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“What do you know about that?” I figured women might confide in each other more than my brothers did.
“Holly doesn’t talk about it, and I didn’t want to bring it up.”
We wanted to help him, but if he didn’t talk about his feelings, how could we? The problem was, my father was stoic and didn’t like it when we cried. We learned quickly not to express emotions. I think it was even harder for Talon because Dad didn’t understand his artistic interests. “I want Talon to figure things out. I mean, three of my brothers are in love. I never thought I’d see it.”
She touched her shoulder to mine. “What about you?”
I tensed. “What about me?”
“Don’t you deserve to be happy?” Hanna asked.
“I have Ember. She’s everything.” Was I happy? Sometimes I felt a little lonely. Being a single dad separated me from the other families at her school. They looked at me differently when they realized I wasn’t married, and they were surprised when they realized Ember’s mother wasn’t around.
“Mmm,” Hanna said, and I had a feeling she wasn’t convinced.
“I love spending time with my best friend. She makes me feel like I don’t need anyone else.” It was as close to a confession as I’d ever gotten.
Instead of Hanna smiling, though, her expression was thoughtful. “I’m wondering if we need space so we can meet the people we’re supposed to be with. If we’re always together, then how will we meet our person?”
My heart sank. She didn’t think I was the one. Were my brothers full of it when they said she’d crushed on me since we were kids? Or if they were right, had she stopped having those feelings for me? Was I too late? I wanted to ask what if that person is right in front of you but you can’t see him? But I couldn’t because it would be giving away how I felt, and I wasn’t sure she felt the same way. The idea of being that vulnerable sent my heart racing, and my palms were sweaty on the reins.
“Addy’s my best friend. I want to spend all my time with her.”
Ember’s comment lightened the mood.
“It’s a good thing you live so close now. You can see each other a lot,” Hanna said.
“Uncle Knox said I could sleep over whenever I want. So, can I?”
“What’s your policy on sleepovers these days?” Hanna asked.
We’d discussed parenting before, and she tended to think I was a little overprotective. She was a teacher and understood child development, but she wasn’t the sole parent of a child. “I think that would be okay. We live close enough that I can come get you if you decide you want to come home.”
Ember’s face screwed up. “Why would I want to come home?”
“To sleep in your own bed.”
“Uncle Knox said he’ll build us a fort in the living room in front of the fire. It will be just like camping out.” Ember’s voice filled with excitement.
“That sounds like fun,” Hanna said.
My heart squeezed. My little girl was growing up, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. Soon, she’d want to go to the movies and hang out with friends. Then she’d want to date. I shivered, and it had nothing to do with the cold.
We admired the red and green lights under the water.
“I’d love to know how he did this,” Hanna murmured.
“Me, too. And why?” A part of me wondered if this was for Holly. I wanted to ask him, but I wasn’t sure he’d be honest with me.
“Has Holly seen it yet?” Hanna asked.
“I didn’t know it was here, so probably not. Maybe Talon was experimenting with something new and didn’t want to tell us because he’s not done with it.” There were red and green lights but not a discernible pattern. Knowing Talon, he wouldn’t want to show anyone until it was perfect.
“It’s beautiful.”
I wish I could do something like this for Hanna to show her how I felt. But I wasn’t artistic like Talon or good with my hands like Heath, Knox, and Emmett. I was smart. It wasn’t an exciting talent when we were talking about getting a girl.
I worked out but wasn’t athletic. I was smart but didn’t have a sexy job where I worked with my hands like my brothers. Did I even stand a chance with Hanna?
