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Ten
Nova fell asleep in the car after they left the outlet store. Robin suspected it was needed. She doubted the girl had slept well since her mother’s death.
It was hard for Robin not to burn with anger when she thought of that woman and what her actions had done to her daughter. She understood how addiction worked, of course. But…two children had been almost lost to the wolves of the world because of that woman’s actions.
Nick was there to protect them, just in time.
Her respect for him had grown exponentially in the moment he’d looked at that social worker today and said Nova wasn’t going anywhere. Agreeing to take Noah, too, when he absolutely didn’t have to—that told her so much more about Nick Tyler than the man probably realized.
Her husband wouldn’t have taken in an ex-girlfriend’s son so that kid could stay with his sister. Not even for a single night. Period.
She was going to have to be really, really careful not to fall for Nick.
The man had had her on edge all week. Every time he’d get near, every nerve she had went on red alert.
Shouted hot man, take action! right at her.
She’d attributed her behavior this week with him to the last remnants of that long ago crush. And when she’d look at him and he’d give her a look back, her insides would absolutely melt in a way that terrified her.
Nick was still attracted to her, too.
And that meant Trouble with a capital T.
No falling for Nick.
She doubled her resolve in that regard. And added one more item to her list: no getting all gushy over Daddy-Nick, either.
That could prove really dangerous—especially to a woman with three kids.
Robin was there to do a job. Period. Not get distracted by the perfect way his jeans cupped his rear end, or how his hair was just a little too long and made her fingers curl to touch.
She definitely shouldn’t be driving Nick’s little girl to his new house, and helping him out by playing mommy for the moment.
But as she pulled into the driveway of Nick’s new house, she looked at Nova quickly.
How could she not be there for Nova when the little girl needed her so much?
What if it was her kids that this had happened to?
She had always had Rory and Glenna—her kids would have been taken care of. But…without them, it could have been hers lost out there.
Doug hadn’t had any family, either.
But she did. And the head of that family was marrying her best friend soon. That had mattered, had had her packing up her kids so they could know their family.
Family…was what mattered most.
As Nick and a gaggle of the younger Nick-alikes stepped out onto the porch, Robin reaffirmed her plan.
She was not going to be stupid here. She was going to help him with his daughter, and that was it.
She parked the car and killed the engine. She’d carry Nova inside herself. Then she and Nick could get the car unloaded. There were a few things she wanted to talk to him about, things Nova had let slip, and things he’d need to know to take care of her appropriately. He didn’t know anything about his daughter at all.
And…she wanted to see if he was ok.
The man’s entire world had just shifted when he’d learned he’d lost out on his daughter’s entire life, after all.
