Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Sunshine stared at her sperm donor and wanted to scream. It had been such a wonderful little bubble she and Nando had created; but, of course, life was never that fair to her. She really did believe that she must have been a serial killer in her past life to deal with some of the things she’d had to deal with in this life.

“First, I don’t know how you found me.”

“I looked you up online.”

“And second, I don’t think you have a right to ask Nando anything. He has more right to be here than you.”

She felt Nando’s arm brush against hers, and she relaxed a little. She knew it hadn’t been an accident. He was letting her know that he was there to support her and that everything would be okay. She was seriously starting to doubt it.

“I wanted to talk to you.”

She crossed her arms and tried her best not to let her feelings get the better of her.

“And I’ve made it perfectly clear that I don’t want you around.”

He sighed. “Is there any way I can come in so we can discuss this?”

She opened her mouth to tell him just where to take his civility and shove it, but Nando said, “You might want to before people start wondering what is going on?”

She looked at him and he motioned with his head. She looked around her father and found a couple of her neighbors had gathered across the street. Damn. One great thing about this area is that she knew her neighbors and could count on them. Bad thing was that they were all nosey Noras.

“Fine, come in.”

She stepped back and let Sinclair walk in.

She shut the door and then waited. He looked around the kitchen, then back at them. From the irritation in his eyes, he did not like what he saw. Tough.

“Say what you came to say.”

“Babe, maybe we should get dressed.”

Dammit. With a sigh, she nodded. “We’ll be right back, so don’t touch anything.”

Her father nodded, and she stomped back to her bedroom. Nando followed her then shut the door behind him.

“You really didn’t think to tell me that your father is Major General Sinclair?”

She sighed and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. Today had been so wonderful before her sperm donor showed up.

When she opened her eyes, she found a slightly irritated Nando staring at her.

“I never thought it would matter.”

“Why not? He’s your father.”

She crossed her arms. “He’s the sperm donor . He made it very clear to my mother that he wanted nothing to do with their little mistake. He had a family on the mainland and a career.”

“Your mother told you that?”

She shook her head and sat down on her bed with a sigh. “I found the letters after Mom was committed. They were...not nice.”

“They said worse things than what you just said?”

She sighed. “When Mom went in, I thought that maybe I would look him up. Not for anything, really, but everyone I knew had these great family connections. Even in divorced families, many Hawaiians keep those connections. Granted, sometimes it isn’t pleasant, but they always know they have their families to help them. Well, the friends I have do.”

“And you wanted that too?

She nodded looking down at her hands. She had just wanted her father to know that she was there. When she found the letters, any thoughts of a happy reunion shattered.

Her vision wavered, and she realized she was crying. Mad that he had gotten her to cry, she brushed the tears away.

“Hey,” Nando said, squatting down in front of her. She looked at him.

“Sorry for all of this.”

He shook his head as he took her hands. “I’m a Santini. I’m made of sterner stuff than an angry father asking why I debauched his daughter.”

She snorted. “I wasn’t a virgin, and I think we both debauched each other.”

He chuckled and rose to his feet. He pulled her up off the bed and into his arms. “I know this kind of sucks, and you have definite reasons not to ever speak to him again. But, I know his wife died recently.”

“Oh.”

“Maybe he has some regrets. If you hear him out, and still want nothing to do with him, then you can say that you gave him his chance. Then he’s out of your life.”

“Please tell me you don’t work for him.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead. “Nope. He just knows my supervisor. And he apparently knew my folks back when they first started dating.”

She leaned back and looked up at him. “Are you serious?”

“Hey, if Honolulu is the biggest little city, then the Marines are worse, especially the officer corps. Not that many of us and when you get to a certain rank, everyone knows everyone else.”

She grunted, which he apparently thought was funny because he laughed.

“Tell you what. I’ll go out there, keep him company while you compose yourself and get dressed. Let him have his say, then kick him to the curb if you want to.”

She sighed. “I don’t want to be reasonable.”

“I know. But the sooner you do, the sooner we can go for a ride.”

She smiled. “Okay.”

He kissed her nose, then grabbed his shirt and put it on.

“Nando,” she said. “Thanks.”

He closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. The moment his mouth touched hers, she felt all the anger start to slip away. Just like that, he made her feel better. Then, he pulled back, gave her that sexy smile, and left her alone to her own thoughts.

