A laugh escaped from Annie.She didn’t know how to let Bella down gently.“Though I love having your help, I don’t think you should commit tothatmuch time with the twins.”
Bella frowned.“Why not?”
Oh goodness, she was serious!
Thankfully, Miles spoke up.“I don’t think Annie signed up to take on another child full-time.”
Bella’s jaw dropped.“I am not a child.I am a young woman.”
“Certainly not a child,” Annie interjected.“But I’ve already been tempted to keep you forever, and I don’t need more reasons.”
Bella smiled at her.“Really?”
“I can’t loan you out that long,” Miles added, shaking his head.“I’d miss you too much.”
Annie looked at him, and he smiled that vibrant smile of his.Her heart fluttered against her chest.
Not only was he unspeakably handsome, he was also a genuine, heartfelt dad.How many dads would’ve taken the chance to roll their eyes and “joke” about someone taking their teenager off their hands?
Not Miles.He was so clearly enamored with his daughter; it showed with every word.
Bella, apparently unable to see how lucky she was, rolled her eyes.“What about independence, Dad?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, grinning.
She couldn’t keep staring at him.He would notice, and he’d feel uncomfortable, and then who would install the handrail for her mom?
He probably had women fawning over him all the time.Annie didn’t need to be one of them.
Leon threw a handful of mac and cheese on the floor, and Noel followed with a squeal, signaling the end of the meal.Annie stood, wetting a cloth to wipe their hands.
“Okay, Bella.Are you sure you’re ready?”Annie asked.
Bella leapt to her feet.“I was born ready.Or at least woke up ready this morning.”
Miles and Annie laughed.He caught her eye again, his eyes brimming with fatherly pride.
“Into the lion’s den, then!”Annie said.
Nine
The outdoor handrail proved trickier than expected.The cement step crumbled to pieces the first time Miles drilled into it.He was more careful with the next attempts, though, and was able to install everything the day before Annie’s mom came home.
It wasn’t just a big day for Annie and Clara; it was a big day for Bella, too.Annie had hired Bella for her first official babysitting job.She was going to watch the twins for an hour while Annie went to pick up her mom and bring her home from the rehab facility.Then she was to stay on for another hour so Annie could get her mom settled.
Miles wasn’t sure about the whole thing.He offered to come along and be a free second set of hands, but Bella shot him down instantly.
“Do you think I can’t handle it?”she said, arms crossed.“Because Annie thinks I can.”
Where was all this vitriol coming from?It seemed to kick up tenfold after the first time she’d walked through those high school doors.
“Of course I think you can do it,” Miles said, “I just want to be available if you need me.I’m always here if you need me.”
“I know, Dad,” she said, dragging out the “a” in “dad.”
That was the end of the discussion.He resolved to make sure he was at home, just down the street, when Bella left for the babysitting job.That way, if anything went awry, he could rush to the rescue.
He had the day off and decided he could start the process of power washing the driveway.Instead, once outside, he stood and gazed in the direction of Annie’s house.The volume on his phone was all the way up in case Bella texted him, but he kept pulling it out to check every few minutes.
