“Can You Be The Father Of My Baby For One Day?” She Asked… And I Said, “Only If You Tell Me Why”
Chapter 13
The baby was born two weeks early.
A little girl.
Healthy.
Loud.
Perfect.
Daniel stood beside Olivia in the hospital room.
Sophie was asleep in a chair nearby.
Olivia held the baby.
“What should we call her?”
Daniel smiled.
“Hope.”
She laughed.
“You knew I’d say that.”
“Yes.”
“Because of Sophie?”
“Yes.”
Olivia looked at their daughter.
“Hope Bennett.”
Daniel nodded.
“Beautiful.”
There was something different about saying “our daughter.”
He hadn’t planned to.
He hadn’t expected to.
But when Olivia placed the baby in his arms, something inside him changed.
He wasn’t pretending anymore.
The legal paperwork was still complicated.
The trust remained under court supervision.
But Daniel didn’t care.
He cared about the baby sleeping against his chest.
He cared about Olivia.
He cared about Sophie.
And for the first time since Sarah died, he felt something he had thought was gone forever.
A future.
Later that week, the newspapers published everything.
The Bennett scandal.
The Mercer network.
The hidden trust.
The disappearance of Noah Grant.
The role of Richard and Nathan.
Daniel’s name being falsely used.
The story became national news.
But Daniel avoided reporters.
He didn’t want fame.
He wanted breakfast at home.
School runs.
Quiet nights.
The ordinary things he’d once taken for granted.
Olivia gave up most of her inherited control of Bennett Medical Systems.
She sold a large part of her shares.
The money from the sale went into a foundation supporting families facing housing insecurity and workplace harassment.
Her father had built an empire.
She wanted to build something kinder.
One evening, Daniel found her sitting on the porch.
“Thinking?”
“Yes.”
“Dangerous.”
She smiled.
“I was remembering our first conversation.”
He laughed.
“Do you mean when you asked me something insane?”
“I was desperate.”
“You asked a stranger to be the father of your baby.”
“For one day.”
“And I said only if you told me why.”
She smiled.
“And now?”
“Now I wish I’d asked for the rest of the story sooner.”
She looked at him.
“I was afraid.”
“I know.”
“You could have walked away.”
“I almost did.”
“And you stayed.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Daniel looked at her.
“Because you reminded me of Sarah.”
Olivia’s expression softened.
“That’s okay?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“She taught me that loving someone means protecting their future.”
He reached for Olivia’s hand.
“You reminded me I still had one.”
She leaned against him.
“Do you miss her?”
“Every day.”
“Does loving me make that disappear?”
“No.”
She nodded.
“I wouldn’t want it to.”
He looked at her.
“That’s one of the reasons I love you.”
Her eyes filled.
“Love?”
“Yes.”
She smiled.
“I love you too.”
Then the baby cried inside.
Daniel laughed.
“Perfect timing.”
Olivia smiled.
“She’s already bossy.”
“Definitely yours.”
“You’re changing the subject.”
“I’m protecting myself.”
She kissed him.
Then Daniel heard a sound outside the gate.
A black car.
He stood immediately.
Olivia’s face changed.
“Mercer?”
“No.”
He stared.
The car door opened.
Noah stepped out.
He wasn’t alone.
A little boy stood beside him.
Olivia frowned.
“Who is that?”
Noah smiled.
“My son.”
Daniel stared.
“What?”
Noah looked at Olivia.
“There are still things I never told you.”
