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THE SINGLE DAD 86
She didn’t question.She just trusted me.I led her a few paces into the ocean, so the waves crashed against our shins.My arm rested across her shoulders, hers wrapped around my waist as we walked. The height difference allowed me to press my lips into the top of her head.Inhaling her.Kissing her.“Paradise,” she said softly, her sound almost getting carried into the wind. “I can’t believe we have another week here.” She gazed up at me, smiling. “At first, I thought two weeks was a little much to be away from our girl. But you’re right; Bali can’t be done in just seven days.”I stopped moving, positioning her right where I needed her to be, and I held her chin, tilting it up.Lost in her eyes.Her presence.And then I kissed her.Just briefly.My lips brushing hers, my hand holding her steady.And when I pulled my mouth away, I glanced over Sydney’s shoulder, making sure she didn’t see what I did.The plan I’d put in place.The one I wanted to keep as a surprise for just a few more
THE SINGLE DAD 1
FordI was woken by the sound of an alarm. It took me a few moments to shake the sleep from my head until I realized it was coming from my front gate—a notification that someone was at the call box, trying to get in. The only time the alarm ever went off in the middle of the night was if I invited a woman over. Her presence anticipated, my hands stripping off her clothes the moment she walked through my door, my lips devouring every inch of her skin before she reached my bedroom.But it was three in the morning, and I hadn’t invited anyone over.I sat up, turning on the bedside light, and grabbed the tablet from my nightstand, the screen showing a woman, wrapped in a dark coat, standing in front of my call box.I enlarged the camera feed, zooming in on her face.She was vaguely familiar, not enough that I could recall her name.“Hello?” I said into the speaker. “Can I help you?”“Ford … I need to talk to you.”I wasn’t surprised she knew my name. She was pressing the button on the me
THE SINGLE DAD 2
My hands shook; my knees didn’t want to hold me up. “That was months ago, I assume. Yet you waited until now to show up. Why? I don’t fucking get it.” I took in the baby’s face, those chunky cheeks and plump, heart-shaped lips. “Why didn’t you tell me the second you found out you were pregnant, Rebecca? Why didn’t you tell me once you went to the doctor and had it confirmed? You’ve had forty weeks”—I sucked in some air—“forty goddamn weeks—and you’re here now? After?”Does she want money? Is that why she showed up out of nowhere?Is it something else?My thoughts weren’t straight.My head a cloudy mess of questions.My chest a steady, relentless ache.Rebecca pressed the baby against my stomach.I immediately reacted, cupping my arms beneath her, taking the weight of this small, precious bundle, holding her so carefully that I didn’t wake her.Rebecca took a step back and said, “The truth is, I never intended to tell you about her. I was just going to give her up for adoption, and you
THE SINGLE DAD 3
“I don’t know what to do,” I told her. “I don’t know how to make you feel better. Until I can figure out what time it is and wake your grandma up and have her come over here, I need to somehow care for you.” I continued to look at her, hoping the answer would come to me. “Are you cold?” I closed the blanket, bunching it up to her neck. “Hungry?”I waited for the answer to hit me.For the realization of what I was actually holding and what my eyes were staring at.For a picture to form in my head of what my life was now going to look like versus the direction I'd believed it was going in.I didn’t know how long I stood there.Frozen.My feet should have been taking us inside, where it was warm, where I could go through the bag and see if there was something in there that could soothe her, see if Rebecca’s notes told me how to stop the baby’s crying.But they weren’t moving.For some reason … I was locked.My knees didn’t want to hold us anymore, and they started to bend until they hit
THE SINGLE DAD 4
She grinned, her eyes widening, licking her bottom lip. “I want him to take me to the house on the giant mountain, so we can eat all the s’mores outside by the big fire.”“You want to go to his house in Utah, huh?”Jenner had recently purchased a home in Park City, and it had become one of Everly’s most desired places to visit. Mine too. There was nothing like escaping to the mountains, getting to ski on some fresh powder, and unplugging from our busy life in LA.“Yes, silly.”“I see someone has a new favorite word.” I hugged her against my chest. “I’m afraid of the teenage version of you. It’s a good thing I have quite a few years before we get there. I need to prep myself.”“Daddy, I’m going to be so sassy.”“That’s what I’m afraid of.”We were quiet for a few moments, something unusual for my spunky daughter, and I broke the silence to say, “My little negotiator, I know there’s still a few hours left before you have to go to bed, but in the meantime, let’s not convince Hannah to le
THE SINGLE DAD 5
“One day, when you’ve graduated and working with us full-time with a portfolio of clients who’ll be earning you millions, your opinion of him will change.”She glared at me as we reached the bottom of the steps. “I promise, that’s never going to happen.”“Don’t be so sure—” My voice cut off as the smell from the kitchen wafted up my nose, my stomach growling. “You baked? Already?”“I needed to unwind from that monster”—she held up her finger—“the one we don’t name—so I stuck some cookies in the oven. They’re probably done by now.”I followed her into the kitchen, where she took a tray out of the oven. At least a dozen chocolate chip cookies were sitting on top.“Yep. Done.” She looked at me. “Want one?”“One? I want three.”She grabbed a spatula from the drawer and placed the dessert on a napkin. “So you can take them with you,” she said, handing me the bundle.I groaned as the chocolate melted on my tongue. “Man, you make some mean cookies.”“If you find crumbs in her bed tomorrow, d
THE SINGLE DAD 6
“Thought you weren’t going to show,” he said as he patted me on the back.“Jenner bitched about the same thing,” I said. “You guys know I wouldn’t ever bail. But once you knock up Kendall, you’ll learn that it isn’t always easy to get out the door on time.”He pulled away and walked with me toward the tables they’d reserved. “Slow your roll. There’s no knocking up. We’re just getting in a shit-ton of practice.”“Then, maybe it’s Jenner’s turn,” I said, moving over to my middle brother, hugging him the same way.“What are we talking about?” Jenner asked.“You and Jo having kids,” I replied.“Please don’t put that into the universe,” he shot back. “We’re staying in the engaged phase for a while. If Jo gets the baby bug, we’ll steal Everly for a few days.”“According to Eve, she’s no longer a baby.”“That’s my girl, full of sass,” Dominick said.I shook hands with Brett, one of our best friends, who happened to be the top entertainment agent in the country. I then moved on to his partner
THE SINGLE DAD 7
Her hair fell into her face, and she instantly pushed it back, exposing both shoulders. Shoulders and a collarbone that showed the tan line of a thin bikini strap.Damn it, that was sexy.“One drink should hopefully get me over this jet lag,” she said.“Let me guess …” My words were only an excuse for me to stare harder, acting as though I could see through her. “Europe?”Her smile was sensual, beautiful. “London … how did you know?”“Call me intuitive.”“Ohhh, then you already know I only just got back this afternoon.”“Of course I do. But keep talking.”She laughed. “I was there this time for three months, so to be honest, I’m not sure if it’s today or tomorrow or if my feet are on the ground or still in the air.” She sucked in a mouthful of air. “But your eyes are telling me I’m very much here …”“You’re here.” I ran my thumb over my lips, wishing they were covered in her scent. “And this isn’t a dream … even if it feels like one.”First, she gave me a smile, then a slow bite of he
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