Sunset in Central Park (From Manhattan with Love #2) - Sarah Morgan Page 0,99

need a bodyguard and it seems I’ve got two.”

“Three.” Frankie took the pillows and blankets from her and put them on the couch. “I’m a black belt in karate. If Eddy shows up here he’s going to wish he’d picked a different address.”

“Karate? That’s pretty cool.” Roxy took Mia from James and cuddled her close. “I’d like to learn.”

“I can take you with me next time I go.” Frankie vanished into the kitchen and appeared moments later with a few plants in her hands. “These are toddler height, so I thought we’d put them upstairs. And I need to show you how the bolt on the door works because it’s temperamental.”

Matt handed Mia the doll he’d bought. “You didn’t tell me it was temperamental.”

“It’s fine, but you have to bash it with your hand.”

“Good, because I’m in the mood for some bashing.” Roxy frowned. “You bought her a new doll?”

Matt hesitated, remembering the exchange with Frankie. “It’s a gift, Rox.”

“You don’t need to do all this for me.”

“I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for your daughter.” He knew that Roxy put Mia before everything, including her own pride.

Roxy chewed her lip and then gave a wobbly smile. “Thanks. That was kind.”

Mia was ecstatic and insisted on smacking kisses on Matt’s cheek until Roxy finally peeled her away.

By the time they returned to his apartment, it was almost dark.

Frankie arranged the plants on the windowsill in the kitchen. “Do you think he’ll show up?”

“Her ex? I don’t think he’d know to look for her here, but if he does James will deal with him.” Matt consulted a recipe book and gathered the ingredients for a basic red sauce. He wondered how a man could father a child and then have no interest in raising it or protecting it. And in a way, Frankie’s situation was even worse than Roxy’s. Her father had walked out on a child he’d raised for fourteen years. What the hell made a man do that?

“Are you angry?” Frankie washed her hands and reached for a clove of garlic. “Either that onion has offended you, or you’re angry.”

“I’m not angry.”

“You’re upset about Roxy.”

He stared down at his white knuckles and his fingers, clamped around the handle of the knife.

“Not just about Roxy.” He put the knife down slowly. “Are you ever tempted to get in touch with your dad?”

“No.” She took the knife from him and finished chopping. “I thought about it at first, but too many things happened. If we met up now it would just be awkward. I needed him back then, but I don’t need him in my life now.”

“I hate to think of you going through that.”

“It’s okay, Matt.”

“It’s not okay.” The depth of his anger shocked him. “It’s not okay, Frankie.”

She shot him a puzzled look and put the knife down. “What’s the matter? Normally you are Mr. Cool. I’m not used to seeing you like this.”

He wasn’t used to feeling like this. This dark, ugly cocktail of emotions was poisoning his usual rational approach to life. “You were left to cope with it alone. That’s inexcusable.” He dragged his fingers through his hair and tried to calm himself. “No parent should put a child in the position you were in.”

“It was a long time ago. I’ve learned to live with it.”

“Have you?” It was a struggle to keep his voice steady. “He’s the reason you keep things to yourself and don’t trust easily. He’s the reason you’re scared of relationships. Scared to move in here with me.”

“I have moved in here with you.” Her hand covered his. “And I do trust you.”

He stared down at their entwined fingers. Her hand looked small and delicate against his and he felt a surge of protectiveness. “Do you?”

“Yes. I do. Calm down, Matt.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “This will be hard for you to understand because your family is so different from mine but I don’t even care anymore. I have no feelings for my father. He’s a stranger to me.”

“That’s wrong on so many levels.” Comparing it to his relationship with his own father, he pulled her against him. He didn’t feel calm. He didn’t feel calm at all. “I wish I’d been there for you.”

“You’re here now. And that’s what counts.” She eased away from him and finished preparing the food. “What happened to Roxy’s parents?”

“Her father was abusive. I think that’s one reason why Roxy is determined not to go back to Eddy no