didn’t say that.”
Her big blue eyes open wide. “You did too.”
“No,” I say, standing and moving toward her. “I didn’t say only school.”
“Oh, that’s right.” She places the tray of sandwiches with the other foods and taps her finger on her pink lips. “Hmm. There was something else I was supposed to concentrate on.” She grins. “What was that?”
“Who, not what.” I tug her away from the empty containers and into my embrace. Staring down at her, I say the only thing that is on my mind. “Me—concentrate on me.”
Her body melts against mine. “You make it hard to think of anything else.”
“I love you, and you’re absolutely radiant.”
She is.
I don’t know if it’s the pregnancy or just her.
She’s wearing a bright yellow sundress, one that the personal shopper picked out. Her hair is mostly pulled back into a low ponytail and her makeup is minimal.
“You’re my sunshine, Sophie. I want to keep your beautiful smile shining. That’s my job. As for cooking, that’s what Kat is for.”
“I suppose I’ll be meeting her soon, too.” She looks down at the spread before us and gathers the containers for the recycling. “This is a lot of food for three people.”
I barely let her out of my grasp. “I know what I’m hungry for.”
“I hope it’s chicken salad or maybe fresh fruit.”
“No,” I say with a grin. But before I can share that she is my desired entrée, the alarm system dings, indicating the opening of the front door. Sophie hurriedly tosses the containers in the recycling and claps the crumbs from her hands. “Matt, I’m going to go out to the pool for a moment.”
I reach for her hand. “Sophie.”
“No,” she says adamantly, “we aren’t ambushing her. Go, greet Becky. Give her a second to understand.”
I nod, knowing that Sophie is probably right. I was so confident in this reunion that I didn’t consider the possibility, as Sophie said, of ambushing my daughter.
“Dad?” Becky calls from the foyer. “Where are you?”
I wait only a few seconds until Sophie slips through the open doorway to the pool deck. “In the kitchen, Beck,” I reply.
A few seconds later my daughter is there, her bright green eyes shining as she looks around the kitchen before giving me a quick hug.
“So there’s food.” She peers my way. “Where is this mystery woman?”
“Lemonade?” I ask, gesturing toward the pitcher on the counter.
Her head tilts. “Will I need something stronger?”
“You aren’t old enough for anything stronger.”
She plucks a piece of pineapple from the bowl of mixed fruit and eats it. “Did you call me over on false pretenses? I’m excited to meet whoever caught your attention.” When I don’t answer, she asks, “Are you or are you not dating?”
“It’s even more than that, Beck.”
Her eyebrows lower. “You got married without telling me?”
“You know I wouldn’t do that.”
“Oh my God, Dad, just tell me. The suspense is killing me.”
“How do you feel about me marrying again?”
She shrugs as she sits on a tall stool at the kitchen island with the pool deck behind her. “I’m not a little kid. I guess I want you to be happy.”
I let out the breath I was holding. “I am, Beck. I’m in love.”
She scrunches her nose. “Please don’t go into too much detail.”
“I want you to know that I love you too. I always will. And now that I found, or refound, someone, I want us all to be a family.” I start to tell her about the baby but stop myself as Sophie appears in the doorway.
Becky nods. “If you want that, why are you hiding her?”
“He isn’t. I am,” Sophie says.
Beck spins toward her. “Sophie.” Beck jumps up. “Oh, what are you doing here?” It’s as Becky approaches Sophie that the metaphorical dots begin to connect in her head. “Wait. What are you doing here?” Beck turns to me. “Dad?”
Sophie doesn’t move from the doorway. Instead, I go to her. “Becky, I’m seeing Sophie.”
My daughter’s head shakes. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
I reach for Sophie’s hand and squeeze. “I bet it doesn’t.” I look down at Sophie. “Does it?”
She grins. Her smile brightens the kitchen, the house, the entire world. Her eyes meet mine. “She’s right. This makes no sense at all. Sometimes I wonder if it’s real.”
“Oh, it’s real.”
“Hello.”
Sophie and I turn back to Becky.
“This isn’t some kind of joke?” Becky asks.
Sophie and I shake our heads in unison.
“How long has this been going on?” Becky asks.
Letting go of my hand, Sophie walks toward Becky. “About a month.