Page 127 of This Wild Heart

Closing my eyes on a groan, I nudged Isabel. “Probably Mia’s dad. He was driving a truck, I think.”

“Mia’s dad has a crush on you.”

I snorted. “Good for him.”

Even with my eyes closed, I could feel Iz watching me. “Out with it,” I told her.

“Not even a little interested?”

“Nope.” Prying my eyes open, I gave her a tiny smile. “He’s hot, and it’s not like the silver fox thing is ever a bad look. But … my heart is, unfortunately, otherwise engaged. Besides, he’s flirting with someone who, by all accounts, is married. What does that say about him?”

“Nothing good, unfortunately.” She patted my leg. “Think your heart will be engaged for a while?”

My throat was thick as I nodded. “Seeing him yesterday was … telling,” I answered carefully. “I think it’ll be stuck with that stubborn ass for a long time.”

Isabel nodded gravely. “I hate when that happens.”

“The worst.”

There was a knock on the door, and we traded a look. “Your heart might be engaged, butyourlegs work just fine,” Isabel said smoothly.

I rolled my eyes but got up with a groan. Of course a hot single dad would have a crush. They were my main audience these days. And as I glanced down at my stretched-out T-shirt dotted with pink frosting and leggings covered in purple glitter from craft time, I could totally see why.

Engaged for two years with no husband.

A husband who kicked me out of his house but still probably still wanted to sleep with me even if he refused to admit it.

I was a fucking catch.

There was no reason to try to fix the disaster of my hair, because that probably had frosting and glitter in it too, so when I yanked open the door, I didn’t even take the time to paste a polite smile on my face.

And my heart stopped.

It wasn’t Mia’s dad.

It wasn’t Mia’s dad at all.

Parker stood on the front porch, a nervous smile on his face, and strapped to his chest in a carrier was Leo, sucking furiously on his pacifier and wearing a onesie that looked like a tuxedo. Before I could say a word, he held up a finger, then pulled something out of a large plastic bag at his side. A big stack of white poster board.

“Who is it?” Isabel asked.

Parker gave me a nervous glance, then tried to wedge the boards into Leo’s fists like he was holding them. I covered my mouth, trying to hide my smile, trying to hold down overwhelmed sobs at the sight of the two of them.

Here. They were here.

Say it’s carol singers, the first board.

My eyes glossed over with tears, and I let out a watery laugh. “It’s carol singers,” I said over my shoulder.

“Huh?” Isabel asked.

“The fuck,” my dad muttered from the kitchen.

Violet came skidding around the corner. “Holyshit.”

There was a stampede of little feet, all the girls following the copious swearing, and their excited squeals at the arrival of Parker Wilder swelled to the highest volume I’d heard during the entire party.

My eyes stayed right on Parker’s, a breathless sort of hope bubbling up in my chest before I could stop it because the way he was looking at me …

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