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“Wait!” I called. “Hannah, hold on.”
She glanced over her shoulder but didn’t stop. If anything, she sped up. Puffing, I broke into a run. I was strong from working with my hands all day, but my aerobic fitness wasn’t what it used to be and I was gasping by the time I caught her.
I put a hand on her shoulder. “Stop.”
Spinning around, she cocked a brow, emotion blazing in her eyes. “Why?”
“Because…” My mouth opened and shut as I struggled to come up with a decent reason for her to give me the time of day. Clearly, ‘you’re my daughter’s teacher’ wasn’t an option, and based on how badly I’d fucked things up since we’d first met, I doubted citing the screaming orgasms I’d given her would fly either. I sighed. “Just hear me out.”
“Fine.” She crossed her arms over her chest, shivering a little as the breeze touched her bare arms. I shrugged out of my leather jacket and offered it to her. She shook her head. “Come on,” I said. “Just take it so you’re not freezing while you listen to my sorry ass apologize.”
Grumbling under her breath, she put it on. The jacket swamped her, falling halfway to her knees. A surge of satisfaction rushed through me at the sight of her in my clothes. The possessive monster I liked to keep under lock reared its head. Nobody could mistake the jacket for being hers, which meant everyone would know she was taken. Mine. Even if that was utterly fucking ridiculous because she was glaring at me like she wished looks could kill. But with her little pout, it was kinda cute. Not that I’d say as much.
“I’m sorry,” I said, shuffling from one foot to the other. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I had a knee-jerk reaction that was uncalled for.”
She folded her arms over her chest and lifted her chin. “Why did you react that way?
I hesitated. I didn’t have a good explanation at the ready. “Honestly, I’m not completely sure.”
“I wouldn’t have said anything about that night. You didn’t have to act as though we’re basically strangers.”
“I know,” I grumbled. “I’m sorry. I think… It’s just that….” I growled in frustration, unable to find the words. Instead, I hauled her closer and kissed her. She was stiff for a moment, but then melted into the embrace. I inhaled her sweet scent and reveled in the sensation of holding her, but then she was pushing away from me, putting distance between us.
“What was that?” she demanded.
Damn. I’d screwed up again.
I dragged a hand through my hair. “I want you,” I said. “I know you wouldn’t have given anything away back in the bar, butImight have. I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind, and every time I see you, it gets harder to remember why I don’t do relationships.”
“Oh.” She deflated, her face puckered with confusion. “You know, you haven’t really explained to me why you don’t date. Is it because of Ruby?”
I glanced around, noticing a few people in the vicinity. “You mind if we walk while we talk? I think we have an audience.”
Her lips pursed, but she nodded. We walked side by side along the pavement. I followed her lead, not sure if she was taking us back to her place or somewhere else.
“The reason I’ve chosen not to date anyone seriously is partly because of Ruby.” I scrubbed my hand over my jaw, feeling spiky stubble against my palm and fingertips. “I already told you how her mum left after she was born. When she got pregnant, she didn’t want to keep the baby. I persuaded her to carry her to term, and then I adopted her. She signed away parental rights, and we got a divorce. We’d been high school sweethearts and married young. We hadn’t meant to get pregnant, and there had been lots of other things she wanted to do. Travel, live footloose and fancy free. A baby got in the way of that.”
“I’m sorry, that can’t have been easy.” The sympathy in her voice felt like progress. “For you to suddenly become not only a first-time dad, but also a sole provider must have been a massive learning curve.”
“You can say that again. I wasn’t completely alone though. My parents helped out. They were amazing.”
“You’re lucky to have them.” Something in her tone sounded wistful. “So, the no-dating thing. It’s because you don’t want Ruby to get attached to someone and lose them?”
“I’m not sure how I could handle it if we started caring about someone and they left,” I admitted. “But I also don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to a relationship. I couldn’t take a woman out and give her the attention she deserved.”
“If you found the right person, it wouldn’t matter.”
I sighed. “There’s also the fact you’re young and carefree. You deserve better than to be tied down with someone like me.”
She scowled. “Shouldn’t that be for me to decide?”
I kept my mouth shut because she had a point, but since it would affect my daughter, if I dated Hannah only for her to later take off, it was a factor I couldn’t ignore.
“Besides...” She stopped walking and turned to face me. A quick check of our surroundings showed that no one was paying attention to us anymore. “My life isn’t carefree, and it never has been.” She drew in a slow breath. “You met my dad.”
“Briefly.”
“I’m not sure if Ruby has told you this or not, but he’s an ex-con. He served time for car theft.”
