The Single Dad (The Dalton Family #3)(36)

A reaction came across his face like a wave, one that I couldn’t quite read before he said, “That’s what you want, then? To be her nanny?”

There was no doubt in my mind that I could give Everly exactly what she needed. If there was one thing I was extremely confident about, it was that.

At the same time, I could apply the skills I would be learning at school into the lesson plans I designed for her.

The only thing I wasn’t sure about was what it would be like, living in his home. How it would put us in close quarters every single day, showing vulnerabilities, especially considering my attraction to him was so strong.

But I wasn’t afraid.

If anything, the thought excited me.

“Yes,” I answered. “That’s what I want.”

“You know what that means, don’t you?”

I tightened the grip I already had around my stomach. “It means that whatever was happening between us is now over.”

He nodded. Slowly. “And nothing can ever happen between us again.” His stare intensified. “We can’t date. We can’t fuck. You’re there for Everly … not me.”

Am I making a mistake?

Those words were on repeat.

Again, I heard them.

“I understand,” I told him.

“And you can accept that?”

He wasn’t testing me. He wasn’t being derogatory.

He was being Everly’s father.

“Yes.”

He reached across the desk, holding out his hand for me to grab. The moment we linked fingers, his voice softened as he said, “Are you sure?”

I knew what he was doing.

And there was no question; I felt the energy between our hands. The promise in his grip. The heat in his skin.

All of it made the tingle inside my body beat like techno.

But I had to stay focused on Everly.

I broke our connection, returning my hand to my thigh, my palm even slicker than before. “Yes, Ford, I’m sure.”

He pulled his arm back and hugged his coffee, allowing plenty of silence to pass before he said, “I need some time. I want to think this through. Sleep on it. Make my final decision in the morning.”

“No problem.”

His thumb traced the rim of the mug. “You know, you’ve been very patient since I met you. Understanding in a way I couldn’t quite comprehend, given your age—I don’t mean that in any disrespect; it’s just not a trait I see often.” He glanced down at my résumé. “Now that I see you on paper, it all makes sense.”

“Four years is a long time to be with a family. I might not have seen everything, but I saw enough to know the things you go through as a parent. Therefore, I can only imagine how difficult it has been for you to do it all on your own.”

His brows narrowed. “It would be full transparency if you moved into my home. I’m not perfect, Sydney, but I try my hardest to be everything Everly needs.” His voice turned a little quieter as he added, “She deserves that.”

I didn’t want him to know how that admission made me feel.

That I could, so easily, wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his chest and tell him he could make any woman’s ovaries combust.

But I stayed on course instead and replied, “I’m far from perfect. I’m going to make mistakes—I made mistakes with the Turners. We’re human. All we can do is try our best when it comes to raising children.”

“Truth.” He sipped his coffee. “What about your friend Gabby? Would she be all right with you moving out?”

I smiled. “More than all right. I’m sure she’s dying to get her office back that I’ve completely hijacked.”

He slipped my résumé into a folder and placed it into his drawer. “I’ll give you a call in the morning.”

The interview was over.

I just hoped it had been enough. That I’d given him answers he wanted to hear.

Maybe even ones he hadn’t considered.

As I stood with my bag, he said, “I want you to know, you’re an incredible woman to sacrifice the possibility of us—all for my daughter.”

My lungs tightened, my throat, too, as I held the back of the chair I’d been sitting in. “This might sound simple and overused, but I’ve always believed that things in my life happen for a reason. I didn’t want to go to the bar that night. I was exhausted, jet-lagged. Grouchy, if I’m being honest. But there, I met you, and then Everly the next morning, and that could quite possibly be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

He continued to stare at me until he replied, “I’ll be in touch, Sydney.”

I smiled and gave him a quick wave, and then I walked out the door, thanking his assistant.

“Sydney,” I heard when I was halfway down the hallway, realizing the sound had come from one of the offices I’d already passed.

I backed up to the closest doorway, where Hannah was inside, sitting behind a desk. “Hey,” I said to her.

“How did things go?”

I shrugged. “Good, I think. He’s going to let me know in the morning.”

She got up and walked toward me. “I hope this doesn’t affect you two. I mean, he’s been in such a good mood since he met you.”