Page 32 of Accidentally Kidnapping the Mountain Man

Ouch.

That was not how we wanted Hailey to find out. We thought we had a lot more time before she came home, and would find a way to break the news to her gently, to warm her up to the idea. Instead, she walked in on us devouring each other in the kitchen. Of course she was shocked.

What if she refuses to accept our relationship? What if I cause a rift between Logan and his daughter?

What if she makes him choose and he chooses her?

What ifs swirl around my head as the voices continue downstairs, and I wrap my arms around myself, trying to hold it together. I don’t think I could bear to lose Logan after only just finding him. I feel like I’ve finally found my home with him. Where I’m meant to be. If he walks away, I won’t be okay.

But I can’t ask him to walk away from his own daughter, either. I would never do that.

My stomach churns sickly, and I take several slow breaths in through my nose and out through my mouth.

“Knock knock,” says Hailey from the open doorway. “Can I come in?”

“Sure,” I say softly, patting the bed beside me. Hailey crosses the room and sits down, and I’m struck by how much she looks like Logan. She has his same thick, brown hair and same deep brown eyes. Her mouth and nose are different, but there’s something in the shape of her face that’s reminiscent of him. For one crazy moment, it makes me wonder what our babies would look like. She’s quiet for a minute, her eyes scanning the room.

“So,” she begins, looking over at me. “You and my dad, huh?”

I nod, my fingers twisting together in my lap. “Yeah. Me and your dad.”

Hailey is silent for a moment, studying me. “You know, Dad never really dated much after he and Mom split up. Sometimes I wondered if he was still hung up on her, but maybe it was more that he was waiting for the right person to come along. He sure seems to think that right person is you.” She shrugs slowly. “And he’s not usually wrong about stuff.” She flashes me a small smile.

Relief washes over me, and I feel my shoulders relax. “I’m sorry for the way you found out about our relationship. Obviously not ideal.”

“Um, no. Obviously not,” she agrees with a little laugh. “But you don’t have anything to be sorry for. Like Dad said, you’re both adults.”

“Thank you. For understanding.”

She nods, and silence falls between us again. We’re not friends, not yet, but my hope is that maybe someday we can be. That this is a place to grow from.

“I get it, you know.”

I turn my head to look at her. “Get what?”

“The whole older man thing.”

“I’m not a gold digger,” I say softly, and she winces.

“You heard that?”

“You were pretty loud.” I shrug.

She sighs. “I was shocked and what I said was ugly and rude. I’m sorry. I actually don’t think you’re after Dad’s money.” She pauses, curling her hands into the sleeves of her sweatshirt. “Anyway, I mean I get the whole older man thing because there’s this guy I have a crush on…” She trails off.

“At school?”

“Ha, no. He’s…totally out of reach, but I still get it. If I had the chance to…” She glances at me, her cheeks a little pink. “I’m rambling. I do that when I’m nervous.”

I laugh. “Me too! My mouth takes on a life of its own.”

Hailey grins. “So, on a scale of one to ten, how awkward was it when I walked in on you two?”

I laugh again. “Um, like a fifteen.”

Hailey laughs, too. “Well, at least you had clothes on. Now I don’t have to bleach my eyeballs.”

Warmth fills my chest, and I decide to follow the feeling. “How long are you in town for?”

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