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Is he serious? He’s willing to give up a date with me to spend time with my daughter? I thought he wanted some alone time with me.
“Thanks, Fender. But I’m busy tonight.”
My heart swells with pride. My daughter isn’t rushing to change her plans to spend time with a man. Good for her. She’s going to be a wonderful woman some day. A strong woman who doesn’t allow a man to hurt her the way I did.
“We’ll make plans for another night next week.”
“Okay. I gotta go.” Isla rushes off without a backward glance.
Fender grasps my hand, leads me out of the center, and helps me into the passenger seat of the Hummer.
“You okay?” he asks as he secures my seatbelt around me.
“As long as Isla’s fine, I’m fine.”
He kisses my nose before shutting my door and rounding the vehicle to get into the driver’s seat.
“Do you want to skip our date?” he asks as we drive back to my house. “We can get some takeout and watch a movie.”
“You wouldn’t be mad?”
His brow furrows. “Why would I be mad?”
“First, I drag you to the community center at breakneck speed and then I cancel our date.”
He parks the car in front of my house and turns to look at me. “It’s no big deal.”
“No big deal? No big deal?” I screech.
He shrugs. “All I did was drive you to the community center.”
“You don’t get it. No one has helped me with Isla since my grandparents died. Since Isla was three, I’ve been on my own.”
“You’re not on your own now.”
“For now. Once you leave Winter Falls, I’ll be on my own again.”
He grasps my chin. “Open your eyes, firecracker. The whole town is here to support you. Virginia and Indigo will babysit your daughter whenever you ask them, and the gossip gals will help out in any way they can.”
My belly warms at his words. Is it true? Is the town here to support me?
I shake my head. “I can’t chance it.”
“Chance what?”
“Them changing their minds.”
“Changing their minds? Changing their minds about what?”
“About me. How do I know they won’t decide I’m not worth it?”
He growls. “Not worth it? Firecracker, you’re worth everything.”
I glance away. “I thought I was once. I thought my parents would support me being pregnant. But no, they kicked me out. I thought Charles would help me raise our child. But, no, he left when Isla was barely five months old.”
“What about your grandparents? Didn’t they help out?”
“Isla and I lived with them until they passed away.”
