Date With a Single Dad

by Ally Blake

  He took his hand away, already missing the feeling of warmth that had radiated through his palm. He put his hand in his pocket instead. “Three times she asked where Darcy was. Eventually she got so agitated the doctor suggested I come back later. She reassured her that Darcy was getting the best of care. I felt a lot of pressure when he said that.”

  “You’re doing the best you can, and she’s got a clean bill of health. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

  But it was impossible not to be. It highlighted his failure as a brother, if nothing else. Maybe if he’d made an effort years ago, this would never have happened.

  “She’s going to be okay—that’s the main thing. It was easier speaking to her doctor. She seemed very pleased that Barbara was asking about Darcy so much. That she’d taken steps to make sure the baby was looked after.”

  A memory flashed into his brain, of his mother when he’d graduated from high school. He’d been in a suit she’d bought on discount in Red Deer, and his father was nowhere to be found. Don’t think about your dad, she’d said, taking his hand. You remember this. Family is important. Don’t let your dad teach you otherwise. Family is everything.

  She’d gotten tears in her eyes then. You’re everything, Wyatt.

  He realized now that she had to have known about Barbara all along. And still she’d stayed with his father. Why? He’d never know now.

  “Asking for help is a positive sign,” Elli agreed. She fiddled with a set of old pot holders.

  “I should have been there,” he replied, the confession taking a load off his shoulders. “I knew deep down she was my sister. I knew what had happened to her mother and I pretended she didn’t exist. If only …”

  “Don’t.” Elli’s voice intruded, definitive and strong. “Do not blame yourself. You were a teenage boy. There is no before. There is only now.” She blinked rapidly. “There is only now.”

  The words seemed to catch her up so completely his thoughts fled. “Are we still talking about Barbara? Or about you?”

  His heart pounded as she turned her eyes up at him once more. He couldn’t resist her when she did that. Years of choosing to be alone hadn’t made him immune to a beautiful woman. He could rationalize all he wanted, but the truth was he didn’t want just any woman—he wanted her. He wanted a connection with another human being, something to anchor him so he didn’t feel this was spinning out of control. Elli seemed to get to him without even trying.

  He stepped forward, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. All the self-recriminations vaporized; all the doubts fled in a puff of smoke. Nothing mattered for a few blissful seconds. There was only Elli, her soft skin, the moist taste of her lips, her body close to his. God, he’d needed this, badly. And when she made a soft sound in her throat, he deepened the kiss.

  Surprise was Elli’s first feeling, quickly chased away by the sensation of his lips on hers and his hands cradling her face like a chalice. Her emotions had been riding close to the surface all day, facing all the things she should have faced long before now. But she’d held herself together, through the hours at the hospital and even facing William’s things at her mother’s. Tonight, alone with him, the words had sat on her tongue burning to be said. And still she couldn’t. But somehow he seemed to know anyway.

  Oh, he smelled good. She could still smell the remnants of the aftershave he’d put on this morning, something simple and rugged. His lips were soft, the faint stubble on his chin was rough and the combination was electrifying. She heard a sound—coming from her own throat—and he deepened the contact in response.

  She met him equally, nerves and excitement rushing in waves throughout her body as she slid her arms around his waist and put her hands on his back, pulling him closer.

  The points where their bodies touched were alive and she rejoiced, knowing it had been several long, lonely months since she’d felt such an intense connection with anyone. Elemental, raw and feminine.

  He gentled the kiss, sliding his hands over her shoulders and down her arms as his lips parted from hers. His mouth hovered mere inches away from hers as their breath came rapidly, the sound echoing in the quiet kitchen.

  “Why did you do that?” She whispered it, but the syllables sounded clearly in the silence. His kiss had made her feel like a woman again. But she wanted to hear him say it. She needed him to admit to the chemistry. She had despaired of ever feeling it again, of inspiring it again in a man.

  “I don’t know what came over me.”

