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Zeke sighed and dragged a hand down his face. “You might as well all give it a rest. I’m not going to spill a single drop of that honey you’re after. So go on your way. I’m sure you all have better things to do than to sit around here and try to figure out who I fancy.”
“Oooh. You hear that? He fancies someone,” Brielle crooned. “Seems to me that the world has come full circle. Dad’s found himself a girl, and now he wants to be left alone. I don’t think he deserves his privacy on this one. What do you think?”
Adeline and Eloise seemed to give each other a knowing smile, but Grace was still watching him quietly.
He leaned against the counter, his coffee cup in hand. “You’re not getting anything from me. You have your own lives to worry about.”
“Not even a hint? Is it someone we know? Or how about you tell us how far it’s gotten. Are we going to have a new mother?” Brielle’s teasing was getting out of hand.
“We know it’s serious because he took the good wine with him,” Eloise pointed out.
“I don’t care who it is, as long as he’s happy.” Adeline got to her feet, her smile still plastered to her face. She headed across the room and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I hope she’s everything you deserve,” she said. “I’m going to get to work, and the rest of you should too.”
“You’re no fun!” Brielle tossed at her as Adeline left the room.
“She’s right, guys. Let Dad have his moment. When he’s ready, he’ll tell us.” Grace’s soft words finally filled the quiet room. Her small smile said more than even those words could express. She nodded toward him, then gathered her dishes and took them to the sink. “Everyone deserves to find love. And some of us are lucky enough to find it more than once, right, Dad?”
He wouldn’t go so far as to say he was in love. At least he wouldn’t have said as much before last night, but he’d connected with Agatha more than he’d expected.
“Dad?” Grace murmured.
He jumped, then grunted. “Right.” Putting his mug aside, he nodded toward his remaining daughters and headed toward the door.
It wasn’t until he heard the hurried footsteps that he noted Grace had followed him. Her steps were quick and quiet, but she didn’t say anything even when she fell into step beside him. They made it all the way to the entrance of the barn before he faced her.
“Is there something you wanted, Grace?”
She glanced back at the house and then up at him. “Don’t worry about Brielle and Eloise. They’re just happy for you, that’s all.”
He bit back a smile. “You’ve always been the peacekeeper of the family, but you don’t have to worry about me. I’m not upset.”
Her eyes narrowed, but the motion was almost too small to notice. “But you’re not wanting to share any information with us.”
Zeke placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. “I don’t need to tell you everything. You are all adults, and you all have your own lives now.”
“But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re still our dad. We worry about you just as much as you worry about us. We always will.”
Her words weighed down on him, bringing him back to reality. Since he’d told all the girls they had the freedom to choose who they dated and when they wanted to get married, Zeke had distanced himself from them—more than he should have. He’d let them take the reins and run with them.
In that time, he’d lost track of the relationships he had with them. They were practically strangers to him now. He nodded, peering out at the expanse of his property to keep himself from getting emotional. “Well, then you’d be thrilled to know that I’m doing great—better than great. The woman I’m seeing is amazing. You’d really like her.”
“I’m sure I will.” Grace moved forward and gave him a tight hug around his middle. “When you’re ready to introduce her to us, I’ll be the first to say so.”
He hugged her back, his thoughts shifting to Agatha and what it might look like to not only share her with his daughters but the other way around. A smile touched his lips as he rested his chin on her head. He really needed to do better at touching base with his daughters. They might be adults now, but they’d always need him. “Thanks,” he whispered. “When we get to that point, I’ll be sure to let you know first that it’s happening.”
Grace pulled away. “Good. I have to get back to the club so I can get ready for some sessions. I’ll see you at dinner? I think Eloise planned on making something.”
“You girls need to worry about your own husbands and not your old man.”
“Dad,” she murmured with exasperation.
Zeke nodded. “Fine, I’ll be home for dinner.”
She smiled, then headed toward the cars parked at the house. His daughters had all grown up so much over the past few years, and he’d missed some of it because of his own insecurities. It was time to get back to who he was before—a man who knew when to bring up something that needed to be dealt with.
Like Thomas Birch.
He turned toward the barn. Thomas was usually already up and getting stuff done. He was a hard worker and someone Zeke found far more dependable than he would have originally expected.
