Page 98 of The Single Dad Project

She smiled, leaning against the brick wall outside Mimi’s Café, scrolling through the pictures. They were great shots. Most of them she would post on Rose Bend’s social media pages as well as her own. One of the convenient parts of living in a small town? She knew mostly everyone, so hunting them down to sign releases would be easy.

“Flo!” Justine slammed into her legs only a couple of seconds after she yelled her name.

Laughing, Flo sank to a knee and gathered the little girl in her arms. She hadn’t seen Justine in the past three days, and that hurt. Flo missed her. Missed her voice that never dropped below an eight in volume. Missed her mispronunciation of words and funny, brutally honest observations. Just missedher. Yet, even knowing everything with Adam would end up as it had, Flo could never regret getting to know and fall in love with his daughter.

“Hey, Jussie.” Flo tugged on one of the twists Jennifer had continued for her daughter. “I’m so glad to see you. Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Uh-huh.” She nodded her head so hard her twists swung around her face. “I got hot chocolate and books!” Then she switched subjects with lightning speed, throwing her arms around Flo’s neck and squeezing. “I miss you, Flo.”

“I miss you, too, sweetie,” she murmured, voice suddenly husky with emotion.

Shit. She refused to cry on Main Street in front of God and Rose Bend. She just refused to cry, period. Not only would it probably upset Justine, but she’d done more than her fair share in the past two weeks.

“I miss you, too.”

She stiffened at that voice. At that beloved voice of whiskey and sin that had haunted her waking and sleeping hours. Her heart throbbed against her rib cage, and she forced herself to look up from Justine to meet the golden gaze of her father.

Adam.

She’d seen him almost every day at the renovation site, but they might as well have been hundreds of miles apart. She’d ached for him these past two weeks and being near him only increased that hurt. She loved him, but she didn’t regret her choice. She couldn’t fight for the two of them unless they were both willing to go to battle. She couldn’t be in this alone. And Adam hadn’t even armored up for it. Moe was fond of saying never be someone’s backup plan when they’re your only plan.

Well, she wasn’t even Adam’s Plan B.

But now he was here, standing in the middle of a packed sidewalk, declaring he missed her.

It struck her as cruel. And anger rose swift and hot inside her. But with Justine there, she couldn’t unleash it on him.

Slowly rising, she cupped Justine’s shoulder and said, “Hi, Adam,” not addressing his declaration.

“Flo! Flo, guess what?” Justine bounced on her toes, doing her adorable, twisty dance and twirling. She didn’t wait for Flo to reply, but blurted out, “We live here! We live in Ross End!”

Flo frowned, interpreting “Ross End” into Rose Bend, but still not grasping the rest of what Justine had just said.We live here.Well, she and her father had been in town for weeks now. Maybe Justine thought they did live here. For a five-year-old, that had to seem like a long time.

“That’s nice, sweetie,” Flo said, hesitant. It wasn’t her place to correct her. That was Adam’s job.

“Jussy,” Adam said, raising an eyebrow.

“Oops.” Justine comically clapped both hands over her mouth and mumbled from behind them, “Sorry, Daddy.” Dropping her arms, she peered up at Flo and whispered loudly, “It’s a secret.”

Nowreallyconfused, she glanced at Adam, frown deepening.

The corner of his mouth quirked, most likely at his daughter’s antics. But his eyes, bright and somber, were fixed on her.

“She’s right. We live here now.”

Her breath snagged in her lungs, and if not for the brick wall at her spine, she might’ve staggered back. But she stared at him, frozen with bewilderment, residual traces of anger and...hope. Stupid, relentless hope that hadn’t learned its lesson yet.

“What?” she asked.

Adam nodded, his gaze roaming over her face, lingering on her mouth before rising to her eyes again.

“As of this morning, we have a contract with Isaac Hunter to buy the house we’ve been staying in. Rose Bend is our new home.”

“I don’t...” Her voice trailed off, stuttering to stunned silence.

“We love you!” Justine crowed, throwing her arms wide.

Several people smiled as they passed by, and others laughed. Their little trio had become a sidewalk show, and all they needed was a hat for change.

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