The Daughter He Wanted
The Daddy Surprise Since the loss of his wife, Alex Ryan has been living a half-life. But with one phone call, Alex discovers he's the biological father of a four-year-old girl…and everything changes.Single mom Paige Kenner preferred to have a family without the man. Now suddenly there's Alex, who desperately wants to be a father to her little girl. A gorgeous, kind and committed father. Letting a stranger into their lives is far too dangerous–especially if his presence stirs a part of Paige that she longs to forget…
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The Daddy Surprise
Since the loss of his wife, Alex Ryan has been living a half-life. But with one phone call, Alex discovers heâs the biological father of a four-year-old girlâ¦and everything changes.
Single mom Paige Kenner preferred to have a family without the man. Now suddenly thereâs Alex, who desperately wants to be a father to her little girl. A gorgeous, kind and committed father. Letting a stranger into their lives is far too dangerousâespecially if his presence stirs a part of Paige that she longs to forgetâ¦
âSoâ¦this is awkward.â
âWe have a child together but I donât know anything about you,â Alex said.
Kaylie was the reason for all of this.
Paige wanted a family, so much that on her twenty-fourth birthday sheâd decided to take life by the horns and create the family she dreamed of. The sweet, smart, silly girl was everything Paige needed. No men needed to apply and since Kaylie had been born, not even a handful had stuck around through dinner.
And here was one more.
A man so gorgeous the rebellious part of Paige, the part of her she couldnât get rid of, was glad her daughter wasnât here.
Because she wanted to flirt. She wanted to flirt and touch and see if the attraction she felt for him was mutual.
Alex offered her a half smile, making his eyes crinkle at the corners and accentuating a little scar at the corner of his full lips. The tension she felt when he brushed past her ratcheted up a notch and she admitted to herself it wasnât fear at all. It was flat-out excitement. Want. She couldnât remember the last time sheâd felt such an instant attraction to a man.
Iâve been trying to think of the right words to tell you about The Daughter He Wanted. I thought about telling you about the small town where I grew upâwhich was right across the state from Bonne Terre. I thought about telling you the crazy adventures I had as a childâsome of which inspired Kaylieâs adventures in this book. I thought about telling you about my own daughter, who is a Kaylie in every sense. At the heart of this book, though, isnât the small town or a single childhood. At the heart of this book is choice.
We all choose who we will beâthe athlete or the wallflower, the rebel or the rule follower, the corporate success or the small-business owner. Alex and Paige made their own choices leading up to Chapter One: Paige to start the family she craved in the only way open to her and Alex to distance himself from family because of the pain in his past. Writing their journey not only to love but to personal fulfillment was amazing, and the fact that I was able to write this book for Mills & Boon Superromance is a joy that has blown me away.
Iâve been reading Superromance books for more than half my life, having stolen my very first one from my momâs bookshelf when I was about eleven. I hope you have as much fun reading about Alex and Paige and Kaylie as I had in writing their story. I love hearing from readersâyou can find me on Twitter (@AuthorKristina) or Facebook (facebook.com/kristinaknightromanceauthor), or shoot me an email the old-fashioned way.
Happy reading!
Kristina Knight
Once upon a time, KRISTINA KNIGHT spent her days running from car crash to fire to meetings with local police. No, she wasnât a troublemakerâshe was a journalist. Her career took her all over the United States, and along the way she found her very own Knight in Shining Cowboy Boots. Just like the characters from her favorite books, Kristina is living her own happily-ever-after with her Knight and their Princess.
For Janell and Roxanne, my sister-moms who have the patience and encouragement that inspires me.
For my mom, who read the books and told the stories. And who busts all of us with her amazing ability to recall every life event.
For Shelby, the daughter we chose, who is everything.
Contents
Dear Reader
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
EPILOGUE
HE DIDNâT HAVE to know.
Alex Ryan sat outside the pretty white house on the quiet street in Bonne Terre, Missouri. It was an older home with a wide front porch and ivy growing up the two posts on either side of the three steps leading to the front door. It had a peaked roof with gingerbread trim. It wasnât a true Victorian but someone along the way had added a few Victorian touches to the two-story home. He could see the tops of a wicker couch and rocker on the porch. Pots overflowing with red snapdragons and bleeding hearts hung from the ceiling and wound their way over the steps. In a few more days those plants would begin to die off, but for now they were pretty in the October afternoon sunlight.
