Page 134 of His Surrender

My gaze drifts back to him. “Hmm?”

He isn’t looking at Liana. He’s looking at me.

One corner of his mouth lifts. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you watch someone leave a room before.”

Heat crawls up the back of my neck. “What?”

He nods casually toward the hallway. “Your eyes followed her the entire way.”

I shrug. “She lives here.”

“Mmm.”

I sigh. “What?”

Dad chuckles quietly. “I’ve watched you leave family dinners halfway through conversations because someone from work emailed you.”

I shift Liana higher against my shoulder.

“I’ve never”—he smiles to himself—“seen you look at anyone the way you’ve been looking at Aubrey.”

My heartbeat flutters. “You’re reading too much into it.”

His eyebrows rise. “Am I?”

“Yes.”

He leans back comfortably against the couch. “So, you weren’t watching her?”

I open my mouth, then close it again.

“I …” I clear my throat. “I was.”

He fights an obvious grin. “I know.”

Silence settles between us.

“I’ve also noticed something else.”

I already know I’m not going to like whatever comes next.

“Every time she picks Liana up, you smile.”

I blink. “I do?”

“You don’t even realize you’re doing it.” He looks at me kindly. “Every time Aubrey laughs, you look for the reason.”

My chest tightens.

“And every time she walks into a room”—he smiles knowingly— “you stop whatever you’re doing.”

I stare down at Liana. She wraps both hands around one of my fingers. Completely unaware that my father has somehow dismantled every defense I’ve built over the last two months.

I let out a slow breath. Neither of us speaks for several seconds. Finally, I ask the question that’s been sitting on my chest since he started talking.

“You’re … not angry?”

He actually laughs. “Why would I be angry?”