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Jared shakes his head. “Not Uncle Tuck.You.”
My throat grows heavy with emotion. “Me?”
Jared’s eyes meet mine. “Remember when I was in the second grade and my Boy Scout troop had a father/son fieldtrip to the Georgia Aquarium? Uncle Tuck couldn’t make it, so you came?”
I smile at the memory. Jared was obsessed with sharks back then, so we tried to find every shark in the Aquarium. “Of course. That was an awesome day.”
“One of the best days of my life,” he says quietly.
“Mine too.”
Jared smiles. “After that, I always pretended like you were my dad. Whether it was to talk about girls or school or baseball, I came to you. Why do you think I asked for your help when I set up my LLC?”
I blink. “Because I’m a lawyer?”
“That does come in handy, but that’s not why I came to you.”
I swallow around the lump that’s growing in my own throat. “I’d be honored to be your dad, Jared. I love you like a son.”
His face splits into a mischievous grin. “And my mom? You love her, too, right?”
I raise an eyebrow. “You're not planning to Parent Trap us, are you?”
“It’s crossed my mind a time or two. But I keep waiting for the two of you to figure out that you belong together yourselves.”
Chapter 14
Bishop
WhenIcheckoutof the hospital, I head straight to Hazel’s door. I should probably stop by the house to shave first, but after receiving blessings from both Tuck and Jared to make a move, I’m not going to wait another second.
If she rejects me, I’m not sure what I’ll do.Probably move to another town.
But hopefully, it won’t come to that. Either way, the possibility of a life with Hazel is worth the risk. I take a deep breath and walk to the door. I peek through the pane glass before knocking, hoping to catch another glimpse of her dancing in the living room.
Instead, I catch a glimpse of Victor sitting next to her on the couch.Practically on top of each other.
With a defeated sigh, I start to turn from the door. But Victor happens to glance up just in time to spot me.Busted.
He nudges Hazel and she looks up, her eyes meeting mine across the room. She leaps to her feet and sprints to the door. Yanking it open, she throws herself into my arms.
“You’re home!”
Honey runs out to greet me, too, jumping up and down until I pat her on the head.
“Come in,” Hazel insists, grabbing me by the arm to pull me inside. “I was just showing Victor the family scrapbook. You’re in most of the pictures.”
“Hey, man,” I say. “Thanks for helping me on the beach the other day.”
“No problem.” His voice is a little gruff and I get the impression that he’s not happy about my intrusion into their cozy couch time.
I examine his chiseled physique, evident even beneath the polo shirt and shorts he’s wearing.Tuck’s right, I could totally take him in the joust.
Reaching out for Hazel’s hand, I entwine my fingers with hers. When I gently squeeze her palm, she squeezes back.
I smile down at her. “Would you mind stepping outside for a minute? I need to talk to you about something.”
As soon as we’re outside, I push her against the door. She gasps in surprise but doesn’t resist.
