Substitute Daddy. Kate Welsh

raised her chin and he knew she meant to challenge him. “You could just go back to your world and leave me alone to raise her in mine.”

      He lifted the hand holding the photo and kissed her fingers, shaking his head. “I’ll be back,” he said, and melted back into the deeply shadowed hall.

      His whispered promise barely stirred the air.

      As he drove north, Brett came to the conclusion that he’d never get the picture of Melissa’s face when he’d turned away from her out of his head. The hurt and the fear he’d seen written on her lovely features had nearly brought him to his knees.