Page 2 of Single Dad's Christmas Gift
“You won, Miss. Shah.”
Evie shakes my hand from side to side, and her enthusiasm makes me smile.
“What did Miss. Shah win?” Evie’s dad asks, eyes as curious as his daughter’s.
“A game we were playing,” Evie answers and waves goodbye to me.
Her father watches her stalk out of the classroom until she stops in the middle of the playground. I watch the little girl too, my heart going out to her as well as her dad, just like it did the first day of school, three and a half months ago.
All the other kids were playing while their parents chatted in small groups. Fallon and Evie were the only odd ones out, both standing awkwardly, the small distance between their stiff bodies a statement that something wasn’t right between them. There were rumors around town saying Fallon O’Connor was childless until last Christmas but turned up in town with a seven-year-old during summer break. And it looked like he was back for good.
“Here’s Evie’s costume,” he says in his deep, lilting voice.
I take Evie’s nativity play costume from him and nod, unable to trust my voice.
“A button fell off. I was sewing it, that’s why I’m late.”
“Evie has enjoyed helping you make it. She talked about it the whole week.”
He looks back at Evie, and I just know he’s checking on her.
Warmth fills my heart and I confirm what I’ve been suspecting for a while now. It isn’t only lust I feel for Mr. Wrong, I’m fast developing a crush for him. I’m helpless in the face of the way he cares for his daughter. He could have bought the nativity costume or asked his mom to make it, but he’d made the king’s cape and crown with Evie.
He’d asked questions about what to make, as if he were discussing something that affected lives. I almost told him not to take it seriously, but his expression stopped me. It was a serious issue for him. He wanted Evie to love the costume he made. Watching him desperately try to win his daughter’s heart is making me fall for him.
I inhale deeply, trying to regulate my thumping heart.
“She talks about you to Mom all the time, too. She loves coming to school.”
His stormy grey eyes are direct. A smile hovers around his lips, making me want to see his lips lift until he’s smiling fully. I can’t help feeling he’d look great smiling fully.
An expression I don’t understand comes over his face. I blink. By the time I’m gazing at him again, whatever it is has disappeared.
“Have a good weekend, Ms. Shah.”
I watch him walk towards Evie, his broad back straight. He extends his hand. I hold my breath. After what seems like a long time, Evie places her hand in his. I exhale, relief flooding through me. A silly smile spreads over my face, but I don’t care.
Fallon O’Connor has been trying to hold his daughter’s hand since the first day of school. Every time, Evie ignored him. Today is the first time she’s held it.
I tell myself the reason I’m giddy with happiness is my student. When she first came to school, Evie wouldn’t talk or play with other kids. It’s taken a lot of coaxing to make her feel safe enough to open up. She’s made a couple of friends and ismore talkative in class. So, it’s perfectly natural for me to be ecstatic at seeing her relationship with her dad improve.
When they pass the gate, I close the door of my classroom, head to my chair and collapse onto it. Because I just thought about Fallon O’Connor. Unconsciously, I imagined the pleasure and relief he must have felt when his daughter held his hand.
I sit and shake my head, forcing myself to face reality. Fallon O’Connor is off limits to me. We’re not meant for each other. First, he’s my student’s dad. Sure, technically there’s no law against a teacher dating a parent and John Gibbons Elementary doesn’t forbid it, but it’s frowned upon. I’ve been in town for just over sixteen months and finally feel like I’m settling down. I don’t want rumors to spread about me. And I love my job too much to create any tension in school.
Second, would Fallon O’Connor ever be interested in me? Where Evie is concerned, he always seems to be at a loss. However, I know he’s a capable person because of the questions he asks when he wants my help with Evie’s homework or there’s an issue with her behavior. In every other aspect, he’s way ahead of me. Older, more experienced, one of the best E. R doctors in the country. Now that he’s back in town, there’s a line of more experienced women vying for his attention. It’s a hot topic of conversation amongst the female teachers at school.
Even if by a miracle he fancies me, am I ready for a relationship? Can I trust another man after what happened with Dean? Drooling over Fallon O’Connor must mean I’m over my ex-fiancée’s betrayal, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to trust another man.
I stand and tidy up the classroom. I’m going to do what I’ve been doing since Fallon O’Connor rolled into town with hissmoking eyes and hot body. Spend more time with my BOB, my trusty battery-operated boyfriend. BOB is safe and gives me uncomplicated pleasure.
My life is fulfilling. I love teaching kids. The knitting club, movies and prosecco make my evenings and weekends enjoyable. It’s enough.
CHAPTER TWO
Fallon
I’M SO CHOKED up that for the first time since I met Evie ten months ago, I don’t mind her silence. Her hand is tiny against mine, but she’s holding on tight. I stare at our joined hands and swallow. Since taking my hand, Evie hasn’t looked at me.
