The Single Dad: Girl’s Sexual Awakening

“And you can accept that?”

He wasn’t testing me. He wasn’t being derogatory.

He was being Everly’s father.

“Yes.”

He reached across the desk, holding out his hand for me to grab. The moment we linked fingers, his voice softened as he said, “Are you sure?”

I knew what he was doing.

And there was no question; I felt the energy between our hands. The promise in his grip. The heat in his skin.

All of it made the tingle inside my body beat like techno.

But I had to stay focused on Everly.

I broke our connection, returning my hand to my thigh, my palm even slicker than before. “Yes, Ford, I’m sure.”

He pulled his arm back and hugged his coffee, allowing plenty of silence to pass before he said, “I need some time. I want to think this through. Sleep on it. Make my final decision in the morning.”

“No problem.”

His thumb traced the rim of the mug. “You know, you’ve been very patient since I met you. Understanding in a way I couldn’t quite comprehend, given your age-I don’t mean that in any disrespect; it’s just not a trait I see often.” He glanced down at my resume. “Now that I see you on paper, it all makes sense.”

“Four years is a long time to be with a family. I might not have seen everything, but I saw enough to know the things you go through as a parent. Therefore, I can only imagine how difficult it has been for you to do it all on your own.”

His brows narrowed. “It would be full transparency if you moved into my home. I’m not perfect, Sydney, but I try my hardest to be everything Everly needs.” His voice turned a little quieter as he added, “She deserves that.”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

I didn’t want him to know how that admission made me feel.

That I could, so easily, wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his chest and tell him he could make any woman’s ovaries combust.

But I stayed on course instead and replied, “I’m far from perfect. I’m going to make mistakes-I made mistakes with the Turners. We’re human. All we can do is try our best when it comes to raising children.”

“Truth.” He sipped his coffee. “What about your friend Gabby? Would she be all right with you moving out?”

I smiled. “More than all right. I’m sure she’s dying to get her office back that I’ve completely hijacked.”

He slipped my resume into a folder and placed it into his drawer. “I’ll give you a call in the morning.”

The interview was over.

I just hoped it had been enough. That I’d given him answers he wanted to hear.

Maybe even ones he hadn’t considered.

As I stood with my bag, he said, “I want you to know, you’re an incredible woman to sacrifice the possibility of us-all for my daughter.”

My lungs tightened, my throat, too, as I held the back of the chair I’d been sitting in. “This might sound simple and overused, but I’ve always believed that things in my life happen for a reason. I didn’t want to go to the bar that night. I was exhausted, jet-lagged. Grouchy, if I’m being honest. But there, I met you, and then Everly the next morning, and that could quite possibly be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

He continued to stare at me until he replied, “I’ll be in touch, Sydney.”

I smiled and gave him a quick wave, and then I walked out the door, thanking his assistant.

“Sydney,” I heard when I was halfway down the hallway, realizing the sound had come from one of the offices I’d already passed.

I backed up to the closest doorway, where Hannah was inside, sitting behind a desk. “Hey,” I said to her.

“How did things go?”

I shrugged. “Good, I think. He’s going to let me know in the morning.”

She got up and walked toward me. “I hope this doesn’t affect you two. I mean, he’s been in such a good mood since he met you.”

“It will. I had to choose.”

The crushing blow moved across her face. “Oh God, no.”

I nodded. “I picked Everly.”

She sighed, her hand going to my shoulder. “I just wanted what’s best for her, and I know that’s you.” She stalled, looking at me. “I remember when I started working here at the firm, and one of the very first things Ford ever told me was that I needed to listen to my gut. When it came to law, life, lessons, it would never steer me wrong. That’s what I did when I met you.”

We certainly had that in common.

But I was curious and said, “Is your gut telling you that I’m going to get the job?”

“I think you’re going to get a lot more than that.”

I didn’t know why she thought that. Ford had made it very clear that I would never have both.

Maybe her gut was telling her otherwise.

Maybe it was how well she knew Ford.

Maybe it was something else I couldn’t pinpoint.

But then she pulled me in for a hug and whispered, “Don’t let me down, girl.”

NINE

FORD

I

headed straight for Jenner’s office, walking toward the back, where he’d built a wet bar, and grabbed a bottle of scotch and three glasses, carrying it all to his desk. I filled the tumblers with several fingers’ worth and handed one to each of my brothers, who happened to be sitting there, in the middle of a meeting.

They’d said nothing when I walked in.

And still didn’t as they accepted the glass I gave them and stared at me.

“Drink,” I ordered and raised the scotch to my lips, swallowing.

“Yes, sir,” Dominick replied. “Even though it’s not five yet … and I have a meeting in an hour.”