Before his marriage ended, he’d sometimes imagined coming home from work to exactly this: his wife reading a story to their children, making funny voices to match the characters.
“Ah ha!” Hallie read in a crackly witch voice, adding to the feeling of déjavu coming over Christian now. “There you are, my child. I’m ready for you.”
Isla giggled, and Hallie joined in for a second before continuing to read. Christian smiled too.
They were so engrossed in the story they hadn’t noticed him in the doorway. Leaning against the trim, he marveled at the way Hallie’s calm presence fit so well in the room. As if she belonged there.
The realization hit him hard, and he sucked in air just to keepbreathing. An ache split through his chest, so deep he had to use the door frame to keep his balance. Squeezing his eyes shut, he focused on calming the jarring panic seizing his joints.
“You’re home.”
At Hallie’s voice, his eyes flew open.
Meeting his gaze, which was no doubt wild with panic, concern crossed her angelic face. “Is everything okay?”
Christian gave his head a little shake, pulling the safety blanket of his composure over himself once more. “Yeah, sorry. I was … thinking.” He stepped further into the room.
“Can we read another story?” Isla asked, drawing the woman’s attention away from him, allowing him to breathe again.
Hallie carefully reached over Penelope’s sleeping form to place the book on the nightstand. “It’s up to your dad.”
Isla turned her pleading brown eyes onto him. “Please, Daddy? Just one more?”
Approaching the bed, Christian gently lifted Penelope into his arms. “Sorry, kiddo. It’s already past your bedtime, and it’s a school night.”
Hallie’s face twisted into an apologetic frown. “I didn’t know what time you usually put them to bed.”
“It’s fine.” He shifted Penelope into one arm, using the other to squeeze Hallie’s shoulder. Bad idea. The touch only set off more panic racing through him.
Isla’s bottom lip stuck out in a pout. “I don’t want to go to bed. I’m not even tired.”
“How about I come read you a story another time?” Hallie bumped her side.
“Promise?”
“Promise.” Hallie patted her blanket-covered knee. “Goodnight, Isla.”
She shimmied off the bed, leaving space for Christian to take her spot. He adjusted the blankets over his oldest daughter. “I’m going to put Nellie to bed and then I’ll come back to tuck you in.”
“Okay, Daddy.”
Hallie had already gone downstairs when Christian slipped from the room. Good. The distance would give him some time to regain control over his racing pulse.
Once in Penelope’s room, he lowered himself into the glider chair underneath the window. Rocking his precious daughter in his arms anchored him in the moment as his thoughts ran away from him.
He’d already told himself not to encourage whatever he felt for Hallie. He was no longer the naïve sap who hung out with a woman a few times before recklessly taking a flying leap into romance.
Then why couldn’t he get past these overwhelming urges that made him want to pursue something with her, despite the impossibility of it?
And why did the image of his girls snuggled up to Hallie continue to dance across the backs of his closed eyelids? They were so comfortable with her, which made it hard to push away the spark of hope challenging everything he’d come to believe since Sabrina left.
Maybe there could be something there. Maybe someday in the future it wasn’t impossible to imagine someone becoming a more permanent fixture in their lives.
No, not just someone.
Her.
Don’t get ahead of yourself, pal,he reminded the hopeless romantic that fought to reemerge from his younger self.
