Her Secret, His Child

"Mommy?" Ashley yelled from what Kyle presumed was the kitchen. "Who you talking to, Mommy? I want to talk, too."

"I'm surprised she hasn't already run out to investigate," Kyle said, thinking of the night before, the glimpse he'd had of his little dynamo.

"She's eating," Jamie explained.

Ah. A captive audience. Kyle didn't know if that was good news or bad. He just knew he had to get this over with. As he followed Jamie into the kitchen, he issued one last silent prayer that Ashley wouldn't be disappointed with the talking she got.

The nice man was back. Ashley smiled at him when he came into the room with Mommy. Just to see if he'd smile back. She couldn't remember for sure if he'd smiled at her before.

He did smile. Really big. And she knew then he

TAR A TAYLOR QUINN

hadn't smiled at her before or she would've remembered. She liked big smiles.

"Who's he?" she asked Mommy. He had a birthday month and he smiled and Mommy let him in their house, so he was good. Even if he did think she was only two. Two was baby, but maybe he didn't know that.

"My name's Kyle Radcliff."

The man answered instead of Mommy. Ashley giggled. He had a funny name. It reminded her of the story Mommy read her about the doggie that saved a kitten from falling down down down a cliff.

"Ash?"

Mommy sat down at the table.

"You remember when you were asking me about your daddy?"

Mommy's eyes were all serious. They scared Ashley so much she could hardly concentrate on Mommy's words.

Mommy was watching her, not talking anymore, so Ashley nodded.

"Well, he found us, sweetie."

Mommy's mouth started to move funny, in kind of a wobbly way.

"Your daddy found us."

Ashley stared at Mommy's lips for long enough that she wasn't sure what words Mommy had said.

So when Mommy started to talk again Ashley listened carefully.

"Your daddy found us, honey."

Her daddy! "Daddy!" she hollered, jumping up

HER SECRET, HIS CHILD

till she almost fell out of her chair. She'd known her daddy would come someday. She'd known it!

The nice man moved closer to the table. Ashley was so happy she wanted him to be happy, too. "You know my daddy?" she asked him.

He came right up to Ashley's chair and bent way down until he was shorter than she was. "I'm your daddy, Ashley," he said, so soft she didn't think she'd heard all his words, either. Besides, she was too busy looking at the picture of herself in his glasses. She hoped her daddy had good glasses like that.

"Did you hear me, sweetie?" he asked her, his eyebrows coming together.

Hoping he wasn't going to be mad, Ashley did what Mommy always said was right. She told the truth. Shaking her head, she whispered, "No."

"I said I am your daddy."