Page 178 of Holiday Hire

He grins, then continues, "Everyone in the family loves her. Why on Earth would you ever give her a reference to go to Alaska when she belongs right here?"

The thought of Phoebe bundled up, standing in snow, freezing her ass off in Alaska with some other man trying to warm her up is a new nightmare to haunt me.

He declares, "I'm not going to live forever, son. You want to spit out an answer to my question?"

"It's complicated," I claim.

He snorts. "It's only complicated if you make it complicated."

"It's not. I have two kids who lost their mother. I don't have the luxuries that other men have. I don't get to make mistakes."

He shakes his head. "Son, you're giving yourself way too much credit."

"What does that mean?" I snap.

He steps even closer and jabs me in the chest. "Do I have to spell everything out for you?"

"Apparently, you do," I retort.

"Your kids are fine. They love Phoebe. She would never hurt them."

"I didn't say she would hurt them. But if they find out we're together and then it doesn't work out between us, they're going to be crushed," I proclaim.

Dad shrugs his shoulders. "Yeah, they would. But they'll also be crushed if she leaves, and you'll be crushed for the rest of your life if you don't stop it."

I stay silent, my pulse shooting even higher.

Dad continues, "Wilder and Ace are fine. They'll be okay either way. But you're in a pickle, son. You can either crush them now and let her leave, or you can take a chance and follow your heart for once in your life."

"For once in my life? I've done that before," I remind him.

He softens his tone. "Alexander, we all lost when Clara died. But you can't keep yourself from loving someone else just because of one tragedy. And I've seen you two together. You and Phoebe are like peanut butter and jelly. You just go together. So stop being a fool and do something about it. Because if that girl leaves, you're not finding another one like her."

I stare at him with my heart hurting at the thought of Phoebe flying off to Alaska and never seeing her again. Then it finally sinks in.

I can't let her go.

"You're right," I say, and brush past Dad, yanking open the barn door.

"Good, but she's not here. She took the kids over to Evelyn's. You might want to go over there," he informs me.

"It's okay. I have somewhere I need to go first," I claim, going right to the truck. I slide onto the driver's seat, turn on the engine, and peel out the driveway, passing the gate quickly.

I go into town, park in front of the jeweler's shop, and take a deep breath. My heart beats faster.

What if she says no?

Don't be a fucking pussy,I tell myself and get out of the truck.

I go into the jeweler's, my stomach flipping with nerves, but knowing this is what I want.

Old man Denny looks up. He smiles, and his wrinkles expand. He booms, "Alexander, good to see you. Looking for some last-minute Christmas gifts?"

I announce, "It's not a Christmas gift. I need an engagement ring."

His eyes widen. He chuckles. "Who's the lucky girl? Is it that nanny you've been seen around town with?"

I groan and shake my head. "Does anything in this town stay quiet?"

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