Read Online Back in the Soldier's Arms by Soraya Lane, Karina Bliss - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Soraya Lane, Karina Bliss
Ads: Link
reached for the remote and hit Pause. “It’s not that great anyway.”
He blew out a sigh of what she guessed was relief. “Are you sure? I don’t mind watching the whole thing.”
She shrugged. “I’m pretty tired, Daniel. Maybe we should call it a night.”
Daniel looked like he might have preferred to suffer through the movie than go to bed early, but he didn’t say.
“I’ll be down soon,” he said.
Penny gave him a small smile and stretched. She was tired. It had been a long day catching up with everyone, giving Gabby as much attention as she could. Being upbeat even though she was breaking inside at the thought of leaving again so soon after arriving home.
Was shattered at knowing her days were numbered and she’d be leaving all she loved behind and getting back on a plane by Monday. “Daddy?”
Penny stopped dead in her tracks.
Gabby’s tiny voice echoed out from her room.
“It’s Mommy.”
She heard quiet sobbing as she entered, hurried to flick on the lamp beside Gabby’s bed. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”
“I want Daddy.” She was crying, eyes filled with rapidly falling tears.
Penny bent to wrap her arms around her daughter, to cradle her head and comfort her.
Only to be shrugged off, Gabby’s arms being pulled up toward her eyes, knees drawn up to her chest.
“I want my daddy,” she whispered as she cried.
Penny didn’t know what to do. Whether to force the issue or to call for Daniel. To hold her daughter and comfort her even if she wasn’t the first person she’d called for. Or to give her what she wanted.
Because what was the point in Gabby getting used to calling for her mother if she wasn’t going to be here?
She sucked in a big breath. Even so, she wanted to be the one to comfort her. “Honey, I’m here. Mommy’s here.”
Was it so bad to want to care for her own daughter?
Gabby pulled her arms away and pushed her palms down flat into the bed. When she looked up, her brown eyes were like saucers, glimmering with dampness, her cheeks pink, hair mussed up all around her face.
“But I don’t want you,” she sobbed. “I want my dad.”
Penny’s heart physically shattered into a million shards. Te19;Á shards. ars filled her own eyes, drowned her tear ducts.
“Everything okay down here?”
Gabby began to wail, the noise subsiding only when Daniel flopped down on the bed beside her and cradled her tiny body against his large one.
Penny couldn’t watch. Couldn’t deal with the pain of knowing her daughter didn’t want her.
Her husband hadn’t wanted her, had been unfaithful when she needed him the most, and now her daughter didn’t want her, didn’t need her, either.
“Pen …”
She shook her head, glaring at Daniel with tear-filled eyes even though she knew he didn’t deserve her anger. It wasn’t his fault that Gabby wanted him and not her.
He couldn’t help the way Gabby was behaving. And neither could Gabby. She was used to her father, loved her father, and had relied on him for months while her mother had been a memory, someone to look forward to seeing again one day.
These past months, Daniel had been her everything.
Daniel had been Gabby’s entire world.
“Penny, stay,” he whispered, chin resting on Gabby’s head.
No. She felt like an intruder just being here.
Like she had no place here anymore.
“I need some fresh air.” She expelled the words before the need to cry overwhelmed her so much she doubted she’d be able to speak. Would be able to keep her body upright.
Daniel’s eyes pleaded with her as she walked backward then fled down the hall.
But she didn’t need comforting, she needed to be alone.
Daniel gently eased his arm from beneath Gabby’s shoulders, holding his breath as he waited to see if she would wake.
She didn’t, her body relaxed and floppy with slumber as he tucked the covers up to just under her chin.
He dropped a kiss to her cheek and tiptoed out of the room, his legs aching from the tail end
He blew out a sigh of what she guessed was relief. “Are you sure? I don’t mind watching the whole thing.”
She shrugged. “I’m pretty tired, Daniel. Maybe we should call it a night.”
Daniel looked like he might have preferred to suffer through the movie than go to bed early, but he didn’t say.
“I’ll be down soon,” he said.
Penny gave him a small smile and stretched. She was tired. It had been a long day catching up with everyone, giving Gabby as much attention as she could. Being upbeat even though she was breaking inside at the thought of leaving again so soon after arriving home.
Was shattered at knowing her days were numbered and she’d be leaving all she loved behind and getting back on a plane by Monday. “Daddy?”
Penny stopped dead in her tracks.
Gabby’s tiny voice echoed out from her room.
“It’s Mommy.”
She heard quiet sobbing as she entered, hurried to flick on the lamp beside Gabby’s bed. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”
“I want Daddy.” She was crying, eyes filled with rapidly falling tears.
Penny bent to wrap her arms around her daughter, to cradle her head and comfort her.
Only to be shrugged off, Gabby’s arms being pulled up toward her eyes, knees drawn up to her chest.
“I want my daddy,” she whispered as she cried.
Penny didn’t know what to do. Whether to force the issue or to call for Daniel. To hold her daughter and comfort her even if she wasn’t the first person she’d called for. Or to give her what she wanted.
Because what was the point in Gabby getting used to calling for her mother if she wasn’t going to be here?
She sucked in a big breath. Even so, she wanted to be the one to comfort her. “Honey, I’m here. Mommy’s here.”
Was it so bad to want to care for her own daughter?
Gabby pulled her arms away and pushed her palms down flat into the bed. When she looked up, her brown eyes were like saucers, glimmering with dampness, her cheeks pink, hair mussed up all around her face.
“But I don’t want you,” she sobbed. “I want my dad.”
Penny’s heart physically shattered into a million shards. Te19;Á shards. ars filled her own eyes, drowned her tear ducts.
“Everything okay down here?”
Gabby began to wail, the noise subsiding only when Daniel flopped down on the bed beside her and cradled her tiny body against his large one.
Penny couldn’t watch. Couldn’t deal with the pain of knowing her daughter didn’t want her.
Her husband hadn’t wanted her, had been unfaithful when she needed him the most, and now her daughter didn’t want her, didn’t need her, either.
“Pen …”
She shook her head, glaring at Daniel with tear-filled eyes even though she knew he didn’t deserve her anger. It wasn’t his fault that Gabby wanted him and not her.
He couldn’t help the way Gabby was behaving. And neither could Gabby. She was used to her father, loved her father, and had relied on him for months while her mother had been a memory, someone to look forward to seeing again one day.
These past months, Daniel had been her everything.
Daniel had been Gabby’s entire world.
“Penny, stay,” he whispered, chin resting on Gabby’s head.
No. She felt like an intruder just being here.
Like she had no place here anymore.
“I need some fresh air.” She expelled the words before the need to cry overwhelmed her so much she doubted she’d be able to speak. Would be able to keep her body upright.
Daniel’s eyes pleaded with her as she walked backward then fled down the hall.
But she didn’t need comforting, she needed to be alone.
Daniel gently eased his arm from beneath Gabby’s shoulders, holding his breath as he waited to see if she would wake.
She didn’t, her body relaxed and floppy with slumber as he tucked the covers up to just under her chin.
He dropped a kiss to her cheek and tiptoed out of the room, his legs aching from the tail end
Similar Books
