"Daddy, I'm not a pwincess; I'm just Maddie."
He tickled her sides. "You're my princess, Maddie, and I love you." He stilled at the words that slipped so easily from his lips. He hadn't said them to anyone other than his mother, and yet, they felt so right. This little munchkin had wheedled her way into his heart in no time at all.
At Maisey's, they took a booth to the left next to Doc's, who hid behind his newspaper.
"What are you two up to?" Maisey asked.
"Late breakfast, and then I'm off to the studio while Princess Maddie goes to Mercy's."
"I heard you two are dating." Maisey leaned a hip on the booth and took out her order pad and pen.
"We went to dinner. With all the things Mercy does for Maddie and me, I thought it would be nice to have a night out."
"Mmm-hmm. Just being nice, huh?" She lowered herself so she talked to Maddie face-to-face. "What's it going to be, Princess Maddie?"
Maddie giggled. "Oatmeaw with wayzins and sugar and mook."
"And for you, Mr. Just Being Nice?"
"Pancakes and sausage."
"Coming up." She pivoted and walked away.
Doc lowered his paper. "Morning, Alex. Maddie."
Maddie got on her knees and turned to face him. "You got a wifesaver?"
Alex chuckled from the memory of Doc Parker swabbing Maddie's cheek for the test, and when she opened her mouth to say something, he popped a cherry Life Savers inside. Alex wasn't sure if it was a treat for behaving or a way to keep kids' mouths busy, so they didn't chat his ears off.
Luckily for both of them, Maddie wasn’t much of a talker. He was sure that came from being on her own a lot. Like him, she had to learn to entertain herself, and talking to no one was never all that much fun. Then again, he didn't have a Samantha doll growing up.
"I do not. Besides, you don't want to spoil your breakfast." His eyes lifted to Alex. "Did you open the envelope?"
He'd almost forgotten about it again. Reaching back, he plucked it from his pocket and held it in the air. "Got it here. Last night was—"
"Date night. I heard."
"Sheesh. Nothing gets by anyone here."
"Your SUV is parked in front of Mercy's place. I'd say that was some night."
He hadn't thought of ruining Mercy's reputation if his car was seen in front of her place all night. In a small town, nothing went unnoticed.
"She didn't stay the night. We went to my place, and once I got Maddie to bed, I couldn't leave her alone, so I gave Mercy the keys."
Doc rubbed at his bushy brows. "Proud of you, boy. It's the things we have to wait for that mean the most." He leaned back and sighed. "Take my Lovey, for instance. I noticed her right away. For years we square-danced together. I only went because square dancing was on my wife Phyllis's bucket list, and we never got around to it. I took her list after she passed and lived vicariously through her. Little did I know that Phyllis's desires would turn into a dream come true."
Alex was trying to follow along. "Phyllis was your first wife?" He'd seen Doc and Agatha together and thought they'd been a couple for life.
"Pay attention, son. I was married to Phyllis for forty-plus years. We had Charlie together. She's the vet here in town."
The pieces were coming together. It seemed as if somehow most people were related in some way, either by marriage or DNA. He gripped the envelope more tightly before setting it on the table.
"So, you met Agatha and got a second happily ever after?"
"Sure did. That woman was relentless, but I wasn't going to rush things. I didn't want to bring a new woman into my life when I wasn't sure if I'd gotten over Phyllis, but then I realized that I'd never get over my first true love."
"Is there a lesson here?" Doc seemed to offer advice like he did medicine—in measured doses.
"All I'm saying is the heart always has room for more, but don't rush into filling it. Racing to the finish line doesn't always make you a winner."
"I'm not in a rush for anything."
"There's a risk for going too slow too. The tortoise might make it to the finish line, but if he's too slow, what will be left when he gets there?"
Maisey swooped to their table with hands full and dropped off their breakfast.
Alex forked a piece of sausage. "Don't rush, but don't go too slow. Are we talking about Mercy or Maddie?"
Doc lifted his shoulders. "I'm an old man. I'm just talking. All I'm saying is listen to your heart, it will know. I'm also saying that time has value, and when you put time into something, it's worth more. Then again, if you wait too long, it might be worth nothing."
Doc folded his paper and placed a five-dollar bill on the table before he got up. "Have a good day, you two." He nodded to the envelope. "Another thing. Don't let a piece of paper define life for you. You get to choose, or at least your heart does." He walked away.
Alex sat there for a long moment, wondering what the hell Doc had just told him. His words were opposites. Take time … don't. Love her now … wait. He was confused, but one look at Maddie clarified everything. She needed him now, later, and every minute in between. His heart told him he had no choice. Maddie was his, and he'd do right by her.
After several bites of his pancakes and sausage, he set down his fork and picked up the envelope.
Rather than gently peeling back the flap, he tore it open and unfolded the letter. As he read through the test results, his heart stilled.
Maddie Cruz was only his in name. She didn't share any of his DNA.
He stared at her for several minutes. She had his eyes, hair color, and swore when she
