A faint noise drew his attention back to Caitlin. She had turned in sleep, facing him. Compelled by a need he didn’t understand, Dex moved to stand by the bed again. Without conscious thought, he reached out and traced his finger across Caitlin’s brow, cheek and chin, feeling the velvety softness of her brown skin and being careful not to wake her.
Suddenly, he snatched his hand back. He wouldn’t allow himself to get burned by love again. His life had not been the same since the day he’d met her. How much pain and heartache could one man endure before learning a valuable lesson in life?
He had learned his lesson well. No matter what, Caitlin would never get close to his heart again.
Never.
Chapter 4
D ex tossed aside the magazine he’d been reading when the sound of the doorbell vibrated through the room. Moving quickly, he made his way to the door. Caitlin was upstairs sleeping, and he didn’t want her to awaken. She needed the rest.
He blinked, surprised at what he saw upon opening the door. An older woman stood before him holding a sleeping child in her arms. Dex’s throat suddenly felt tight and dry. He knew without an introduction who the woman was. And he also knew whose child she held in her arms.
His.
“You must be Ms. Logan?” he said, smiling against the sudden lump in his throat. “Please come in.”
The woman’s thin mouth curved into a smile as she stepped inside. Her eyes reflected surprise as they swept over him. “Yes, I’m Mrs. Logan.” She gazed at him with thoughtful curiosity. “You seem to know who I am, but I can’t recall ever having met you before. Although you do look familiar.” She looked down at the sleeping child in her arms and then back at Dex. “Oh,” she said, making the connection. “Jordan looks so much like you. Caitlin always said she looked a lot like her father. You must be Caitlin’s ex-husband.”
Dex nodded. Or her current one, he thought. “I’m Dexter Madaris,” he said, offering the woman his hand in a warm handshake. “Caitlin said Jordan wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.”
“Yes. That was our plans, but…”
The woman’s cheerful chatter faded into oblivion as Dex’s gaze was drawn to his child asleep in Ms. Logan’s arms.
“Mr. Madaris. Are you all right?” The older woman’s eyes, reflecting concern, reminded Dex she’d been talking to him.
“Yes, I’m sorry. What did you say?”
She looked at him closely. “I said Caitlin wasn’t expecting us back until tomorrow, but Jordan began missing her mommy. I see Caitlin’s car in the driveway. Is she home?”
“Yes, she’s upstairs sleeping.”
The woman nodded. “I’m surprised she’s here and not at the hospital. How’s Mr. Parker?”
“He died this morning.”
Ms. Logan’s smile was replaced with a sympathetic frown. “I’m so sorry. My husband and I moved into the neighborhood a couple of years ago. Mr. Parker was such a nice man. How’s Caitlin doing?”
“As well as can be expected, under the circumstances.”
Ms. Logan nodded. “Please convey my condolences to Caitlin and tell her if there’s anything my husband and I can do to let us know.” She transferred the bundle from her arms to Dex’s.
“The drive back tired Jordan out. Tell Caitlin if she needs me to babysit tomorrow, I’ll be more than happy to. Goodbye, Mr. Madaris. I’ll let myself out.”
“Goodbye.” Dex’s palms began perspiring as he stared down at his child. Tightening his arms, he cradled her closer to him. His composure crumbled. His surroundings became nonexistent. He was aware of nothing except the sleeping child he held—his daughter, his own flesh and blood.
Seeing her for the first time had a devastating impact on him. Because of his preoccupation, he was not aware of another presence in the room.
“Dex?”
He looked up to find Caitlin standing on the bottom stair. Her nap seemed to have renewed her. Her hair fanned softly about her face and shoulders. Her eyes were minus the traces of puffiness beneath them. Her skin had a satin gloss and appeared to be as smooth as the skin of the child nestled in his arms. She was wearing a cream-colored velour robe and looked absolutely beautiful and seductively innocent.
“I heard the doorbell,” she said, coming toward him.
Dex expelled his breath slowly. “Ms. Logan said Jordan missed you.”
A smile touched Caitlin’s features. “That doesn’t surprise me. Jordan and I are seldom apart, except for when I’m working.” She reached out to take their child from his arms.
Dex stared down at Caitlin’s outstretched hands. He then looked up and met her gaze. “No,” he said in a deep husky voice that did little to hide the deep emotions he felt. “I want to hold her for a while.”
Turning, he went to the sofa and sat down. Tenderly, he cradled his daughter in his arms, holding her close.
Caitlin took a deep breath to ease the awful ache in her chest after witnessing this first-time meeting of father and daughter. She started back up the stairs, but stopped when she heard the sound of her name from Dex’s lips. She turned around. Dex was staring at her over Jordan’s head and was holding his free hand out to her.
A warm feeling touched Caitlin with Dex’s offer of a temporary truce. She walked over to the sofa and placed her hand in his. Gently pulling her down on the couch next to him, he drew her against him.
“She’s beautiful, Caitlin, and I want to thank you for her.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Dex.”
“Yes, I do. There were other options you could’ve taken. And I’m glad you didn’t choose any of them.”
Her gaze held his. “Jordan has been my joy, Dex. There was never a question that I wanted her.”
Dex’s expression remained neutral, although Caitlin could feel his body stiffen when he said, “But there was a question in your mind whether or not I did.”
Caitlin wished she could deny his accusation, but could not. She felt a tightening in her throat. Seeing Dex hold their daughter made her realize Jordan’s loss the past three years. Caitlin’s biggest regret was that Jordan was growing up without being a part of a loving, close-knit family. Some of Caitlin’s fondest childhood memories were those of her parents and how much they had loved each other, as well as how much they’d loved her.
She also knew that Dex had had a similar childhood, although he hadn’t been an only child. There were six Madaris siblings, three of each. When he’d taken her to his family home, it was obvious the Madaris family was a close one.
Caitlin glanced at Dex. To her surprise, he had drifted to sleep holding Jordan with one hand and her with the other. “It appears I wasn’t the only one tired,” she said softly. Her worries, tears and confusion were momentarily forgotten. Snuggling comfortably against Dex, she closed her eyes.
Dex didn’t know how long he’d slept, but when he awoke his gaze locked with miniature eyes that were a mirror image of his own, staring at him curiously.
He sensed numerous emotions flowing through his daughter’s small body. She looked as though she didn’t know what to make of this strange man holding her in his arms. Her gaze moved from him to Caitlin, whose head rested on his shoulder as she slept.
Dex began