Read Online Whispered Promises by Brenda Jackson - Free Book Online

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 to panic when he saw the curiosity and confusion in his daughter’s eyes being replaced with sprouting tears. The last thing he wanted was to make her cry.
    He nudged Caitlin and whispered, “She’s awake.”
    Dex’s words stirred Caitlin from a sound sleep. A smile touched her lips as she straightened in her seat. “Hi, Jordan.”
    â€œMommy!” The little girl squealed in delight, eagerly scampering from Dex’s lap into her mother’s outstretched arms. Her chubby arms fastened themselves around Caitlin’s neck.
    Caitlin laughed. “Whoa. Not so tight, baby. Don’t choke Mommy.” She was not at all surprised at Jordan’s lack of acceptance of the man she’d never seen before. Except for Caitlin’s father and the fathers of her playmates, Jordan wasn’t used to much male company.
    Jordan loosened her hold on her mother slightly. Turning, she looked at Dex from beneath dark lashes. “What’s your name?” she asked him in a voice matching the suspicious glint in her gaze.
    Dex held his breath, taking in the beautiful darkness of his daughter’s eyes, so like his own.
    Jordan folded her arms over her chest and stuck out her lower lip when she mistook Dex’s silence as a refusal to answer her question. “I’m Jordan,” she lifted her chin and unceremoniously announced.
    A smile tugged at the corners of Dex’s mouth. She was definitely a Madaris. The females in his family were notorious for pouting, which could usually be soothed by kind words or actions. “That’s a pretty name.”
    Dex’s comment awarded him a softening of his daughter’s features.
    Caitlin, who had been watching the exchange, decided to use this time to prove something to Dex. “Jordan?” She spoke softly to her daughter. “Who’s your daddy?”
    Jordan turned her head and looked at her mother. The expression on her small face indicated she didn’t know what to make of her mother asking such a ridiculous question. Nevertheless, she answered anyway, in a clear voice. “My daddy is Dexter Jordan Madaris.”
    Jordan then turned her full attention back to Dex. “My daddy’s named Jordan, too.”
    A heartfelt emotion welled in Dex’s chest and threatened to burst. Caitlin hadn’t lied to him. Even when she had believed he had rejected his daughter, she had told their child about him. His