Page 28 of His for the Holiday

She nodded but peppered me with questions all the way to my childhood home, clutching the straps of her backpack on her shoulders. “Why are you here? Where’s Emery?”

“She got caught up at work,” I said patiently, having expected this interrogation from at least one of them.

“Oh.” Winnie let that information sink in. “Don’t you work?”

“I do, but I’m on vacation.”

“For this long?” She frowned at me. “Are you sure you’ve not been sacked?”

I chuckled, still unable to get over some of the words she used and how cute a Scottish accent was when it came out of a kid. “It’s my own company, so I definitely haven’t been fired.”

“Are you married?” she asked curiously.

I shook my head, but before I could say anything about it, she peered up at me. “Why not?”

“Why am I not married?”

“Yes. Why has nobody married you?”

“Well, I suppose it’s because I haven’t asked anybody to,” I said. “I haven’t met anyone I wanted to be married to.”

“Oh.” She took this information onboard as well, those intelligent, curious little eyes so much like her mother’s that it made me miss my childhood friend more than I ever had before. “Why do you wear your hair like that?”

“Excuse me?”

She mimed pushing her own hair off her face. “Like that. It’s all back.”

“How am I supposed to wear it?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Daddy said boys don’t have to brush their hair every day.”

I blinked a few times. Fuck. I really don’t think I’m supposed to talk about her dad. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” she said succinctly. “He said men are cooler if their hair isn’t perfect.”

“I don’t think mine is perfect,” I said, but honestly, I’d never even thought about it. “But boys are allowed to comb their hair every day if they want.”

Winnie shrugged again. “You’re very clean.”

Unexpected laughter tore out of me. “Thank you. I showered earlier.”

“Daddy said men’s hands are a little bit dirty in the day because they work with them. Do you work with your hands?”

Not unless you count working with my fingers on a keyboard.“No, not in the way you’re thinking. I used to but now I’m the boss. And bosses have to stay clean and fix their hair.”

I was burning to ask her more about her dad, especially for some context about all this stuff she’d said, but I refrained, knowing I couldn’t take advantage of a child that way. Still, she was so much like Sutton that it was incredible, and her demands for my full attention didn’t end when we got back to the house.

After I made their snack, I had to sit on the couch while she practiced her monologue for her school play tryouts. Then I had to provide feedback. Eventually, the doorbell rang and my heart did a weird jump-like thing at the knowledge that it was probably Sutton, here to collect her daughter.

When I opened the door with Winnie right behind me, Sutton’s gray eyes widened. “Hawk? Where’s Emery?”

“She got caught up with my dad at the port,” I said, though I’d been wondering the same thing myself.

Sutton grimaced. “You should’ve called! I would’ve come to get her earlier. I’m so sorry. Have you been with them all by yourself this afternoon?”

I chuckled. “Yeah, but it’s not a problem. Really. That’s quite the budding little actress you’ve got here. She’s good.”

“Has she been making you listen to her monologue?” she asked, hugging Winnie before sending her back inside to fetch her things.

“I had to give constructive criticism too,” I said, wondering why the only thing I could think about doing right now was pulling Sutton into my arms and crushing her to my chest.

Instead, I just stared into those eyes and thought about what David had told me. “She’s pretty good for a seven-year-old.”

Sutton chuckled and nodded, sending her out to her grandma while she and I lingered on the porch together. “Yeah, she is. She wants to be an actress when she grows up and never lets anyone forget it. My little drama queen. She didn’t give you any trouble, did she?”

“Nope.” Just the inquisition, but since she hadn’t glared at me again, I was hoping that I’d passed whatever test that had been. “It really wasn’t a problem. I love kids.”

“You do?” she frowned, clearly surprised. “Really?”

“Really.” I laughed. “Kids are fun. They’re mostly uncomplicated when you’re not their parent. I don’t have to worry about whether their shoes are tied right or if they’ve remembered their baseball bat. I just get to play, listen, and goof around, which is fun.”

Sutton’s eyes swept across my face, searching before she suddenly laughed and shook her head. “Just when I thought I knew you. Thanks for watching her, Hawk. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, and then I decided to totally ignore her dad’s warning to stay away from her. “Do you want to get a coffee with me sometime? Or maybe something stronger?”

Fuck it. I could fight David if I have to. I’m sure of it.

Sutton, to my complete and utter surprise, finally seemed to have found whatever she’d been looking for on my face and nodded. She even smiled shyly as those eyes held mine. “Sure, I’d love that. When?”