Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“I’m glad you think so since I’m a little biased. At least she didn’t make you run out of the house screaming.”
Sloane’s laughter had filled the space between them even though he’d been completely serious. Val wasn’t always on her best behavior. But it seemed like his kid knew an important decision hinged on how the evening went and how she acted.
“I’m also impressed she tried so many new foods tonight. I figured most kids her age only ate hotdogs and mac and cheese.”
“She likes that, too. But with my schedule, I bring home Chinese take-out a lot. I started her out with the typical dishes and then she would ask to taste whatever I got for myself. If I ate it, she wanted it, too. She’s now quite adventurous when it comes to food. She’ll try anything once. I only hope that continues as she gets older.”
“You’re a good father.”
That compliment meant more to him than she’d ever know, but… “You’ve only been here a few hours. You can’t possibly know that.”
“Being a cop, you should know that situations can be assessed quickly,” she had teased. “But seriously, it was easy to see how good you are with her and what a great job you’re doing with raising her. You really should be proud. Plus, she adores you. Truly adores you. You claimed she’s your world. Well, it’s easy to see you’re hers, too.”
“When I first brought her home…” He shook his head. “I wasn’t sure I could do it. I wasn’t sure if I’d do more harm to her than good. I’ve never been more scared in my life than when I decided to bring her home with me. I’m not sure I could’ve done it at all if it wasn’t for my mother’s support.”
“Well, she had a stake in her, too. Val might be her granddaughter but she’s still a piece of Amelia.”
“Having Val around definitely helps ease the pain of losing her only daughter. Parents aren’t supposed to bury their children.”
A small sound escaped her. “Exactly what I’m trying to avoid with Sadie. Though, if she doesn’t turn her life around soon, it’ll be me burying her, not them. I’m not sure how they’ll react or what they’ll do if that happens, but I really hope not to find out.”
He hoped she didn’t have to, either. It wasn’t easy. “For that reason, I hope you consider my offer.” Soon. “I wish I could tell you to take all the time you need to decide, but…”
“Well, luckily for you, I don’t need time. I’ve already decided.”
His heart tumbled to his feet. Fuck. He quickly went over the evening in his head to see where he fucked up.
“I’ll do it.”
Well, damn.
While he should be relieved, her quick decision only ramped up his worry. “You sure you don’t want to think on it a little longer? Like overnight? I want you to be one-hundred percent certain. This will be a big change for you. Hell, for all of us. And like I said earlier, she needs stability. I don’t want you moving in, then deciding a few days or even a couple of weeks later, it was a mistake and leave. It might pull the rug from under Val.”
“From what I’ve seen so far, she seems like a great kid. And…”
“And?”
“And you seem like a great man.” Her words might have come out in a tumble, but she was in no rush to remove the hand she’d pressed to his arm. She squeezed it and gave him a reassuring smile. “But just so you’re aware…”
Shit, here it comes…
“My decision wasn’t based on you or me. Or even Val. I’m doing this for Sadie.”
He could live with that.
Their touch had lingered when he went to remove her hand from his arm so he could open the car door for her.
She avoided his eyes as she climbed into her Honda. Before he could shut the driver’s door, she said, “Oh, one more thing…”
That “one more thing” ended up being her claiming his bedroom suite, of course.
Today, as he stood next to the Ford Ranger and watched her head in his direction from the motel’s office, he also noticed the swing of her hips, and the bounce of her shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair. As well as the warm smile on her face.
Fuck.
He hoped he didn’t regret inviting a woman he hardly knew to live in his home and take care of the most important person in his life.
But it hit him right then and there, that decision might not be his biggest problem. Hell no. It would be the fact he suddenly wanted to get to know Sloane Parrish a hell of a lot better.
And not because she’d be responsible for his four-year-old.
Decker tipped the bottle to his lips and took a quick sip, then plugged his tongue into the opening to stop the flow of beer as he pretended to swallow a mouthful. He wanted it to appear he was drinking as much as the rest of them, when actually he wasn’t.