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He dropped her hand and held the door open, nodding for her to step outside. Even though she trusted Daddy that it was safe, his excitement was contagious, and she peeked her head out the door first.
Lady shot down the steps, still barking. Hanna’s gaze followed the dog through the overcast afternoon and landed on a huge bus parked in the grassy clearing in front of the cabin. No, not a bus. An RV.
Excitement raced through her, and she wondered if Eli had come, but as she left the porch and approached the RV, no one exited it. Daddy’s footsteps sounded behind her as she peered into the windows. Nothing. No one. Eli hadn’t come. He wouldn’t have been able to drive this far in a day or two anyway. She felt silly for her error.
“Daddy…” Confusion settled on her and she spun to gaze at Daddy.
“It’s an RV, Hanna.”
She laughed. “I know what it is. Why is it parked here?”
“I bought it. It’s the nicest one they had at the dealership in town. They delivered it while you were napping.”
She looked from Daddy to the RV. If he’d bought this huge, expensive thing, then he’d bought it for a good reason. To drive somewhere. To drive a long way in comfort. Maybe as far as Oregon. Her head snapped in his direction, and his guilty smile brightened the overcast day. But her spirits sank in the next moment.
What would happen between them once they reached Oregon, assuming that was indeed his plan?
He strode to her and clasped one of her shaking hands in his and brought it up to cover his heart. The pain in his gaze carried so much raw emotion she couldn’t tear her eyes from his.
“Hanna,” he began. He took a long breath before continuing. “I care about you very much. I don’t want to stand in your way though, and I know you want to see Eli and visit his family.”
“Daddy…”
“Let me finish.” He stroked a hand down the back of her head, and she melted under his gentle touch. “I told you I had a plan. Well, here it is. We’ll drive all the way to Oregon together, and we can take Lady with us in the RV too. We’ll take the long way there so you can see whatever parts of the country you’ve been wanting to see. You can help me map out our trip. We’ll visit Eli for as long as you’d like. We’ll also…”
Hanna listened as Daddy went on and on about his plan. She thought it was brilliant. He confessed Eli wasn’t thrilled about their relationship, but Daddy was certain her brother would come around eventually. They would stay with Eli’s family for as long as Hanna wished, and Daddy said they could go anywhere in the continental United States in the RV. He could bring his laptop and continue to work on his website design business, and if Hanna never wished to set foot in Pennsylvania again, he would find a way to make it work. In short, they would still be together in the coming days.
Together indefinitely.
“I don’t want to lose you, Hanna. I love you very much, and I’d like to be with you and take care of you for as long as you’ll let me.”
Daddy’s profession of love burned into her memory. For as long as she lived, she would never forget the moment he’d said he loved her. Not only was he the first person to ever speak of love to her, but he was the first man to teach her about love. He would always have her gratitude for that, no matter what happened in the years to come.
Joy filled her to overflowing. Grinning wide, she rose on her tiptoes and kissed Daddy on the lips. “I love you too, and I love your plan. This was the best surprise I can think of.” She kissed him again. “Thank you, Daddy.”
Relief spread across his face, and his shoulders relaxed. He squeezed her hand. “Come on, sweet girl. I’ll show you the inside.”
CHAPTER20
“Hanna!”Ben called. “Time for your bath!” He strode into the living room where he’d left her while he ran the water. She wasn’t on the floor in front of the TV watching cartoons anymore, and he glanced around as he wondered if she was playing a trick on him.
His palm twitched as he also wondered if she was up to something naughty. He suspected she was hiding behind the curtains or the couch.
“Hanna, baby girl, you’d better come out by the time I count to three! One. Two. Three.”
Hanna didn’t appear, but a noise in the kitchen caught his attention. Slowly, he crept through the house in the direction of the noise. He peered through the doorway and caught sight of his baby girl pushing a chair up to the refrigerator. Drawing back into the shadows of the hallway, he continued to spy.
She bit her lip and glanced around, as if making sure he wasn’t nearby. The guilty look on her face was so adorable he almost laughed. She crawled up on the chair and reached for the cookie jar he’d placed there earlier. He’d told her if she was a good girl, he would let her have a cookie after dinner tonight. The naughty, naughty little girl was trying to sneak behind his back and steal a cookie while he ran her bath.
Without speaking, he entered the kitchen, picked her up by the waist, and set her down on the floor. The shock on her face as she gawked up at him was priceless.
“Da-Daddy. I was just… I was…” She bowed her head and shuffled her feet.
“I know very well what you were doing,” he said, crossing his arms. “You were being naughty, Hanna.”
“Yes, Daddy,” she admitted. “I’m sorry.”
“You know very well that the cookies were for after dinner. I’m very disappointed that you got up to mischief while I was preparing your bath, baby girl.”
