Page 31 of Scarred Heart

“Maybe we can share something,” Spencer suggested.“Then it wouldn’t be so bad.”

So that was the kind of father he would be if he chose to be her father and not just the man who donated his DNA.I would be the voice of reason, and he would be the one scheming to get around my decisions.

I didn’t even mind.In fact, I sort of liked the idea.It was easy to imagine us like this, the three of us together, going out for dinner on a Friday night, sitting around the table at home, or watching movies on the couch.

I needed to get real.Thinking like that would only lead to trouble.I was setting myself up for heartache.Not only mine, either.I wasn’t going to welcome Spencer into our lives unless I knew for sure he wanted to be there.

That was why, as Hannah carefully decided what she wanted for dessert, I sent a text to the man sitting directly across from me in the booth.

Me:We should talk.Come back to my apartment after this.

11

SPENCER

Why did people think it was so hard to handle kids?Before tonight, I had all of five minutes of experience being around them, if that.The first meeting with Hannah should have been awkward.I should’ve been tongue-tied.

“Tell me the truth.”Rowan left her purse sitting on the sofa and took off her heels, sighing in relief while Hannah went to her room to drop off her books and backpack, leaving us alone for a second.

With a glance down the hall toward Hannah’s bedroom door to make sure we were alone, Rowan asked, “Have you been hanging out with kids all these years?Do you have a lot of friends with big families?”

“Not even close.”I studied the alarm system keypad mounted beside the door, nodding in appreciation.“This looks good.Are the windows alarmed too?”

“Yes, of course.”She let out a flat laugh behind me.“I should’ve done it sooner.Now, I have to remember to disarm it before opening the door.I doubt the LAPD would appreciate being called out here for nothing.”

Her tap against my shoulder came as a surprise.She was damn silent in her bare feet.“So how the hell were you so good with her?”she asked when I turned around.

“When I was her age, I hated people talking to me like I was a dumb kid,” I mused.“It was patronizing.So I talked to her like she was more grown-up, the way I wished somebody would talk to me.”

“Very smart.She hates being talked down to.”She then voiced a revelation before I had the chance.“She takes after you.”

There was something humbling about that.A part of me existed in the world with the same tendencies.I could see a little of myself in her face too.The whole damn thing was unnerving, but not in a bad way.It was damn baffling.

Hannah called out from her room.“Mom!I’m putting my pajamas on, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to go to bed.”Yep, she was my kid.Always setting the rules.

“She does this every.Single.Weekend.”Raising her voice, Rowan replied, “You’re creeping up on bedtime.How about we compromise, and you read in bed until you get sleepy?”

“Okay!”The door opened, and Hannah poked her head out into the hallway.“Spencer, if I don’t see you, thanks for dinner.”

This was a great kid.Maybe I recognized how great she was because I was such a little shit growing up.I only hoped she didn’t take after me in that respect.“You’re welcome.Thanks for splitting that brownie sundae with me.”I felt a little sluggish, but it was worth it.

“And if you end up with a stomach ache tonight,” Rowan called out.“You can call Spencer and thank him for that too.”

“Oh, Mom.”Only a kid would roll their eyes and look so over everything.“I’m not a baby.”

“She’s got you there,” I muttered, chuckling when Rowan shot me a dirty look.

Once things quieted down again, I sank into the sofa and had to resist the temptation to unbutton my pants.It had been a long time since I ate that much junk in one sitting.“So.What did you want to talk about?“ I asked because I wasn’t going to make this easy for her.Not after she damn near tore my head off earlier on her parents’ street.It was one thing to have a surprisingly good time with my kid, but she was out of the room now, and the grown-ups had important things to discuss.

I knew she was regretting that text.She looked like she swallowed her tongue before retreating to the open kitchen, where I watched her puttering around, unloading the dishwasher and wiping the counter with a dish towel.It didn’t look to me like it needed cleaning, but she seemed pretty intent on doing chores.

“Would it help if I made a mess for you?”I asked.“So you’ll have a reason for all of that.”

The moment a grin touched her mouth, I knew I had set myself up.“I think you’ve already made enough of a mess.Thanks so much,” she murmured with a sweet, sarcastic smile.

Dropping the dish towel, she leaned on the granite counter with her palms.“I hope you don’t think this is the kind of thing that’s going to happen all the time.You randomly show up and suddenly, the three of us are spending an evening together.”

Here we go.I was expecting this.A week of thinking and planning had left me with an arsenal to use against her if need be.I only hoped there wouldn’t be a need.“Why can’t it happen?”I asked.

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