  For once, Elli refused to let her inner voice speak. She knew what it would say—that he didn’t find her attractive. The inner voice would make excuses. But she didn’t want excuses. She wanted to believe in the power of the action itself. She wanted to believe in the attraction she’d felt humming between them.

  She desperately needed to believe she’d been worth it. As long as he didn’t apologize. She couldn’t bear that.

  “So it was because …” His hands rested on her arms and she kept hers about his waist. She wanted to keep touching him, just a few moments longer. He was so warm and strong.

  “You keep looking at me and I—”

  He broke off, pushed backward and dropped his hands.

  “You?” she prompted. She wanted him to say the words. Her whole body begged him.

  “I couldn’t seem to help it.”

  The sweetness of it filled her. This was what she’d been missing. How long had it been since she’d felt desirable? How long had she been picking apart things she’d done, words she’d spoken, how she looked? Her hair was too flat, her bottom too wide. She still carried weight around her middle from her pregnancy. But handsome Wyatt Black didn’t seem to care about any of it.

  His gaze probed hers. “But it was probably a mistake. We can’t let this complicate things, Elli. We have to put Darcy first.”

  And just like that the bubble popped, taking the fizz out of the moment. Of course they needed to put Darcy first. He’d told the caseworker that she was a friend helping him care for his niece. He’d stressed how Darcy was the focus for both of them at this moment, and how having two people was vastly better than one. The baby was first priority. And that was as it should be. She was letting her vanity get in the way.

  But it hurt. And she didn’t know why. It shouldn’t matter. Where would it lead? Nowhere. He was absolutely right.

  “Of course we do.” She gathered her wits and retrieved the pot holders, then went to the oven and took out the chicken. It did matter and she did know why. She was seeing a new side to Wyatt and she liked it. She was starting to care about him.

  “Elli—I don’t know how to thank you for all of this.” He looked down at Darcy and Elli’s heart wrenched at the tenderness in his face. Did he realize he was half in love with his niece already?

  She should be thanking him. For pulling her out of her half existence and giving her a purpose again. For feeling, for the first time in months, like a woman. But she couldn’t say any of that without explaining what came before, so she merely replied, “You’re welcome.”

  Silence was awkward so she made herself busy, filling a plate for each of them, and with Darcy napping, they took them to the table.

  The light was low and so were their voices as they discussed what had happened at the hospital. It wasn’t until Wyatt suggested she stay over that she had a moment of pause. A big moment.

  “What do you mean, stay over?”

  Wyatt put down his fork. “We told the caseworker that you were helping me, right?”

  “Well, I know, but …”

  “But I have livestock to look after as well, Elli. I know she is my responsibility, but I can’t see how I can be up with her all night and work all day.” He paused, looked down at his plate and back up again. “We should discuss your wage. I don’t expect you to do this for nothing. You’ve done more than enough the last two days.”

  Elli’s face flamed. That wasn’t where she wanted this to go, a discussion of money. “We can talk about it
later.”

  “But Elli …”

  “There’s no rush, Wyatt. Helping you with Darcy is not taking me away from anything more important, I promise.”

  “Then you’ll stay?”

  The idea was so seductive. She wouldn’t admit it, but the Camerons’ house was big, beautiful and incredibly lonely. Here at Wyatt’s, despite the general frayed-around-the-edges look, there was life and conversation and purpose. But what would she be getting into? She had just admitted to herself that she was starting to care for Wyatt. He’d kissed her. Being here 24/7 was just setting herself up for hurt down the road.

  “I’m right next door if you need me.”

  His gaze pinned her for several seconds before he picked up his knife and fork and started eating again. He’d taken exactly two bites before he put them down again, the clink of silverware against plate loud in the uncomfortable silence.

  “Is this about me kissing you just now, Elli?”

  She didn’t want to look up, but she couldn’t help it. His eyes were completely earnest—not angry, but probing, as if he was trying to understand. But of course, he couldn’t.

