Page 20 of Dancing in the Rain

“Jesus.” He scrubbed a hand over his face.

“She knows how babies are made. I’ve told her that having sex with someone you don’t know is not a good idea because there can be serious consequences…like a child. A child who grows up without a father. But I’ve tried to make up for that mistake every day of Chloe’s life and I don’t regret having her. I wanted her to know that. So I told her that I’m sure her father is a good man, and if he’d had any idea she existed he wouldn’t have stayed away.”

Drew’s chest tightened.

“I haven’t told her about you yet,” she continued. “I wanted to meet you today and make sure this was the right thing to do.” She paused, as if struggling for breath. “I’ve always wished I could protect her from everything…kids who didn’t want to play with her in the playground, or mean girls who excluded her from birthday parties, or, someday, a boy who will break her heart. I’ve always wished I could make her life easy for her. But that’s not how it works. So we’re going to take this risk. I can’t stop you from hurting her if things don’t work out.”

For once in his life,hewas the risk. Funny.

“Thank you for coming,” Sara said. “I’ll tell Chloe about you now.”

Drew bent his head. “What if she doesn’t want to meet me?”

“She will. I’m sure she will. She’s always wished she had a dad.” She paused. “When would be good for you to meet her?”

“I passed muster?” He quirked an eyebrow at Sara.

She smiled faintly. “That wasn’t what this was about.”

“Sure it was.”

“Okay, maybe partly. I did want to know you a bit better before she meets you. And for you to know us a bit better.”

Peyton made a sound, and Drew glanced at her, knowing she was thinking about the investigation he had done. “Already told Peyton this, but I did my own background checking.”

Sara smiled. “Good.”

Drew shook his head, unable to stop the grin that twitched his mouth. “Okay, so…this weekend? Saturday?”

“Sure.”

“Want me to come here again?”

“Yes, if you don’t mind. I’m not getting out much these days.”

“Okay. See you then.” He glanced at Peyton. “Will you still be here?”

“Yes.”

He headed to the door and Peyton walked with him. In the small foyer, she said to him quietly, “I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to New York for a while.”

Sadness slid through him. “Is it that bad?”

“We have a meeting with the social worker from the hospice at St. Luke’s Hospital tomorrow. Sara wants to stay at home as long as she can. I came to help, but if she wants to stay here until the end, she’s going to need more care than I can give her.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. Anyway, I’ll be here. Here’s my card with my cell number on it. You can call me, too, if you need to.”

“Thanks.” He tucked the card in his pocket. “Do you have my address?”

“Yes.” She smiled wryly. “But not your phone number.”

She entered it into her phone as he recited it. “Okay. See you Saturday.”

In his car, he sat for a while. He wasn’t even sure how long.

His brain was a snarled mass of thoughts and feelings, impossible to untangle and separate.

---