you treat her right," she told him, her tone suddenly fierce. She pulled her hand away, sliding to the end of the booth.
"Wait a minute." Dan stood, catching her arm when she would have walked away. Kelly turned back, pulling away from him as if his touch was painful.
"I have to go," she muttered without looking at him.
"We have to work some things out."
"Not right now. I have to get home before my father gets back and finds me gone."
"Okay, but we need to talk. Where do you live? How can I get in touch with you?"
"You can't!" The look she threw him held something approaching terror. "Please, I'll call you in a day or two and we can work out the
She'd give it everything she'd never had, all the love and affection, all the caring, that hadn't been hers. It had been a hopeless fantasy, which was why she'd never let herself admit to it. It had hovered in the darkest corners of her thoughts, too foolish to entertain, too precious to give up entirely.
And suddenly Dan was offering her that dream. Only it had been taken and twisted around. He was offering her baby a chance at the life she'd wanted for it. And he was offering her a way to escape her father. But to get those things, for herself and her child, she would have to give up that child. It didn't even occur to her that Dan might allow her to see the child once he had custody.
Dan watched her down-bent head, trying to read her thoughts. He wanted her to agree, couldn't remember the last time he'd wanted something so much. It suddenly came to him that he'd thought something similar on New Year's Eve—that he hadn't been able to remember ever wanting someone the way he'd wanted her.
He wasn't a man who put much faith in fate, but if he had been so inclined, he might have wondered if maybe fate hadn't taken a hand in his life that night This was a chance at the home and family he so desperately wanted
And who was to say that this couldn't even work out well for Kelly? From the looks of her and the way she'd reacted when he mentioned her family, her life could use a little help, too. He could provide her with a new start.
She had to agree to this. She just had to.
As if the urgency of his thought reached her, Kelly lifted her head. Her eyes were wide and dark, showing the turmoil she felt
"You truly want this baby? You'd be good to her?"
"I truly want this baby and I'll be a good father to him or her. I inherited some money from my father, not a fortune but enough. The child would never want for anything."
"Money isn't everything," she said slowly, unaware of the impact the cliched statement had coming from someone who so obviously had very little of it "Love and affection are a lot more important. That's what a child really needs," she added, her expression wistful.
"There would never be a moment when this child didn't know it was wanted," he said quietly.
She looked at him searchingly, as if trying to read his sincerity. Dan met the look without flinching. He wasn't sure what she might read in his eyes. Could she see how desperately he wanted this child?
"All right" The word was so low he had to strain to hear it. She lowered her eyes from his, but not before he'd seen the glitter of tears.
He felt a wave of fierce exultation when he realized what she'd just said. He was going to be a father, in the fullest sense of the word this time. This child would never call another man "Daddy."
He wanted to jump up and shout the news to the world. He felt like passing out cigars and pastel balloons. But he couldn't do any of those things. He knew Kelly's decision had been difficult, though not, he suspected, as difficult as her original choice had been.
He reached across the table to catch her hand in his. It was freezing cold and trembling. She didn't look up and he knew she was fighting back tears.
"Thank you," he said simply.
"Just see that you treat her right," she told him, her tone suddenly fierce. She pulled her hand away, sliding to the end of the booth.
"Wait a minute." Dan stood, catching her arm when she would have walked away. Kelly turned back, pulling away from him as if his touch was painful.
"I have to go," she muttered without looking at him.
"We have to work some things out."
"Not right now. I have to get home before my father gets back and finds me gone."
"Okay, but we need to talk. Where do you live? How can I get in touch with you?"
"You can't!" The look she threw him held something approaching terror. "Please, I'll call you in a day or two and we can work out the
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