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“I’m so sorry for talking to you the way I did when Riley ran away. I was a dick and I took my frustration out on you. I know you were only trying to help and I pushed you away.” He gazed at her through his thick lashes. “I’ll never do that again.”
“I just wanted to make things right.”
“I know. And I should have accepted that. I should have known that a problem shared is a problem halved. Instead I assumed you were thinking about yourself.”
“I’d never do that. Not when it comes to Riley. She should always come first. She’s your daughter and she needs your support.”
“I know that. I think I always did, somewhere deep inside me. I was just too scared to see if it was true.” He looked down, his brows knitting together. “I’ve not always had the best experience with girlfriends. My last one asked me to send Riley away.”
Ally frowned. “What a bitch.”
That made him laugh. He looked up with a grin on his face. “I know. Thank God I saw that before it was too late.” His expression turned serious. “I talked with your dad the other day. He had some wise words for me.”
“My dad?” Her brows shot up, surprise making her mouth fall open. “What did he have to say?”
“That there’s more than enough love to go around. And part of being a parent is learning to let go. To let your child make their own mistakes. To show them how to be healthy by having your own life, too.”
Tears stung at Ally’s eyes. “Dad never did that,” she whispered.
“I know. And I can tell you he regrets it. He told me not to end up regretting it, too.” Nate ran his finger in a circle around her palm. “Riley and I have started family counseling again. I want her to have a safe place to be able to talk to me and tell me what she really thinks. What she needs. Without ever being afraid of upsetting me.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Ally said.
“We had our first session this morning. She told me she wanted me to date again. That she didn’t want to worry about me being lonely whenever she went out.” That smile was playing at his lips again. His eyes caught hers. “She wants me to date you,” he said. “Which is pretty cool, because that’s what I want to do, too.”
“Oh.” Ally felt breathless.
“I’ve fallen in love with you, Ally Sutton,” he said, his voice strong and true. “With every part of you. And I know I’m not much of a catch. A single dad of a teenager with issues. You should probably run as fast as you can.” He glanced down. “Or maybe hobble.”
She grinned.
“I guess what I’m trying to tell you is that I shouldn’t ask you to be mine, but I’m a selfish enough bastard to do it anyway. I want that last photograph on the wall to be the three of us. Because I can’t imagine my life turning out any other way.”
The tears that had been threatening for the past few minutes were spilling over. “That’s the nicest thing that anybody’s ever said to me,” she whispered
“You better get used to it. I plan on telling you every day.” He stood and reached for her hand, pulling her into his embrace. She closed her eyes as he pulled her in tightly, her face resting against his muscled chest, their bodies aligning as though they were made for each other.
He wiped away the tears from her cheeks then tipped her chin with his finger until she was looking up at him. “Will you date this old man?” he whispered.
“Yes.” She nodded. “Yes, I will. Because I love you, too.” She was smiling through the tears. “And I love your daughter, Nate. So much. I want nothing more than to be in both of your lives.”
“Thank God.” He dipped his head until his lips captured hers, his arms tightening around her waist. She could feel every part of him against her – his hard chest and stomach, and the burgeoning desire that lit a fuse inside her she wasn’t sure would ever go out. She could spend the rest of her days in his arms and it still wouldn’t be enough.
She could never get bored of this man, and from the way he was kissing her he felt exactly the same way.
And there was nothing she wanted more than that.
* * *
They’d been kissing like hormone-filled teenagers outside her apartment for the last ten minutes. “I should leave,” he murmured against her lips, though he was reluctant to let her go.
“One more kiss,” she whispered, pulling him in closer.
“I wish I could come inside.” One of his hands was holding her waist, the other cupping her jaw so he could angle her face perfectly. Enough so he could plunder her mouth as she rested back on her apartment building wall. God, she tasted delicious. Everything about her was soft and enticing.
“I wish you could, too,” she said, sliding her hands up until they reached the hard planes of his abdomen. His body tensed at the sensation.
“God I need you.”
