“Hmm?”
“Don’t distract me,” she giggled. “I asked you a question.”
“Ask me again.”
Erin sat up, taking my hand in hers. She swung a leg over my lap, settling her knees on either side of me.
“Are you excited for college? For our next chapter together?”
My heart began to race. “I don’t know if ‘excited’ is the right word.”
“Terrified” was more like it, but when Erin laughed, worries faded away.
“It’s okay to be scared.” She dropped my hand to lean over me, bringing our bodies together.
“I’m not scared.” I swallowed the false bravado as her hazel eyes bore into mine. I couldn’t lie—not to her. I gulped, my throat tight. When I spoke again, my words came out in a whisper. “Fine, I’m nervous.”
Erin linked our fingers together and brought them to her lips. A tingle spread through my body, starting with where her mouth connected to my skin. “Let me fix that,” she whispered.
She lowered herself over me, and a new set of nerves took over as she brought our mouths together…
“Ryder?”Raleigh’s deep voice pulled me from my thoughts.
I tore my eyes away from Hannah to look at him. “Hmm?”
“I asked if you wanted a drink.”
I let out a deep breath. “Yeah. I do.” It was only then that I noticed the empty glass sitting in front of Hannah. “Um.”
Angel followed my gaze, and smirked. “Relax,Dad, it’s just a Shirley Temple.”
Dad.
The word felt like a punch to the gut. I grabbed the scotch Raleigh handed me and downed it in one go.
“Damn, boy.” He refilled it, but when I reached out to take the glass again, he held it out of my reach. “Slowly. This is the last one you get. You two can use our office for some privacy. Take as long as you need; I’ll call Jack to cover your shift tonight.”
I waited against the bar with glass in hand as Angel made another drink for Hannah. She grabbed her bag and stood, hovering awkwardly. With effort, I made the decision to look at her again. Her blue eyes met mine, and though I knew she had to be as uncomfortable as I was, she gave me a genuine smile. Her eyes were soft, her cheeks tinged pink—or maybe that was makeup.
I had a daughter who was old enough to wear makeup?Fuck.
She stood there for a minute even after Angel had finished her drink, and I realized with a start that she was waiting for me. I cleared my throat. “This way.”
I felt her presence behind me as I walked down the hall and opened the door to the office. I let her step in first, then shut the door behind us. “You can sit down.”
“Are you going to sit?”
I shook my head. “I’m more of a fidgeter.”
She flashed a grin. “Me too.”
Yup, that earned me a sip of scotch. I paced in front of her, unsure where to start.
Hannah looked around, taking in the macabre décor of the office. “This place is really cool.”
I chuckled. “I thought it was cheesy at first. It’s grownon me though.”
“How long have you been here?”
