Falling For the Single Dad: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance (Summer Secrets) by Emma Tharp

Author:Emma Tharp [Tharp, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-06-28T23:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

Hannah

“I can put her to bed. I don’t mind,” I tell Ryan. Claire is half asleep lying on the couch next to him.

“Me neither. I can do it.”

Even though I’ve lived in their house for a month now, we still go back and forth about who puts Claire to bed. Technically, my responsibilities end when Ryan gets home from work, but since I don’t have anything else I’d rather be doing, I typically hang out at the house with Ryan and Claire. Just because I’m off the clock doesn’t mean I don’t want to help out and put her to sleep. I did it all the time at the beach and it’s something I enjoy doing. “Why don’t you relax? I know you had a long day.”

Ryan throws me his megawatt smile before he bends down and lifts Claire off the couch. Her body is limp and hangs over his shoulder. “We can do it together.”

“Great idea.” I follow him up the stairs to Claire’s room and pull back the covers. He nestles her in her new bed and she barely stirs.

Ryan leans down and tucks the blankets tight around his little girl. “Sleep tight, baby,” he whispers in her ear.

“Night, Daddy.”

Ryan kisses Claire’s forehead and moves to the side, giving me space.

I sit on the edge of the bed and kiss her warm cheek, loving the sweet smell of her strawberry shampoo. “Night, Claire Bear. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” She gives me a heavy-lidded smile. My heart melts in my chest when she tells me she loves me. Maybe I’m too attached, but I can’t help myself.

When I stand up, Ryan is staring at me. The intensity of his gaze sends prickles along my skin. We’re both still as we eye each other. His expression is deep and thoughtful, like he wants to say something, but he doesn’t speak. I want him to talk to me. To tell me what he’s thinking when his dark eyes study me like this.

I know he has so much locked inside him. He’s a man who’s a little broken. It grips my heart to think of how much pain he must’ve suffered when Catherine died. Suddenly a single father the day his partner was taken from him.

I’m invested in Ryan and Claire now and I can’t help but think fate brought me to them. If only he’d open up to me.

Ryan moves his gaze to Claire. “We should let her get some rest.”

“Sure,” I whisper and turn the light off. Following him out of the room, I make my way down the stairs.

He stops at the landing, turning to look at me. “I need to finish up a graphic design project. I’ll be in my study.”

“Okay,” I tell him before he walks away.

I go to the kitchen and grab the kettle off the stove. I fill it with water and set in on the burner. Then I take a plate out of the cupboard and put a couple of chocolate chip cookies on it.

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