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“Then you don’t need to.”
“I do. You’re going to get to know Ava. I want you to know what she’s been through. Why she is the way she is.” His eyebrows drew together as he looked into her eyes. “The two of you made some kind of connection. I think it’s important that you should know.”
“Thank you. That means a lot.”
“It means a lot to me, Hannah. I didn’t think I should date anyone because I couldn’t imagine taking time away from Ava. I sure as hell didn’t imagine that I’d meet someone who wanted to spend time with her.”
She met his gaze. “I have to be honest with you.”
“What?”
“If someone had asked me if I would date a guy with a child, I would have said no. But Ava’s … special. Now, I think if you told me you didn’t want to see me again, I’d still ask if I could help her out with her photography.”
Grady stopped walking and wrapped both arms around her as he hugged her to his chest. “You’re special, Hannah.”
She hugged him back. “I’m not. I just care a lot about her already.” She looked up into his eyes. “And it’s probably too soon to say it, but I think that I’m going to care a lot about you, too.”
He lowered his head and she rolled up on her tiptoes to meet him. That kiss seemed to say a lot more than either of them would have dared to put into words. She held him tighter and hoped that she was right.
He broke away first and looked around for Scooter. He was only a little way ahead of them. She loved that Grady was keeping an eye out for the puppy. She’d been too caught up in the way he made her feel.
They started walking again, and Grady blew out a sigh. “Kayla, my sister. She was in the Air Force. She was always a tough cookie. She loved her career, but she got out after she’d done her time. She never really settled into anything after that. She moved up to Seattle. Met a guy, got pregnant.” He shook his head. “The guy didn’t stick around. So, she was on her own with a new baby. I asked her to move in with me, but my life wasn’t exactly stable at the time. She refused. She wouldn’t have come with me even if I’d had a steady job and a home. She did okay for herself for a while. Took a job working at a daycare and she got to take Ava with her. But she got sick. Pancreatic cancer.” He turned and looked out over the vineyards. “I went to stay with them then. I was going to take care of them both. But it was too late. By the time they found the cancer it was too advanced. She died three weeks after she got the diagnosis.” He ran his hand over his face. “There was nothing I could do.”
Hannah wrapped her arms around him and held him. She didn’t speak. She didn’t know what to say. But he clung to her, and she knew she’d done the right thing.
After a few minutes he straightened up. “Thanks.”
“No need.” She took hold of his hand and squeezed it, and they carried on walking. She was relieved that Scooter seemed happy to stay close.
“We have an older brother, Braydon. He’s the sensible one. While I took off with my board and Kayla joined the Air Force, Braydon did things by the book. He went to college, became an accountant, got married, and had two kids. When Kayla died, he and his wife, Vanessa, insisted that they should take Ava. They have a stable home. A steady income. They have two boys, so it meant that she’d have two brothers. Those were the reasons they gave me. Everyone said it was for the best. I didn’t think it was, but I thought I was just being selfish. I wanted to keep her, but everyone said she’d be better off with them. So, I let her go.” He blew out a sigh. “Maybe I’ll tell you all about it someday, but the short version is, she spent three years with them, and she wasn’t better off. When I figured that out, I moved her here with me.”
Hannah reached up and kissed him. “You’re right, she has had it tough. But I still say that she’s a lucky girl to have you. You’re amazing, Grady.”
He gave her a sad smile. “I just want to give her a good life.”
“You already have. I barely know you and I can see it.”
~ ~ ~
Grady wrapped his arms around her and held her as tightly as he could against his chest. He was glad he’d told her about Kayla. It wasn’t something he talked about. Molly knew the full story, but she was the only one of his friends he’d told until now. If they were going to spend time together, if Hannah was going to be around Ava, then there was more that she’d need to know. More about what Ava’s life had been like with Bradyon and Vanessa and their boys. But telling her about Kayla was a start. It was a big step for him.
He loved the way she hugged him back. She was just the right height for him; her head rested on his shoulder and her face pressed against his neck. He kissed her cheek and squeezed her, before letting her go. “Come on, we need to keep up with Scooter.”
She stood back and took hold of his hand. “Okay. I know we need to follow him, but I think you’re going to drop this whole subject now, and before you do, I want you to know that I admire what you’ve done for Ava. What you’re doing with her. And now I think I know why she and I connected so well. It’s like I said, a little girl needs a woman in her life. I felt the same way. My mom was alive, and she loved me, but … Ugh! … I’m not comparing myself to Ava’s situation. It doesn’t come close. All I’m trying to say is that I think I have a little insight into how she might feel. I know my mom loved me, but we weren’t close. I spent my childhood wondering why no-one understood me and wishing I had someone who did.” She shrugged. “I think I just messed up what I wanted to say. The only thing that really matters is that I’d like to be around for Ava. I’d love to talk to her about cameras and photography, but more than that, too.”
Grady landed a kiss on her lips. “Thanks.” She might not have spoken all the right words, but he understood exactly what she meant. The way she spoke about her relationship with her mom, was the same way Kayla used to talk. Their mom just wasn’t cut out to be a parent. It hadn’t mattered so much to Braydon or to him, but he knew that Kayla had felt that she missed out on having the kind of mom her friends had.
“Oh, shit.”
“What?” Hannah looked up at him. But he was watching Scooter, who had just taken off in the direction of a man who was coming down the road to meet them.
To his relief, Hannah laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s my brother, Jacob. Scooter won’t get past him. He loves dogs.”
“That’s good.” Grady was glad that he’d be okay with the puppy, but he had to wonder how Jacob might feel about seeing him here.
He watched him squat down and play with the puppy. By the time they reached him, he was sitting on the ground with Scooter in his lap. The pup had his paws on Jacob’s shoulders and was licking his face as if he were a long-lost friend.
Hannah turned to Grady with a smile. “I told you there was nothing to worry about.”
