Surprises

Part Twelve

Sonny stood at her bedside watching his daughter sleep for a very long time. He heard Dara in the other bedroom, settling in and a few times, he felt her presence behind him. Still, he didn't move. He couldn't. Hope had him glued.

Later, the aroma of fresh brewed Colombian blend drifted into the room. He glanced over his shoulder. Dara, looking comfortable in gray sweats and thick, white socks, padded into the room. She held two steaming mugs in her hand and gave one to Sonny.

"Thanks," he murmured before taking a sip. Three sugars and two creams. The coffee was just the way he liked it. He was a little surprised that she remembered. Commenting on it seemed dangerous so he just turned back to their sleeping daughter.

"It's a miracle, isn't it?" Dara said softly. "There she is, and it's not a dream."

"A dream?" he repeated. "Yeah, it was a dream I had, too. Life would have been different... That doesn't matter now."

"No, it doesn't."

Hope stirred in her sleep. She clutched the comforter and snuggled deeper underneath it. Sonny reached out and smoothed dark strands of hair from her forehead. He bent forward, kissed her cheek, and rose to his full height. Turning to Dara, he said, "We should let her rest."

"Yeah."

He followed Dara down to Jason's living room. The furnishings were sparse, but comfortable. Whatever Jason did with his earnings, he certainly didn't waste it here. Dara moved to the sofa, curling her legs underneath her and continued to sip her coffee.

The clock on the mantel chimed softly at midnight. He hovered at the bottom of the staircase, unsure what to do. His head was telling him it was time to go back to his place, but his heart...his heart was upstairs and he wasn't ready to leave it behind.

"I wouldn't mind if you wanted to stay for awhile," she said. "Go ahead. Sit."

He hesitated for half a second before claiming the stuffed chair adjacent to the sofa. "I doubt if I could sleep anyway."

"I'm afraid to," she confided. "Afraid that when I wake up, she'll be gone."

"Me, too." He swallowed more coffee. "This is a good a time as any. We gotta talk long term, Dara. What's the situation between you and Taggert?"

"That's none of your business."

"Hope makes it my business," he stated firmly. "He arrested me for rape. I'd guess that he's not thrilled with our bundle of joy. I don't want him around her if he's on one of his trips. His beef is with me. I won't allow him to take it out on Hope."

"He won't," Dara said coolly. She set her mug on the end table and hugged a throw pillow to her chest. "What about Carly? The door slamming and her usual hysterics...I don't want Hope around that. Your wife has a habit of creating drama, and that's the last thing Hope needs right now."

"It's taken care of," he muttered.

"How? By walking out?" she asked. "If Hope thinks she's the cause of your marriage breaking up, that won't be good either."

"She's not the cause and I won't let her believe that she is." Sonny lowered his mug onto the coffee table. He rested his forearms on his thighs and leaned forward. "Let's leave Carly and Taggert out of this. It's time to deal with us."

She shook her head. After leaping from the sofa, she began to pace in front of the fireplace. "There's nothing to deal with."

He became still and watched her closely. "You're wrong, and you know it. Otherwise, you wouldn't be wearing a hole in Jason's carpet."