Series: Safe Harbor Medical (Book 11)Determined To Be A Dad
Biology teacher Peter Gladstone may have lost his beloved wife, but the tragedy only strengthened his resolve to create a family. With a donor egg and a surrogate mom, Peter is sure to be a proud papa soon, thanks to the fertility specialists at Safe Harbor Medical.
Harper Anthony seems like the perfect choice for the donor. She's smart, beautiful and a great mom to her young daughter. The problem is, Peter has recently become reacquainted with the young widow and now sees her as a friend-or maybe something more than a friend. And Peter has chosen to keep his identity a secret. If the truth comes out, the consequences may threaten their budding romance. But only the truth can turn them into a family....
Good book. Peter really wants to be a dad. He thought his dream was over when his wife died, but then found out it could happen after all. When Peter sees Harper's name on the egg donor list he feels she would be the perfect one to choose. He likes her and her daughter and would love his child to be like them. The problem is that she doesn't know that he's going to be the father.
I liked both Peter and Harper. Both had issues that were keeping them from having a happy future. Harper had lost her husband a few years earlier in an accident. He was a nice guy but she found herself giving up her dreams in order to pursue his. Now she doesn't want to be that dependent on a man again. She enjoys her life as a mom, a nurse and a photographer and doesn't want to give that up. She does want to give back and decides to be an egg donor to help some other family have the children they want. When she is chosen as a donor she is disappointed that she won't be involved with the new family but accepts it. At the same time she gets reacquainted with Peter, who had been a coworker of her husband's. She is surprised by how much she likes him and then by the attraction she feels toward him. When she finds out about his involvement in the program she is hurt and angry at first but they soon move past that. Harper is very independent and has no problem speaking up when something is important to her. She lets Peter know how unhappy she is that he kept the secret even though they are friends. I really liked the way that Peter was supportive of her photography and the way that they were collaborating on the book. I also liked the way that it brought them closer together. As much as she came to love Peter she also kept trying to keep him at a distance trying to protect her heart.
Peter was still grieving for his wife two years after her death. He wanted to follow through on their plans for a family. When he meets Harper again he is surprised by how much he is drawn to her. Finding her name on the egg donor list seems like fate to him so he chooses her, not thinking at first how that could affect their friendship. He thinks that if he keeps it secret she'll never know. As they start to work together on a children's book Peter finds himself thinking more and more about Harper and her daughter. But he also feels guilty about his growing feelings for Harper, and feeling that he is somehow betraying his late wife. I really didn't like the way he kept comparing Harper to his wife. He really couldn't see that Harper's upfront attitude and way of dealing with things was so much better than his late wife's passive-aggressive way of getting her way. He just didn't see that she always got her way. He has to make a decision about those feelings before he can take a chance on having a future with Harper.
