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“The alien stuff?”
His lips curled in a bittersweet smile. “Something like that. Nothing you would believe, darlin’. But I do want you to understand that I wouldn’t have left you alone. I would have tried my hardest to be a father to you.”
“It seems like you kind of were to the Harpers.” The men had deferred to him the way they would have a father. They’d been careful with him, helping both he and Cassidy navigate the situation.
“I think a lot of us were father figures to Max and Rye and their sister, Brooke, after their daddy left,” he admitted. “I taught them what I knew, watched out for them. I liked being around those kids. All of them, really. Elisa, I’m not sure if I can give you what you want. I’ll answer all your questions to the best of my ability.”
“But you don’t think a relationship between us could work out.” It was funny because she’d come to the same conclusion, but it hurt now that he was suggesting it. Rejection sucked even when one was prepared for it.
“I know I seem crazy, and I can try my hardest to tone that down for you. I can talk to Cass about letting you lead the discussions more. But if you’re uncomfortable, I can’t fix that. I see the world the way I see it.”
A little bitterness flared to life. “So I’m supposed to pretend I believe in aliens if I want to hang out with you.”
“No. Just be okay with the fact that Cass and I might understand a different reality than you do. This…the things we’ve seen and lived through, I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I’m glad you don’t believe because it means you’ve had a normal life, and maybe that was a good enough reason for the universe to deny me something I always wanted.”
She pushed down the nasty feeling because something was happening between them. He was being honest with her. “You wanted a kid.”
“More than anything, but my life was complex and I didn’t find a woman who was willing to be my real partner until I was far too old to be a daddy.” His gaze held hers as he went grave. “I guess what I’m saying is I would rather you weren’t ashamed of me.”
Her heart threatened to seize. Had she been giving off that vibe? She’d had some thoughts about how weird the situation was, but she hadn’t wanted him to feel this way.
What the hell was normal? She’d come into this town hoping he wasn’t cold and unwelcoming, and he wasn’t. He was weird and not at all like she expected and maybe a little on the outside of… He had some problems. Was she willing to push him aside so she didn’t have to deal with them? The people of the town seemed to love this man. The people of this town also seemed outside the norm.
The norm sucked as much as rejection did.
“Don’t cry, honey. I didn’t mean to make you cry. That’s the last thing I want to do.” Her father reached out and put a hand on hers.
Her mother would have told her to suck it up, that this kind of emotion in public wasn’t becoming. She wouldn’t have reached out a hand. Elisa stared at that hand on hers. It was a strong hand, the skin worn and weathered, but there was such warmth to it.
If she’d been raised by him, would she understand how to hold a hand? Accept a hug? Defeat aliens?
Would she be comfortable with the idea of real love?
He started to pull away but she turned her hand over, stopping him and curling her fingers around his.
“I’m not good at affection, but I want to be,” she admitted. “And I’m so sorry if I made you think I was feeling any kind of shame. I’m not good with emotions either, but I’m working on it. My mom wasn’t physically affectionate, and I’ve been through some things in the last couple of years that made me pull into myself. I came here because I wanted to meet you. I’m awkward with meeting new people. Please forgive me. I don’t want to stop talking, and I think Cassidy is perfectly lovely. Can we start over again?”
His hand squeezed hers. “Of course. Elisa, you should understand I’m probably not going to be good at saying no to you. Except about…well…”
She could guess. “You can tell me what to do in case an alien comes calling. I will follow your every order and the good news is, I like beets. I like them quite a bit.”
“Oh, well, I have some great recipes.” Cassidy was back. She was smiling one moment, and then her face fell. “Is everything all right? I didn’t mess anything up, did I?”