She took a moment to collect herself and think about how to deal with her sperm donor. She’d never think of him as her father. A father is a guy who was there for you. He kissed your boo boos, gave your first date death glares, and he was there when you had to say goodbye to your mother. It wasn’t a guy who didn’t use a condom and abandoned you. That was a sperm donor.

She knew thinking about him and what he did to her mother wouldn’t help anything. She’d clean up, then deal with him, just like Nando said.

Nando eyed the general and tried to think of something to say. He had been caught making out with Jenny McQuire when he was fifteen. That had been less awkward--and her father had been polishing his gun when Nando had to answer questions.

This man outranked him, and worse, he had a connection with Sunshine that might not seem important to her, but Nando knew it was. Her whole reason for not dating military was standing in her living room.

Sinclair moved from photo to photo, studying them as if worried he would forget them.

Nando cleared his throat and Sinclair turned around.

“Oh, Santini. Is my daughter coming out?”

“Yes. She just wanted to get dressed.”

And there, he just reminded a man who could ruin his career, that he had been sitting at breakfast with his daughter, who had been wearing nothing but a pair of panties and a kimono.

“How do you know my daughter?”

Nando didn’t miss the way Sinclair kept emphasizing the words my daughter .

“We’re dating.”

He grunted.

“Would you like some coffee?” Nando asked.

“Thank you.”

Nando was thankful to have something to do. It was getting more awkward by the second. After pouring the coffee into a green mug with an owl imprinted on it, he turned and handed it to the general.

“Do you want anything for it?”

He shook his head. “I couldn’t find her mother.”

“Excuse me?”

“When I got here a few weeks ago, I couldn’t find her mother.”

“She’s gone.”

“Gone? As in died?”

He nodded, wondering exactly how out of the loop Sinclair was about the woman he had a fling with and the daughter they created.

There was no doubting she was his daughter. They had the same coloring, fair skin, sprinkles of freckles, the same shade of green eyes. It was amazing Nando hadn’t picked up on it before.

But, there were those other features. Her cute little nose, and her full, seductive mouth. That she had had on many different parts of his body.

Damn.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“I think that Sunshine should tell you that story.”

He might outrank Nando, but there was no way he was going to let the man off the hook. He had a daughter he never supported. In Nando’s opinion, Sinclair didn’t have a right to the stars on his shoulders.

He nodded. “I took this last job for a couple of reasons. First, my son is stationed here. He flies C-130s for the Air Force.”

“Sunshine has a brother living here? Does he know he has a sister?”

Sinclair nodded, once.

“Oh, so you just admitted it to him.”

“I just said so.” His voice was filled with aggravation.

“I might not have a right to say anything, but I will say this: if she doesn’t want you in her life, then you don’t get a place. You feel me, sir?”

He didn’t mean to get so confrontational, but damn, he was pissed. Sunshine had been left alone in the world and this idiot thought the best thing was to cut off all contact.

“You should understand your place.”

“And that would be, sir? I respect your rank, but as a father, I think you are a major fail.”

His eyes widened. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I was thinking it was you who persuaded her to talk to me.”

“I was, but if Sunshine says that she doesn’t want to have anything to do with you, that’s what I will back.”

It went against his military training, but he was a Santini first. Those core values might work with the military, but he knew at the heart of everything good in his life was his family. A man that turned his back on his daughter wasn’t a good man.

“Is that a fact?”

Before he could answer him, Sunshine spoke from behind him.

“Thank you, Nando.”

He hadn’t heard her approaching, but that told him just how pissed he was at the general. He never had to think twice about support from his parents or siblings. Hell, throw in the entire Santini clan of aunts, uncles, and cousins. He couldn’t imagine having one person in your life and having them turn their back on you.

“I would like a moment to speak alone with my daughter, Santini.”

He ignored Sinclair and turned to face Sunshine. She had put on a pair of board shorts and a tank top. She’d pulled her hair up in a sassy pony tail.

“I’ll stay if you want me to.”

She looked past him to the man who fathered her, then back at him. “I think I can handle it.”

“Sure?”

She nodded. He placed a hand on her hip and leaned in for a kiss.

“I’ll be right out back.”

Then, he walked away, fighting every urge that told him to shield her. He knew she had to do this on her own. But in that moment, he started to understand why so many Santinis fell for the curse, because he was pretty damned sure he had…hook, line, sinker.