Second Chance Secrets

Chapter Sixteen

Sam looked over at Jess. He never knew he would get the chance to share in something like this. He was overwhelmed for sure. He was also humbled. He had thought that Emily would shy away from him. Never did he imagine that she would even want to beside him much less sit on his lap. Best of all, she had now done it more than once. Showed how much he knew about children. He always thought they only went to their parents or family members they liked. He didn’t seem to have factored in the fact that while Emily was a toddler, she was by no means a baby. She was at an age where she was used to people that weren’t family.

What Sam was above all else was grateful to Jess for given the chance to be a father. It may not have started out in the conventional way, but he was still a part of it all. The thought that humbled him the most was that she could have ran when she found herself pregnant, or even when she saw him at the office that first time. She didn’t have to stick around for him to find her. But she had. And now they were sitting on a sofa sharing their daughter. Watching cartoons of all things.

The most heartwarming thing of all was how readily Emily had accepted him. She even called him daddy. It had taken her only three days to grace him with the honor. He had felt his body lift up and float to the clouds. It had made him feel that light-headed and special. It was a moment he would cherish for the rest of his life.

Hearing her call him daddy had reduce the feelings of disappointments he had felt at not being there for the first two years of her life. In that moment everything had changed. It had all become clearer somehow. The thing was even though he had felt connected to her from the day they met, the connection had strengthened in that moment. Now every time she referred to him as daddy, he could feel his heart beating stronger.

Best of all was the feeling he had now that he had both his daughter and her mother beside him on the sofa. He had really missed her and so he had made changes to his plans so he could be there to see her earlier than planned. He had realized that he had surprised her, still she had reacted positively. He hoped she would still be positive when he gave her his second surprise. This one would be both of them alone on a date. He really hoped she would go with him.

Jess looked up at Sam and their eyes caught. She couldn’t believe how comfortable it was sitting beside him. And they were sitting very close too. She was currently trying to muster the courage to ask him to go for a walk with her after dinner. If Emily wasn’t sleepy they could take her too. Who knows? Maybe that would be for the best. They could keep their emotions in check if Emily was there.

Jess sometimes went for a walk after dinner. It was the only time she got some good exercise. She never went to gym and she hated running, so walking was the only thing she did to keep in shape and healthy. Her mother went with her sometimes. They would push little Emily in her pram while they spoke of their day. Sometimes when her sister was home she would join them. But her sister was hardly at home these days. Night school was taking a lot of her time.

Jess was sure Suzie would not complain at being put aside for Sam. Not with the hints she had being dropping lately. There had been a lot of them too. She didn't hide the fact that she liked Sam for her daughter and granddaughter. She was planning ways to push them together. Jess hadn't missed the gleam in her mother's eyes either when she had told her that she had a visitor.