  “No, Wyatt, honestly it’s not.” It was only a partial lie.

  “You can have the bed,” he said, his voice low and rough. “I don’t mind sleeping on the couch.”

  “Wyatt …” He was making it so difficult. How could she sleep in the bed, knowing he was just down the hall, folded up on the short sofa? The very thought of it made her heart beat a little faster. “I can help you, but you have to understand … I have assignments due. I’m taking some bookkeeping courses.” It was a paltry excuse; she’d just got through telling him she had nothing pressing. She could easily do the assignments on her laptop and log in to the Camerons’ wireless connection to send them in.

  He was silent for several long moments. Elli looked up in surprise when he straightened his shoulders and squared his jaw. He looked like a man about to face his executioner, like one who was about to say something very unpleasant and the words were souring in his mouth. Butterflies swirled in her stomach.

  “Elli, the one thing I cannot do is let that baby go into foster care. I promised. And I cannot do it alone. I barely got a few hours’ sleep last night. I need you, Elli. I will not let that baby be taken away by child services. I need you.”

  She tried to push away the rush of feeling that came upon hearing the words. She hadn’t known him long, but she’d thought him too proud, too stubborn to admit such a thing.

  He didn’t need her—she understood that. He needed the help, but not her. She was, however, the one person who was here. And the assignments were an excuse. She’d been waiting for a chance to do something important, so what was holding her back? A crush? Didn’t she trust herself enough to be smart?

  Surely she could keep that in hand. Wasn’t Darcy worth it? If it were William, wouldn’t she want someone to do the same?

  That was the clincher. Of course she would. She was in a unique position to help a child. To refuse for personal reasons was beyond selfish.

  “What makes you think they would take her away?” Elli sipped on her water. Wyatt was more open now than he’d been. It could be a good opportunity to learn more about him. Why did the mere mention of a social worker tie him up in knots? Because even the way he said the words was as if they tasted bitter in his mouth.

  “Look at this place.” He pushed away his plate. “It is not the picture of a family home. I am not set up for a baby. I am a single man with no experience with infants. All that is working against me. I can’t give them more ammunition. I need to make this place into a family home.”

  “You realize that they aim to keep children with families, right? That you’re on the same side?”

  But Wyatt shrugged it off. “Maybe so, but there are no guarantees. You don’t know what it does to a kid to be taken away.”

  Her heart ached at the pain in his voice. “Darcy is only a few months old. She wouldn’t remember, Wyatt.”

  “How do you know that? How do you know someone else will be kind? What happens with Barbara? Do you know what the doctor said? She said that Barbara had taken steps to make sure Darcy was safe. She removed herself from the situation. She put Darcy in the care of someone she trusted. Despite being ill she made decisions based on good mothering. I will not betray that faith she placed in me.”

  “Wyatt.” Elli tried to contain her shock at his vehement words. She reached across the table and laid her hand over his wrist. His pulse hammered beneath her fingers as the bits clicked into place.

  “When did it happen?” She asked it gently.

  Wyatt turned his head to the left and looked out the window at the approaching darkness. “What are you talking about?”

  She squeezed his wrist. “How old were you when you were taken away?”

  He started to push back from the table, but she kept her hand firmly on his wrist. He paused halfway up, then sat back down. And this time when he met her gaze there was defiance, an I-dare-you edge in the dark eyes.

  “I was nine.”

  “Oh, Wyatt.”

  “I was gone for a whole week. That’s all. It was too long. I ran away twice trying to get back home. They let me go back when he promised.”

  “Promised what?” Elli felt slightly sick, afraid of what the answer was going to be, sad for the little boy he must have been.

  “Promised he wouldn’t hit me again.”

  Her mouth tasted like bile. “Did he?”

  “No. Not with his fists, anyway. But he’d done enough. I always knew what he was capable of.”

  “Weren’t you afraid to go home?”

