Page 40 of Silver Fox's Intern Dilemma

"Dr. Chen, you have no idea how deeply I respect your daughter, and even the fact that you're so upset right now. If this were my daughter, I'd be just as outraged. We both want what is best for Sophia now. I believe what's best for her is to continue working toward her full licensure and board certification. Not only is she a fantastic surgeon, but she also deserves to chase her dreams and have her career."

Jack looked at me with love in his eyes. "I don't want to trap her or make her feel like she has to depend on me, but I won't for a second let her fail. Anything she needs, I will provide. ButI want to see her successful and independent too." I knew Jack's words weren't just to impress my father, but I knew how Dad felt. Jack was hitting the nail on the head.

"Hmm," Dad said grumpily.

"Baba," I moaned, and I tore my eyes off Jack to smile at my father’s grumpy expression.

"This is really what you want?" he grumbled, and his eyebrows peaked in the center.

"Yes, Baba. I love Jack." I smiled sweetly and watched as his expression softened.

Dad wiped his mouth with his napkin and kept the grumpy scowl on his face, but the way his shoulders slumped slightly told me we'd won the war. And none too soon. I was growing nauseous after the tomato sauce in the lasagna. I glanced at Mom, who now sat with her chin erect and a soft smile on her face.

"Dr. Jack Thornton, my daughter's heart is not to be toyed with." Dad was calm now as he spoke, and he sat back in his seat, folding his hands over his rotund belly. "She will finish her studies. She will take a well-paying job here in Denver close to her family. You will not control her decisions or sway her opinions. You will treat her with respect as the woman she is, not a pawn to play with."

Shame washed over me as Dad lectured Jack like he was a bad person for even looking at me, but Jack took it in stride. I supposed it was just what men had to go through to earn their future father-in-law's respect, but I hated it.

"Sophia is free to do as she pleases, and you will give her that respect and love her. It isn't an option. You will cherish her for the treasure she is, and you will provide for her when she has lack. Do I make myself clear?" Dad squared his shoulders again, and I burst with joy at Jack's response.

"Dr. Chen, it will be my greatest honor in this life, and any in my future, to provide any and everything Sophia needs or desires." Jack's honest response touched me, and my eyes welled up.

"I can't believe he is so old," Dad mumbled to Mom, and I chuckled, then pulled Jack's cheek down to plant a soft kiss there.

Then I stood and walked to the other end of the table where Dad sat. He looked up at me, but I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around him, resting my head on his stomach. "Thank you, Baba, for trusting my heart. I won’t let you down."

"Neither will I, sir." I heard Jack's voice but didn’t realize he'd followed me until Dad reached up and shook his hand.

"Hmm," he said, grumbling again. Mom laughed this time, then pushed her chair back and stood.

"Who would like ice cream?" she asked, and I leapt to my feet.

"I'll help," I told her, knowing it was finally safe to leave Jack alone with Dad.

We had a ways to go to convince my father to celebrate with us, but he was finally at least willing to give us a shot. This ice cream was well deserved and worth all the frustration of the entire night. Jack was right. If we just faced things head on, they were easier to deal with. Now we only had to tell Leah. I felt like that part was going to go very well.

32

JACK

Leah crawled up into her bed and curled up. She had brushed her teeth and put her pajamas on by herself, and following dinner with Sophia, she requested a bedtime story, which Sophia dutifully read, complete with acting out the voices. Now, it was time for her to lie down and go to sleep, and this time when she begged Sophia to do it, I couldn’t resist her. It was time to talk to my daughter about her new sibling on the way.

"Daddy, since I'm staying with you more now, does that mean I can have Sophia over for sleepovers like Mandy?" Leah's friend from school hadn't been able to do sleepovers at Dana's house, but at times I had allowed the girls to do them here. It warmed my heart to know how much Leah loved Sophia.

"I think we can arrange that, baby." I sat on the edge of her bed and Sophia knelt next to me, smiling.

"Leah, do you know what's more fun than sleepovers?" Sophia asked, and I narrowed my eyes.

We both agreed that after the drama of packing all of Leah's things and the squabbles I had with Dana, that Sophia should be the one to tell Leah about the baby. It'd been an emotional week for both of us, and I didn't want Leah to think I loved the newbaby more than her. We hadn't been able to bring everything from her mother's house due to the stench of cigarette smoke, and that left some hard feelings which made me feel guilty.

"I don't know. Nothing is more fun than a sleepover. That's why I like them, but now I live here, so it won't be as exciting. But I get to see Daddy every day now." I was certain that eventually, she'd miss her mother, but for now, Leah was adjusting quite well to her new living situation.

"Well, friends come and go, right? You have friends in school, and then summer break comes and you don't see them as much… Then back in school, you might have totally different friends in your class for next year." I understood where Sophia was going with this, and I loved how thoughtful she was to help Leah understand.

"Yeah, that's sad. But Mandy and me are friends forever. She even said so." Leah pulled the floral and plaid bedspread up over her shoulders and tucked it under her chin as she turned on her side. Her curls clung to the side of her face with light perspiration. I didn't know how she could cover up when it was so warm in here.

"Well, what if you had a built-in friend forever? One who never had to go home, who got to have sleepovers every single night, and who would play with you every day." Sophia’s face lit up as she spoke, and her enthusiasm was infectious.

"Mandy can move in here too?" Leah asked, and I chuckled.

---