‘That must’ve been tough on your mother.’
‘It was.’
‘And tough on you too, once you were old enough to understand.’
‘Yes, knowing your biological father wanted to get rid of you before you were born doesn’t exactly build one’s self-esteem.’ The bitterness in her tone was raw, shadows of deep hurt in her eyes.
‘Shouldn’t you call your mother to tell her about the baby?’
Harper gave a hollow laugh that wasn’t quite a laugh and sat back on the edge of the bed. ‘No can do. She’s been dead since I was eight.’
Jack could only imagine how devastating such a loss could have been to a young child. ‘I’m sorry to hear that. How did she die?’
‘Suicide.’ Harper expelled a ragged breath and added, ‘I found her.’
‘God, Harper, that’s awful.’ He came over to sit beside her on the hospital bed, taking one of her hands in his. ‘So who brought you up? Did your father step in?’
She pulled her hand away and rose from the bed, her arms going around her body once more. It was as if she didn’t want to be comforted or supported. Or maybe it was because no one had ever been there for her before. It explained a lot about her feisty nature and independent streak. She didn’t allow people too close in case they let her down or deserted her.
‘He was contacted by the authorities and he promised to come and get me from emergency foster care but he always cancelled at the last minute or had some paltry excuse for why I couldn’t come and live with him. I spent years of my life languishing in foster care, moving from home to home, waiting for him, stupidly believing his empty promises until I finally realised I was on my own.’
‘It sounds like you were better off without him,’ Jack said. He looked at his sleeping daughter and wondered how any man could walk away from his own flesh and blood. While he might not have planned to be a father, there was no way he could ever turn his back on his own child. He would always be there for her, to provide and protect and encourage her to thrive and reach her potential. And he figured the best way to do it was to marry Harper so they could be a family. Clearly she had not had a happy and fulfilling childhood—all the more reason for him to step in and help her raise their child. ‘I can’t imagine how disappointing that must have been for you. Do you have any other relatives? Aunts, uncles? Grandparents?’
‘No one wanted me.’ Her tone was devoid of emotion and yet he sensed an undercurrent of lingering pain and disillusionment.
Jack watched her hover over Marli’s crib, her fierce expression reminding him of a mother lion protecting her cub. She stroked her hand over the baby’s head and Marli made a soft sound as if she recognised her mother’s gentle touch. ‘I know my mother loved me in her way. But she struggled badly with her mental health. She drank to self-medicate and misused prescription drugs. It’s why I don’t drink alcohol and I rarely take anything, not even paracetamol.’
‘I’m in awe of your pain threshold, both physical and emotional,’ Jack said, coming to stand next to her by the crib.
There was a silence broken only by the baby’s soft snuffling sounds.
‘Jack?’ Harper’s voice was quiet and tentative, her gaze still focused on the baby. ‘Promise me you won’t abandon her? Please? No matter what our relationship is, don’t ever abandon Marli.’
Jack placed his hands on her hips and gently turned her to face him. Her features were cast in lines of worry. He brushed a slow-moving finger down the curve of her cheek, his eyes holding hers. ‘I will never abandon her. I’ll do everything in my power to give her a happy and fulfilling life.’
Her gaze lowered to his mouth and the tip of her tongue came out and swept over her own lips. ‘Thank you.’
Jack bent down and placed his mouth on hers in a barely touching kiss. A soft press down that should have ended there but somehow didn’t. Harper moved closer, his arms tightened around her and his mouth came down again to hers, moving against hers in a kiss that was gentle and yet throbbed with banked-down passion. He could feel it pulsing in his body in response to her taste and touch. The sweet taste and sensual touch he had craved and dreamed of for the last nine months. Her mouth was an exotic fruit and he wanted to feast on its sweetness until he was drunk from it. She responded to his kiss with a breathless sound that sent a shiver down his spine, her arms snaking around his neck to link behind his head.
But then Harper suddenly pulled back from his embrace and rapid-blinked, as if shocked at what had just occurred. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that to happen.’ She raised a flustered hand to her face and pushed back her still damp hair. ‘It must be hormones or something.’ Her cheeks were bright pink, her gaze quickly averted.
‘Don’t apologise.’
She moved to the other side of the bed as if she wanted a boundary line to stand behind. ‘I don’t want you to get the wrong idea...to lead you on or anything.’
Jack ran a hand through his hair, trying to get his own hormones to settle down. ‘It’s been a pretty crazy couple of hours. You probably need to get some sleep.’
‘Yes... I am a little tired...’
That would have to be the biggest understatement he had ever heard. Her eyes had dark circles beneath them, her face was drawn and her shoulders were drooping with fatigue. He wanted to hug her, to hold her, to reassure her, but her expression and posture warned him to keep his distance. ‘Is there anything I can get you before I go? A drink? Food?’
She chewed one side of her mouth and glanced at the baby, a frown pulling at her brow. ‘I have nothing for her. No clothes to take her home in. No baby equipment or—’
‘I’ll take care of it first thing tomorrow,’ Jack said with far more confidence than he felt. He knew zilch about what babies needed but surely his mother or a shop assistant would help.
‘I didn’t come in my car to the hospital. I caught a cab, so you’ll need to get a baby seat for your car.’
‘Right...’ Jack wasn’t sure a baby seat would even fit in his top-model sports car.