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Dalton leaned forward. “She won’t forget her mom because you won’t let that happen. But Aiden, this is what you wanted. A female figure in Hadley’s life. Tammy met with Emma this morning for coffee, and she said she really liked her.”
“Yeah, Emma asked me if she could have coffee with Tammy. She also asked me what I wanted her to do while Hadley was in school. I had no freaking clue what to tell her. And why would she ask me if she could meet someone for coffee? I don’t own her just because she works for me.”
Dalton laughed. “You’ll figure it all out. Just try to relax and know what you’re doing is good for both you and Hadley.”
I let out a gruff laugh. “How is it good forme?”
“Hadley isn’t the only person needing a female in the house.”
I shot him a dirty look.
Dalton held up his hands. “That’s not what I meant, dude. I only meant it will be nice for you to have some home-cooked meals. Another adult to talk to.”
“We’re not playing house, and I’m not going to pretend like she’s something other than my employee.”
Pulling his brows together, Dalton stared at me intently. After a minute or so, he stood up.
“You may not want to believe this, Aiden, but you’re allowed to be happy. Listen, I know things between you and Lisa were bad before the cancer. Things were said, decisions made, but you still took care of her, and I know she loved you for it. Maybe not the kind of love that you both thought you should have for one another, but love, nonetheless. Lisa would have wanted you tobe happy. She wouldn’t want you feeling guilty because of what happened between you.
“You loved her and never left her side, but dude, at some point you’re going to have to forgive yourself and move on. I’m not telling you to go have sex with the nanny. I’m just saying open up your mind to the idea of letting someone in who just might turn out to be a good friend. That’s all.”
With that, he turned and walked out the door.
I dragged my hands down my face. I knew he was right. Emma was a good thing for Hadley, and that was what I needed to remember. Not how she’d made me laugh for the first time in a year, or how her smile made my knees feel a bit weak, and for sure not how much my daughter was falling head over heels for her after one day.
Emma was a surprise. The first woman to really make my breath catch in my throat since high school, when I’d first caught a glimpse of Lisa. But that feeling with Emma? It was different. Stronger. And that scared me.
She was a beautiful woman, and it would be futile if I tried to ignore that fact. But what Icouldn’tlet myself do was think anything could ever happen between us. A difficult task for a man who hadn’t held a woman in his arms for far too long.
My phone beeped on my desk with a text from Emma.Speak of the devil.
I picked it up to see a picture of Hadley holding up a drawing. It was of her and me in the woods. The corner of the drawing said, “Me and my daddy. Ranger Aiden Bishop.”
Smiling, I replied back.
Me:I love it. Ask Emma to hang it up on the corkboard in the breakfast area.
My phone beeped back with a reply.
Emma:ieodn98h3dldkjyepwnfhvp.daddy
Emma:That was Hadley’s reply to you I’ll hang it up right now. See you soon.
I stood to gather my things, laughing yet again. Dalton was right. Hiring Emma was going to be good for both Hadley and me. A little bit of desperately needed lightness in our lives, nothing more. My initial reaction to the woman was simply a one-time thing. She was beautiful, I noticed, the end. Now I’d let that go and concentrate on what was best for Hadley. She was all that mattered in my world.
Laughter filtered out from the kitchen as I made my way into the house.
“Do it again!” Hadley cried out.
“Okay, ready?”
“Ready!”
I peeked around the corner and saw Emma with pizza dough in her hand. She threw it up in the air and barely caught it, making Hadley fall over in a fit of laughter.
Emma laughed too. “I almost dropped it that time!”
“Do it again!”
