Page 20 of Once Upon a Summer Night

“Yes, you only mentioned it a few hundred times,” Mia said, now half guiding, half dragging Hannah into the room. “Keep those eyes closed.”

“Is it blueberry?” her father asked from a chair by the front window, his eyelids squeezed shut and a happy Rex now sitting at his feet.

God, he looked…old. His hair hadn’t thinned a bit, but it’d gone from mostly dark brown to very salt and peppered. Age spots dotted his cheeks and temples. But underneath the crow’s feet and speckled skin sat her father, the man she’d butted heads with for as long as she could remember. The man who had bounced her on his knee, had taught her how to ride a bike, and had saved her from numerous tree-climbing fiascos as she’d tried to rescue countless local kittens.

“No, but it’s still pretty darned sweet,” Mia said, maneuvering Hannah in front of her.

Her father sighed. “Mimi, I love you, honey, but it’s been a really long—”

He opened his eyes.

Blinked.

Blinked again.

“Hi, Daddy,” Hannah said softly.

His salt-and-pepper brows pinched together. “Hannah?”

She nodded, rendered mute as tears welled in his eyes. Tears? Was she dreaming? He slowly extended both hands toward her, and Hannah’s vision swam with tears of her own. She stepped tentatively into his arms, then melted beneath the familiarity of her father’s touch.

“You came back,” he whispered, stroking her hair. “Oh, peanut, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it. I swear I didn’t mean it. I’ve missed you so much. So, so much.”

Relief washed over her like a tidal wave. She never would have dreamed in a million years she would hear these words from her father. Never.

She clung to him, a new realization dawning. Though she’d resented his plethora of rules when she was growing up, and that his words had completely torn her apart when she left, no matter how hard she’d tried, Hannah had been unable to escape this one single truth:

She’d never stopped loving her father.

“I’ve missed you, too, Daddy.”

Mia cleared her throat across the room. “I’m going to let you two catch up on some much-needed father-daughter time. No fighting while I’m gone, though, or there’ll be no pie for either of you when I get back.”

Hannah looked to her father as they each wiped happy tears from their eyes.

“Deal,” they said in unison.

*

Chase peeked inthe back door a short time later, his curiosity killing him. Noah was sitting a few feet away on the back deck, too tired to go anywhere after all that running. Sunny the duckling had finally squirmed his way out of Noah’s grip, but amazingly had stayed close to the boy. It seemed a bond was forming. If only Noah could stick around a little longer to enjoy it.

Despite all the lecturing Chase had given himself lying awake well into the night about not getting too attached to Hannah again, he found himself longing to spend more time with her. How could he not, when she’d been his best friend for so long? When she had helped him through some of his toughest days and darkest nights?

If only the Brooks family could convince her to stay. This time around, he’d man up and ask her out. Maybe even get brave enough to kiss her if she said yes. And if she turned him down, well, then he’d have his answer on how she felt about him.

Of course, if the reunion with her father had gone as poorly as she kept insisting it would, his intentions wouldn’t matter because she’d be packing her bags and storming out any minute.

“Well?” he asked of the women inside milling around the kitchen. “Are the fireworks over yet?”

“They never started,” Del said with a shrug. “Mia said Pops took one look at her and broke into tears, then Hannah followed suit. No yelling, no stomping—so far, we’re calling it a win.”

Relief washed over him. And hope, along with a dash of excitement. Now to find a way to convince her to stay.

“Want me to go check on them?” he asked.

“Sure. I think we’ve given them enough time alone,” Faye said. “Here, I’ll go out and sit with Noah while you do that.”

On a nod, Chase traded places with her, exchanged nervous glances with Del and Mia, and made his way to the front room. At its entryway he paused to watch them talking, smiles on both their faces. Hopefully, they’d gotten all the serious stuff out of the way by now.

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