Page 24 of Trusting Forever

What if the guys bidding on her were police officers, firefighters, or contractors? All those were more interesting professions than mine. My brothers had teased me about my job for years, saying I was uptight. Women were not impressed when I told them what I did. In fact, a few said I’d be too cheap if they allowed themselves to be in a relationship with me. It was a stereotype, but, in my case, they would have been accurate. I was cautious. I believed in saving money and not taking risks, but I wouldn’t say I was cheap. It was just some preconceived notion women had of me. “You asked about whether I was happy with how things are, and the truth is that it’s hard to meet people when you’re a single dad.”

“What about at work?”

My partners at the firm were men. There were a few secretaries, but both were older and already married with children. “No single women.”

“You don’t meet with clients?”

“I have a rule about not dating clients. Not that it’s ever been an issue.” I focused on work when I was there.

Hanna pursed her lips. “You should. I worry about you.”

I turned my head to see her face. “You want me to be happy.”

Ember waved a hand between us. “You both said you wanted to date, so date each other.”

Hanna laughed, but it sounded off.

“We’re good friends,” I finally managed.

“I love hanging out with you and your father. If we date, and things don’t work out, it would be awkward,” Hanna said in her teacher voice.

“You wouldn’t hang out with me anymore?” Ember asked, hurt tinging her voice.

“That’s not what I meant. I just don’t want to hurt your dad or you.”

“It’s complicated,” I added, hoping Ember would drop the subject.

Ember sighed. “You always say that.”

The problem was that being an adult was tricky. There were pitfalls that a child couldn’t begin to understand. I wanted safety and stability for her. Opening my life to dating was the opposite.

But I didn’t know what I’d do if Hanna met someone at the auction and fell in love with him. She was an amazing woman, and if she wanted to meet someone great, she would. I was sure she hadn’t been looking that hard the last few years. Once a guy met her and realized how amazing she was, he’d lock her down.

And I’d regret it forever.

CHAPTER 7

HANNA

The carriage ride was magical. It was the combination of being with Sebastian and Ember, the amazing light display on the water, and then coming home with them. It was something that would probably be so simple for anyone else. But I loved living with them, the simple routines, and the comfort of having someone close.

Then there was the sound of their soft voices in the morning when they were worried about waking me up. The giggles that inevitably drifted up the stairs to my room. I wanted to bottle up the feelings and keep them for when I was living on my own again.

I had a few more weeks of school, where the kids would be overly excited about the holidays, and then the holiday break before I had to look for a place to live. In the meantime, I’d soak up all the holiday events at the farm.

Each day, I went to school and then met Ember at the main house afterward, where she was having a snack with Lori. The original plan was to have Lori watch Ember after school, but they were worried about her overdoing it. This way, she got some time with Ember, and then I took over after her snack time.

“How was your carriage ride?” Lori asked after school on Friday night.

Frankly, I was surprised she hadn’t asked about it earlier. “It was beautiful with the lights on the pond.”

“You mean the ones that line the path?” Lori asked us.

“The ones on the water,” Ember said around a mouthful of cookies.

Sebastian was concerned that Lori fed Ember too many sweets, so I tried to sneak veggies and carrots into her at dinner time.

Lori frowned. “What lights on the water?”

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