Free Changed by His Son's Smile by Robin Gianna

to believe, because any woman would be lucky to put my ring on her finger, right, Mom?”
    That smile continued to play about his lips. He’d always been good at that delicate combination of joking humor while making a very serious point.
    Dani looked at Evelyn, figuring that, as his mother, she doubtless agreed he was an awesome catch for any woman.
    “Dr. Bowen, I...” Dani began, not even sure what she was going to say.
    “Please, call me Evelyn.” She reached to squeeze Dani’s arm. “Pay no attention to Chase’s heavy-handed attempts at manipulation. I’m surprised, really, at his clumsiness. From the time he was little, he could get whatever he wanted without anyone even knowing he was leading them there.”
    Astonished at his mother’s words, Dani was also more than amused at the surprised and outraged expression on Chase’s face.
    “What the hell?” He folded his arms across his chest. “You don’t think Dani should marry me? What about Drew? What about us being a family?”
    “Don’t drag your father and me into this.” His mother held up her hand. “Obviously, there’s some reason you didn’t even know about Drew until now. While we’d love to welcome Dani as our daughter-in-law, you two will have to figure all this out on your own. As long as I get to play doting grandmother to our darling baby, I’m happy.”
    Phil chuckled. “And I have a feeling that ‘doting’ will be an understatement.”
    Evelyn grasped Phil’s hand and they walked over to stand on either side of Drew, forming a bridge with their arms. “Drive through the tunnel, engineer Andrew. But watch out, there might be a landslide and it could collapse on you,” Phil said.
    Drew shrieked in delight as he drove around their legs and through the “tunnel,” ending up trapped as their arms surrounded him.
    As she watched them, Dani’s heart filled with how lovely Chase’s parents were and how lucky Drew was that they wanted to be a part of his life, even though their time together would doubtless be infrequent.
    “I can’t believe this,” Chase said.
    She looked at his disgusted scowl and knew he wasn’t talking about his parents’ game with Drew. “Is this finally the proof you need that you should get over the unpleasant controlling streak you have? Even your mother thinks so.”
    “She didn’t say I’m controlling. And I’m not.”
    He stepped close and she was glad his parents were here. Surely Chase wouldn’t touch her and kiss her and make her feel all weak and out of control while they were around.
    “But convincing?” His mouth came close to her ear, and he smelled so good, like fresh soap and aftershave and him, that it was all she could do not to turn her head for a kiss anyway. “Convincing you will be a pleasure.”
    He backed off a few inches, and the promise in his dark eyes told her resistance would be tough going. But she could do it. She would do it. To protect Drew and to protect her own heart.
    “Lunch, everybody!” Spud bellowed from the door.
    Drew jumped off the plastic train, knocking it over onto its side, and ran to Dani. He flung one arm around Dani’s leg and wrapped the other around Chase’s. “I hungry! Daddy, will you feed me more bugs?”
    “You bet. I’ve got some big, fat ones picked out just for you.” Chase lifted his gaze to Dani. His eyes turned from soft and smiling to hard and cool in an instant. “Drew, at least, knows we’re already connected, no matter what you want to believe.” He reached down to lift Drew into his arms, kissing his round cheek before settling the child against his shoulder like he’d been doing it fo rever.
    The image of father and son, of their brown eyes and thick dark hair so like the other, along with the tender expressions on his parents’ faces, gave Dani another pang of guilt. But she reminded herself she hadn’t really robbed all of them of two and a half years of togetherness. Chase and his parents would have been living who