into town for lunch one
of these days,” Rachel yelled as she dashed off.
Dani stood for a moment to watch father and son. Matt threw the ball with some fancy
maneuver so that it sailed past Sam and landed in the dirt. Larry barked then took
off for the ball. Sam ran to intercept, Matt joined him, and in seconds, the three
of them were wrestling on the ground for the ball. Larry clamped it in his mouth then
planted himself firmly on Matt’s chest. Sam plunked down on Matt’s legs and laughed.
Dani’s smile froze on her face. The intimacy of the scene was hard to watch. They
were a family.
And she was an outsider.
Tears gathered in her eyes. She scrunched her eyes shut for a moment and took a couple
of quick breaths to gain some control. Wasn’t this her hope? That her son be loved
and cared for by a loving couple? Only there was no longer a couple. Matt was a single
parent. She was dying to know what had happened, but she had no idea how to ask about
something that personal. Maybe she could get Rachel to dish.
For the first time in her life, Dani questioned her decision to give her child up
for adoption. She’d been convinced that her time in Lake Bliss was purely to search
out her son. Make sure he was happy, healthy, and lived with a good family.
But maybe it was more of a means to acknowledge her mistake. To understand that Sam
could have been just as happy living with her. Would that be Dani’s penance for searching
out her son? To recognize the fact that she’d made the wrong decision for both of
them?
Matt tugged Sam to his feet and gave him a fatherly pat. The little boy focused on
Matt when he spoke. Dani was too far away to hear the words, yet the expression on
her son’s face conveyed his feelings. Sam worshipped his father. She allowed herself
one moment to imagine Sam aiming that look of love at her and the joy the simple gesture
would bring.
But her future didn’t include him—a fact she needed to keep foremost in her mind.
If she revealed her identity to Matt, it would lead to questions and maybe legal issues.
Questions Dani didn’t want to answer, and answers Matt wouldn’t want to know. So why
did she continue to torture herself with impossible dreams? Sam would never know her
as his mother. They could be friends for the summer until she left town to create
a tolerable existence for herself. Alone. In time, another woman would enter Sam’s
life to once again fill the role of mother. And Dani would become a distant memory.
“Hey, Dani.” Sam waved a greeting. He threw the ball across the lawn for Larry to
chase and flashed a broad smile. “We came to visit.”
She shoved her dismal thoughts aside as she caught up to him near her cottage. “Lucky
me. It’s not every day I return from a walk to find two handsome guys on my doorstep.”
The dog nudged the ball with his nose in Sam’s direction. Dani laughed. “I think Larry
likes playing with you.”
“Come on, boy.” Sam patted his leg to get the dog’s attention.
“Don’t go far,” Matt called out as Sam headed across the lawn. “I don’t want to have
to hunt you down when it’s time to go.” Sam’s response was a thumbs-up sign.
Matt turned toward Dani. He grasped one of her curls and gave it a playful tug, setting
off a tingle along the back of her neck. She blamed it on the breeze coming off the
lake.
“So you think I’m handsome, huh, Ms. Sullivan?” he asked just above a whisper.
She delivered her version of a smart-aleck smile. “I was talking about Sam and the
dog.”
“Uh-huh.” He shifted his attention from her eyes down to her lips. He altered his
stance until they were almost eye to eye.
He smelled outdoorsy, and she ignored the impulse to nuzzle into his neck and experience
him firsthand.
His focus shifted down a few inches. “I like your mouth. I keep wondering how it’d
taste.”
Not a good idea.
She glanced at his eyes
of these days,” Rachel yelled as she dashed off.
Dani stood for a moment to watch father and son. Matt threw the ball with some fancy
maneuver so that it sailed past Sam and landed in the dirt. Larry barked then took
off for the ball. Sam ran to intercept, Matt joined him, and in seconds, the three
of them were wrestling on the ground for the ball. Larry clamped it in his mouth then
planted himself firmly on Matt’s chest. Sam plunked down on Matt’s legs and laughed.
Dani’s smile froze on her face. The intimacy of the scene was hard to watch. They
were a family.
And she was an outsider.
Tears gathered in her eyes. She scrunched her eyes shut for a moment and took a couple
of quick breaths to gain some control. Wasn’t this her hope? That her son be loved
and cared for by a loving couple? Only there was no longer a couple. Matt was a single
parent. She was dying to know what had happened, but she had no idea how to ask about
something that personal. Maybe she could get Rachel to dish.
For the first time in her life, Dani questioned her decision to give her child up
for adoption. She’d been convinced that her time in Lake Bliss was purely to search
out her son. Make sure he was happy, healthy, and lived with a good family.
But maybe it was more of a means to acknowledge her mistake. To understand that Sam
could have been just as happy living with her. Would that be Dani’s penance for searching
out her son? To recognize the fact that she’d made the wrong decision for both of
them?
Matt tugged Sam to his feet and gave him a fatherly pat. The little boy focused on
Matt when he spoke. Dani was too far away to hear the words, yet the expression on
her son’s face conveyed his feelings. Sam worshipped his father. She allowed herself
one moment to imagine Sam aiming that look of love at her and the joy the simple gesture
would bring.
But her future didn’t include him—a fact she needed to keep foremost in her mind.
If she revealed her identity to Matt, it would lead to questions and maybe legal issues.
Questions Dani didn’t want to answer, and answers Matt wouldn’t want to know. So why
did she continue to torture herself with impossible dreams? Sam would never know her
as his mother. They could be friends for the summer until she left town to create
a tolerable existence for herself. Alone. In time, another woman would enter Sam’s
life to once again fill the role of mother. And Dani would become a distant memory.
“Hey, Dani.” Sam waved a greeting. He threw the ball across the lawn for Larry to
chase and flashed a broad smile. “We came to visit.”
She shoved her dismal thoughts aside as she caught up to him near her cottage. “Lucky
me. It’s not every day I return from a walk to find two handsome guys on my doorstep.”
The dog nudged the ball with his nose in Sam’s direction. Dani laughed. “I think Larry
likes playing with you.”
“Come on, boy.” Sam patted his leg to get the dog’s attention.
“Don’t go far,” Matt called out as Sam headed across the lawn. “I don’t want to have
to hunt you down when it’s time to go.” Sam’s response was a thumbs-up sign.
Matt turned toward Dani. He grasped one of her curls and gave it a playful tug, setting
off a tingle along the back of her neck. She blamed it on the breeze coming off the
lake.
“So you think I’m handsome, huh, Ms. Sullivan?” he asked just above a whisper.
She delivered her version of a smart-aleck smile. “I was talking about Sam and the
dog.”
“Uh-huh.” He shifted his attention from her eyes down to her lips. He altered his
stance until they were almost eye to eye.
He smelled outdoorsy, and she ignored the impulse to nuzzle into his neck and experience
him firsthand.
His focus shifted down a few inches. “I like your mouth. I keep wondering how it’d
taste.”
Not a good idea.
She glanced at his eyes
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