For the first time in minutes, she looked at him. Boone read truth and confidence in her gaze. “I know what kind of a father you’ll be.”
It floored him. “How can you say that?”
Rather than reply to him, she turned to Hannah. “He visited me every single night that I was in the hospital. I’m sure he doesn’t remember all the things he talked about, but they made a huge impression on me. He told me his family had dinner together every night. They had a big extended-family reunion every year. He and his sisters all played youth sports, and his parents went to all of their games. They went to church and did volunteer work.”
Rachel’s eyes grew misty and her voice thick as she added, “I remember lying in that hospital bed thinking that if someday he had children, they would be the luckiest kids on earth.”
Boone had a lump in his throat, and damn if he wasn’t fighting back the tears. Rachel looked like she was about to cry. Hannah, bless her heart, saved them by lightening the mood. “I met his family last weekend when his cousin Jackson got married. I liked them very much.”
“I heard about that wedding,” the teen replied. She looked at Boone. “It’s why you didn’t come to Fort Worth as soon as they called you about the baby.” Then, turning back to Hannah, she asked, “Is Jackson McBride as hot in person as he is in his pictures?”
Hannah’s lips twitched. “Honestly, he’s hotter.”
“Whoa!” Rachel said.
A teasing glint entering her eyes, Hannah added, “And Jackson doesn’t have anything on his cousin Tucker.” She fanned her face with her hand. Both women’s eyes turned toward Boone.
“I am not begging for compliments.” He folded his arms and scowled. “Tucker wears his hair too short, and I swear Jackson’s hairline is receding.”
“It is not,” Hannah objected, giving her eyes an exaggerated roll.
The McBride cousin discussion succeeded in breaking up the overly emotional moment. Rachel continued her story with a steadier voice. “I googled you. Found out you’d moved to Colorado, that you didn’t already have a houseful of kids. Found out you hadn’t remarried. So I figured I’d explore the possibility of giving you the baby, but I wanted to do it on the down low. I wanted to be sure about you. So we came up with a plan.”
“We?”
“Better for everyone if I don’t go there.”
If Boone had to guess, she had help from Lisa and likely Sarah Winston too. Probably an attorney also, someone that he knew. But Rachel was right. No sense rattling a cage and mucking up the deal she’d gone to extraordinary effort to pull off. “So the Safe Haven story—I take it you didn’t surrender her at a fire station?”
“Technically yes, but it was all part of the plan. I wanted—I needed—to be sure that you really truly wanted her. I needed you to jump through a few hoops.”
“You figured out some good ones. I’ll give you that.” Boone spied an acorn on the ground. He bent, scooped it up, and threw it. “One thing I can’t figure out. Why did you have them tell me she was a boy?”
“Because one time, you told me how much you wanted a son. I thought you’d find it easier to say no to a girl. Plus, I heard what you said to the social worker after you read my note about what Ralph did to me.”
“I don’t remember. What did I say?”
“That you hoped you’d never have a daughter, that you’d be too afraid to have a daughter.”
He didn’t remember saying that, but her claim didn’t surprise him. The thought of being a father to a daughter did terrify him. His own father always said the same thing about being a dad to the twins.
“I did what I did because I needed to be sure that you wanted my little girl.” Rachel gave Boone a warm and wistful smile. “You didn’t hesitate, so I knew that I was doing the right thing.”
Boone was overwhelmed. So much had happened in a short amount of time, and he was having trouble processing everything. He was glad when Hannah asked a question he hadn’t thought to ask. She said, “Tonight after you watched him meet your daughter, you left. You didn’t plan on telling him all this?”
“No. I didn’t. Not now. I thought maybe I’d write you a letter someday. I’ve signed all the paperwork already. The lawyer assured me you’ll be able to take the baby home to Colorado within the week.”
“Man.” Boone rubbed the back of his neck and grimaced. “I’ll be honest, Rachel. My mind is spinning, and I’m not sure that doing it this way is right for you.”
Rachel’s spine snapped straight, and she fired an accusatory question. “You don’t want her now?”
“Of course I want her. It would break my heart to give her up. I’m talking about you. We could do this like an open adoption and—”
“No!” Rachel cut in. “I can’t do that, Boone. I thought it through. I thought about it a lot. It’s too hard. I need this to be a clean break.”
He accepted her decision with a nod. “I get it. But if you ever change your mind, the door is always open.”
“Thank you.” Rachel shoved her hands in her back pant pockets and rocked on her heels. “Look, I need to be going. I have to be at the airport early tomorrow. Lisa and I are going on a girls’ trip. It’s my graduation gift.”
“That’s nice,” Hannah said. “Somewhere cooler than this, I hope?”
“Definitely. We are going to Scotland. After binge-watching Outlander, we decided we wanted to see if we can’t find some legit guys wearing kilts.”
“What is it about those things? Men in skirts, that’s all it is.” Boone’s scowl was mostly put on. Mostly. He faced his old friend. “Rach, before you go, I need to tell you that you always were and still are one of the strongest people I have ever met. This gift you are giving me, I want you to know, I will treasure her. I will protect her. I will love her with all my heart from now until the day I die. I give you my word, and I won’t let you down.” His voice tight, he added, “Not again. Never again.”
At that, Rachel threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. “I know. That’s why she’s yours now. I know you’ll love her, and you’ll love her for me too.”
She went up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek, then released him and turned away, walking off quickly. But there was something Boone still needed to know. “Rach? Is there something, in particular, you want me to give her?”
The girl stopped. “A family. Give her a family. A mother and a brother and a sister.”
“Okay. I’ll do my best to do that.”
“And maybe a puppy too.”
“Consider that done.”
“Good.” She gave him a wave and started off again. Boone knew then that he had one last question. “Rachel, what is her name?”
She went still. Boone held his breath. The moment drew out, and he thought she wasn’t going to answer. Finally, in a thin voice, she said, “You’re her father. You get to name her.”
“What is her name, Rachel? What is our baby’s name?”
She started running. “Damn it,” Boone muttered, tears filling his eyes. Hannah rose and stood beside him. She slipped her hand into his.