Ranger's Baby Surprise (Special Forces Elite 2)

I didn’t care if it was just so that I could have a relationship with Emma. I would find a way to make up for the damage I did over the last six years.

I let her walk me back out to the main part of the apartment. I watched her check on Emma again. Now that I knew for sure she was my daughter; I was itching to check on her myself.

“Is she still warm?” I asked with my medical training kicking in.

I looked her over quickly. She seemed to be resting peacefully and was well colored. At least she wasn’t dehydrated, which was common for someone so young. At this age when it hurt to swallow kids could easily get dehydrated just from refusing to drink.

“Yeah,” I heard the worried tone in Julie’s voice.

I edged towards the door. I needed to leave her and let her process things. Hell, I needed to take my own time to figure out my next step.

“Do you think I could come by tomorrow? To check on Emma that is,” I said as I put my hand on the doorknob.

“I don’t think it's a good idea,” Julie said. “I don’t know if I am ready to tell her who you are.”

“I understand. You don’t have to tell her anything. Not right now, if you don’t want to. I just want to come by. You know, maybe get to know her a little.”

I could see her resolve faulted a little. I understood why she couldn’t trust me right now. That was something I would have to earn back. It was only logical she would be protective of Emma. I was okay if she didn’t want to tell my daughter who I was just yet.

I would find a way, though. I wasn’t sure how, but I was going to make it up to Julie for all the lost time and be the father that Emma deserved.

6

I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding as the door shut on Hawk. I also had the realization that my insides were coming down too from a heightened awareness. Even after all these years just a simple touch and closeness from Hawk and my body still reacted like we were college sweethearts.

Four hours later, dinner had been made and eaten, well by me. I couldn’t even tempt Emma to eat more than a few bits of spaghetti, her favorite meal. I gave her a nice cooling bath to help keep the fever down and then she went promptly to bed.

I knew she still wasn’t over the worst of it when she went to her bed without so much as a peep. Being sick was really taking a toll on her little body.

Once the house was cleaned up, the papers were all finally corrected, and I was in my comfy PJ’s, I settled on the couch with a glass of wine. I was in desperate need of a little come down after the day I had today.

I flipped through the channels for a bit but not really finding anything of interest. I usually enjoyed my nights after Em went to bed. It was quiet and peaceful unlike the constant racket in the high school gym.

I was too restless to relax, and even the wine wasn’t seeming to help much. I resolved the only way I was going to get some sleep tonight was if I bounced my thoughts off of someone else.

It was easy to decide who that someone was going to be. Savannah and I became quick friends since we both were on the swim team. I couldn’t imagine anyone any more opposite from me.

I may have fought my roots, but I was still a southern girl through and through. Give me a gallon of sweet tea, and some cornbread with honey and I was in heaven. Savannah had conformed some to our southern traditions, but she still held on to the California girl she had grown up as most her life.

That usually meant her sweet tea was organic and she had her own raw honey from the beehive in her backyard.

She had rubbed off some on me too. I had my own little apartment compost and a small herb garden in my window.

In fact, I swear every time I went shopping I had her voice in my head asking if the honey buns I put in my cart were free of preservatives and artificial colors.

I smiled to myself as I dialed Savannah’s number. She was no doubt in the middle of canning something or making her own bread.

Savannah only lived thirty minutes away from me but in the opposite direction of civilization. She had a big plot of land surrounded by forest that she used as her own U-Pick farm and little eclectic shop of everything homemade from jams to soap.

After two rings she picked up the phone.

“Hey honey,” she said already knowing it was me.

“Hey,” I said with a heavy sigh.

“That doesn’t sound good. If you tell me you have a half drunk bottle of wine in front of you, I might just have to drop what I'm doing right now and head your way.”

I inspected the bottle sitting on the coffee table in front of me. I was only on my second glass, that couldn’t count as half drunk, could it?