  He turned his hand over, studied her fingers, twined his with them. She wondered if he even realized he was doing it, twisting a connection between them as his jaw tightened.

  “I couldn’t leave my mother back there,” he said simply. “I had to be with her. We only had each other, you see. Who does Barbara have if not me? Who does Darcy have?”

  Elli’s eyes smarted. Over in the baby seat Darcy started to snuffle and squirm, waking from her nap. Wyatt held hurts as deep as her own. So much made sense now, including his burning need to get it right. Did he think he was like his father?

  “Wyatt, you could never be like him, you know that, right?”

  His gaze was tortured as it plumbed the depths of her face. “How do I know that? When Darcy cries and I don’t know how to make her stop …”

  “You walk the floor with her. You came to me for help. Don’t you see? You’re doing a fine job with her. You’re patient and loving. You’re twice the man he ever was, Wyatt, I just know it.”

  His gaze brightened before he looked away.

  “Okay. I’ll move some things over. You won’t have to worry about Darcy being taken away from you.”

  Relief softened the lines of his face. “Good. Because we still have to prove it at the social services home visit.”

  He rose and took his plate to the sink, then stopped at the seat and picked Darcy up, cradling her protectively against his chest.

  How was Elli supposed to come through unscathed now?

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  WHEN ELLI RETURNED from the Camerons’ house with a bag, Wyatt was in the middle of the living-room floor, setting up the playpen they’d brought from her mother’s. His dark head was bent in concentration, his wide hands working with the frame. Elli caught her breath and held it, pushing past the flare of attraction. She almost welcomed the stab of grief that came in its wake as she glimpsed the brightly colored pattern on the nylon. Darcy. The playpen had been meant for William, and she couldn’t quite squelch the anger and pain, knowing he would never use it.

  But why shouldn’t Darcy have it now? Wasn’t it better that it was going to be put to some use?

  Wyatt fiddled with a corner and mumbled under his breath. Elli left her maudlin thoughts behind and smiled at his grumbling. “Having fun?”

  Wyatt looked up, a wrinkle between his bro
ws and a curl of hair out of place, lying negligently on his forehead. There it was again—the buzz of excitement. She bit down on her lip.

  “There are way too many buttons and levers on baby things,” he replied. He stood, gave the side of the playpen a quick jerk and the frame snapped into place. “There. It might not be a crib, but at least for tonight she won’t have to sleep in her car seat.”

  Elli put down her overnight bag and went to his side. A plush pad lined the bottom of the playpen, decorated in farm animals. Darcy lay on the floor next to him on an activity mat, her attention riveted on a black-and-white zebra with tissue paper crinkling beneath the fabric.

  “You’re trying really hard.” Elli knelt beside him and rested her hand on the nylon of the pen. In the short time she’d been gone she could see he’d tried to tidy up the living room. A lamp glowed warmly in the back corner and he’d put a soft blanket over the sofa cushions, covering the worn upholstery. The room was more homey than she’d thought, and the warm light highlighted a framed Robert Bateman print on one wall. It was a fine house, it was just … neglected. It wouldn’t take much effort to bring it up to scratch.

  “I never really had a reason before,” he said quietly, getting to his feet. “I’ve been on my own a long time.” A ghost of a smile tipped his lips. “And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty low maintenance.”

  She laughed lightly, drawn in by the cozy light and the easy way he spoke, but beneath it all warning herself she couldn’t get used to it. “And babies aren’t.”

  “Certainly not.” He went to another box, one they’d just managed to slide inside the trunk of her car. “I should put this together next.” As he opened the top flap, he carried on. “I can’t thank you enough for arranging the loan. This stuff is brand-new! Where did you get it?”

  She’d neglected to tell him that the house where they’d stopped belonged to her parents, and she’d determined ahead of time that should he ask she would simply answer that they belonged to someone who had lost a baby. The fewer details the better. She’d been spared explanations earlier, as on the drive home Darcy had been fussing.