Page 7 of Alaskan Reunion (Alaskan Grooms 2)

“You can,” she said in a soft voice. “Just not now.” She cast a quick glance over her shoulder.

Why was she looking behind her? Was someone staying at the house with her? All his nerve endings were suddenly on edge. Something about Paige’s body language was sending out warning signals. She was hiding something from him.

“Mama!” The earsplitting cry came from inside the house. Paige’s eyes began blinking rapidly and she took a step backward. She fumbled for a moment, then tried to shut the door. His arm snaked out, preventing her from closing it in his face.

“Mama?” His voice came out hoarse and ragged. The thought of Paige being a mother almost brought him to his knees. Had he failed to notice a wedding ring? Had Paige married someone else? Given birth to another man’s child?

“I need to check on my daughter.” Paige choked out the words. Cameron watched as she spun around and took a few steps toward an older woman who was standing in the foyer holding a wailing child. Feeling stunned, Cameron crossed the threshold and pushed the door closed behind him. The scene unfolding before his very eyes captivated him. He couldn’t have looked away if he’d tried. Paige was tenderly cradling a toddler in her arms while the older woman muttered apologies. Within seconds the loud cries stopped. He heard a little chuckle burst forth from the baby. She had one of Paige’s curls wrapped around her chubby finger.

“I’ll put her down in a little bit, Fiona. Don’t worry about us. Go get some rest.”

“Thank you, Miss Paige. See you in the morning. Nighty night, sweet peach.” The Fiona woman darted a curious glance in his direction, then headed up the stairs.

“Night night,” the girl said, turning her head and waving her tiny hand at Fiona.

Cameron let out a gasp as he caught his first full-on glimpse of the little wailer. Nothing in his life up to this point had prepared him for this one moment in time. Everything around him stilled and hushed. With her chocolate-colored hair, wild curls and almond-shaped eyes, she evoked dozens of his own childhood photos. Her green-hazel eyes brought the truth home. He placed his fingers over the bridge of his nose and squeezed tightly, then blinked in rapid succession. Was he seeing things?

He might be all kinds of crazy, but in his humble opinion the toddler was his spitting image. Yes, indeed. This little girl was a Prescott, through and through.

Chapter Three

Paige could see the look of recognition as it passed over Cameron’s face. Anyone with eyeballs could see the resemblance between Emma and her father. Although she’d always known Cameron to be a good man, she had no way of anticipating his reaction to this bombshell revelation. After all, she never would have believed that he’d have turned against her in the first place. She never could have predicted that their love story would disintegrate into ashes. The Cameron she’d been in love with had been loyal to a fault. And compassionate, as well as tender. Until he had stopped believing in her. Until he’d viewed her as a traitor.

Her body went rigid as she waited for him to speak, to say something about their baby girl. Little beads of moisture gathered on her forehead and she found herself swiping them away with the back of her hand.

“Is she mine?” Cameron asked in a guttural tone. His intense green eyes were focused on her like lasers.

“Yes,” Paige acknowledged with a nod of her head. “She’s yours.”

His eyes held a dazed look. “Wh-when? H-how old is she?”

“I found out that I was pregnant right after I left Alaska. She’s fourteen months.”

Cameron shoved his hand through his dark mane. A slow hissing sound escaped his lips. His foot was tapping an unsteady rhythm on her hardwood floors. He began to clench and unclench his hands at his sides.

“You had my child and never said a word?” Anger rang out in his voice. His jaw clamped down and his expression darkened. “How is that possible?”

Paige tightened her grip on Emma, who was now frowning at Cameron. “We’re not having this discussion in front of Emma. She’s not used to loud voices.”

“Emma. That’s her name?” Cameron’s voice had softened to something resembling tenderness. It catapulted her back to a place in time when they’d loved each other. Sometimes those days seemed so long ago it felt as if she’d dreamed them.

“Yes. After my mother,” she said. “I still miss her every day, but it’s my way of paying homage to her. She was a good woman. If I can be half the mother to Emma that she was to me—”

Emotion clogged her throat and she let her words trail off. Losing her mother in a car accident on an icy Seattle road at fourteen had changed the course of her life. The tragedy had left her and her father bereft for years. She had been the center of their home, and without her they’d floundered. Until they’d both decided to love each other as fiercely as she’d loved them. Her daughter’s name would always remind her of grace and goodness and mercy. Each and every day, she prayed that Emma would be gifted with those attributes.

“It’s a good name,” Cameron conceded. “Your mother was an amazing woman. She had such a light about her. I always admired her quiet dignity and compassion.”

Warmth filled her insides at the tender way he spoke about her mother. The feeling settled right inside her heart, providing her with much-needed comfort in this tense moment.

Emma let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes. She dropped her head onto Paige’s shoulder. The warmth of her little body gave Paige a feeling of comfort.

“Cameron, I know there are probably a hundred things you want to say to me. Questions you need to ask. But I really need to put Emma down for the night. If I don’t, she’ll be a bear tomorrow.”

He looked confused for a moment, as if he was still trying to make sense of this turn of events. “Can I watch you put her to bed? I won’t say a word. I just want to see you put her to sleep.”

Cameron’s request surprised her. She’d figured that having just found out he was a father, he might need some time to process everything. She locked gazes with him, trying to gauge his thoughts. There was a look of such wonder in his eyes. He resembled an adorable little kid. And as always, she found it impossible to say no to him.

“Of course you can. Just walk softly. Her eyes are already drooping,” she whispered as she supported the back of Emma’s head with her hand.

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