Page 15 of The Single Dad Project

Chuckling, he ended the call, and the heaviness that had dogged him since waking up shifted and started to lift. His little girl would be home in less than an hour. No nightmare compared to that.

“DADDY!”

Adam grinned as Justine flew out of the car’s back seat as soon as Adele opened the door. A whirlwind in pink and purple hurled toward him. Before his daughter got halfway, he met her in the middle of the walk, swinging her up into his arms.

He closed his eyes as he inhaled her familiar scent of cocoa butter, bubble gum and that undefinable little-girl smell. It’d only been a couple of weeks—fifteen days, to be exact—but he’d missed the hell out of her.

“Hi, Daddy!” she yelled as if he were across the street instead of holding her in his arms. Clapping her hands on either side of his face, she smushed his cheeks and planted a loud, smacking kiss on his mouth. “I missed you!” she declared, again at a volume between loud andI have no idea what an inside voice is. “Kadie missed you, too!”

Justine thrust the teddy bear that she was never without in front of his face, and as expected, he gave Kadie a loud kiss on the nose. His little girl giggled and tucked the stuffed animal her mom had given her on her third birthday under her arm.

His chest tightened, but he inhaled a deep breath, then deliberately exhaled, attempting to douse the familiar burn of anger and frustration.

“I missed you, too, baby girl.” Smiling, he squeezed her tight just so she could squeal and squirm. Unable to hold in his laughter at her antics, he kissed her cheek, then glanced over Justine’s head at his sister. “Hey, Addie.”

“I mean, I’m just standing here.” His sister spread her arms wide, Justine’s small unicorn book bag in one hand and a purse in the other. “Don’t mind me. I just got her here safely.”

“Jussy, do you hear anyone talking?”

“Nope.” She shook her head so hard, her braided ponytails slapped her rounded cheeks. “I don’t hear nuthin’,” she said, giggling at their running joke.

“I see how you are, you little traitor,” Adele grumbled, walking up to them. She slid the backpack strap over her shoulder and poked Justine in the side, making his daughter giggle harder. “You look good. Real good for someone who’s been unpacking a house for the last few days.”

He shook his head, turning to retrace his path back to the house.

“I’m an old pro at this by now.” Sad but true.

His career often took him away from Chicago for months at a time, several times a year.

“Emphasis onold,” she teased, and he arched an eyebrow.

“Really? Age jokes? That’s not beneath you at your big age of thirty?”

“Not as long as you remain seven years older than me, no, not beneath me and it’ll never grow old.” She laughed, climbing the short flight of steps leading to the wide porch that bellied up to the rental home. “That’s going to have to change in another year. Jussy’s getting older and will be starting kindergarten this coming school year. Unless you plan on continuing to homeschool her?”

He didn’t immediately answer, pulling open the storm door and holding it for Adele. Irritation tugged at him, and he deliberately smothered it.

Adele loved him, adored Justine. And he returned the sentiment, considering she was his only family—at least the only family he had a relationship with. Yet, sometimes he chafed at her mothering. He was the older brother, had taken care of her—damn near raised her—for most of their childhood. But being a natural nurturer, Adele seemed to have forgotten that lately. No, forgetlately. In the past two years since his divorce. Only because her concern and nagging originated from a loving source had he kept his mouth shut.

And because his telling her to back off a little, that he wasn’t the lost man he’d been after Jennifer walked out, would hurt Adele’s feelings.Thathe tried to avoid at all costs. In the end, she was still his little sister, and he was still the protective big brother. Even if he needed to protect her from his mouth.

“I’m still thinking on it,” he finally replied, setting Justine down in the tiny foyer. “Here you go, Jussy. Your room is the first one down there.” He pointed toward the short hallway. “Want to go check it out?”

“Yeah!” She took off running, and when he reminded her of no running in the house, she slowed to a power walk.

Chuckling, Adele stepped inside, heading toward the living room. Once there, she dropped down on the couch with a sigh.

“So...” She squinted up at him. “This town. It’s pretty, but I swear, I started to pull over and check my mouth for cavities. It’s so—” she scrunched up her face “—sweet. There’s an honest-to-God ice cream shop named Six Ways to Sundae. That’s too fucking cute. Leaves me wondering what seedy underbelly this place is hiding.”

Shaking his head, he headed for the kitchen.

“Watch out, Addie. Your cynicism is showing.” He slid a pod and mug into the single-cup coffeemaker and in moments, the delicious fragrance of roasted beans permeated the room. Hell, he’d drink the air right now, that scent was so addicting.

“Tell me I’m wrong.” He glanced over his shoulder to find his sister peering at him, eyebrows arched and folded arms propped on the back of the couch. “Tell me this place is too perfect and pretty not to have dirty secrets.”

For some reason, an image of him pinning “Queen’s” hands above her head, those perfect, dark-tipped breasts pointing toward the ceiling, while he thrust into her over and over flashed in his mind. He didn’t even need to concentrate hard to hear her jagged, soft cries in his ear or feel the clasp of her strong thighs around his hips.

His fingers tightened around the handle of the full coffee cup.

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