The Best Goodbye (Rosemary Beach, #13)(41)

Captain


I couldn’t get out of my truck fast enough. Chatting with Franny was incredible. She wanted to tell me everything, and I loved it. But God help me, Addy smelled so damn good my hands were sweating. Her scent had engulfed my truck, and every small move she made was like an electric jolt to my senses. I was so wound up by the time we parked that I jerked open my door and climbed out just to take a deep breath that wasn’t filled with Addy.

Clearing my head was the most important thing right now. I was getting to know my daughter and building a friendship with her mother. Not getting a f*cking hard-on every time I thought about Addy’s soft skin was the most important thing right now.

Jesus, I was f*cked.

I took one more breath of Addy-free air before walking around the front of the truck to open Franny’s door and help her down. Addy opened her own door and climbed out. I’d wanted to help her, too, but she hadn’t waited, so I let it go. She wanted to define this thing with us, and I had to let her.

I was caving fast. My good intentions were hard to hold on to when she smelled like heaven, looked like an angel, and was wearing a f*cking red sundress. Damn dress was making it hard to keep my attention off her.

“What place is this?” Franny asked.

“It’s the best burger place around, and it’s on the water. I thought I’d take us out of Rosemary Beach for a change. This is Grayton Beach. You’ll like it. There’s live music outside on the water if you want to listen after we eat.”

She smiled brightly and nodded. I was beginning to think she’d be happy to do whatever I suggested. That was a humbling realization. This little girl had just met me, and she already wanted to be near me, to talk to me, to have me in her life. This should have been harder, but with Franny, nothing was hard.

Now, with her mother . . . I shook that thought off. I wasn’t thinking about Addy right now. I’d do that at home alone tonight.

“I can play the guitar,” Franny announced, watching me closely. “Mommy taught me. But she plays better.”

Unable not to look at Addy, who was walking quietly behind us, I let myself get lost for a moment, in a time when we were us, when she would only play for me. I remembered when I’d traded my baseball card collection that my dad had given me, which his dad had given him, for a used guitar at a pawn shop. Addy never knew how I got that guitar, and I never told her, but she’d loved it. We had kept it hidden under her bed, and she had only played it down by the pond or whenever my mother wasn’t home. When she’d left—when I thought she was gone—I’d gotten the guitar from under her bed. It was in a box, stored safely in my boathouse. I hadn’t taken it out in years.

Tonight I would. Holding it wouldn’t cause unbearable pain now. When the time was right, I’d give it back to its rightful owner.

Addy shifted her gaze to meet mine, and a smile touched her lips. “She’s a natural,” she said.

I made myself look away from her. “I bet she is. Her mother is incredibly talented,” I said, looking straight ahead so neither of the girls could see my eyes; they’d say more than needed to be said.

“Did Mommy play for you when you loved her?” Franny asked innocently.

When you loved her. Those four words were too much. I just nodded.

“She used to play for me at night and sing me songs until I fell asleep. Then she taught me to play,” Franny continued.

Another thing Addy had given our daughter.

“Hey, they have homemade Key lime pie here!” Franny said, doing a little jump of happiness. “Look at that sign. It’s the world’s best. I love Key lime pie.”

“Then we’ll order a whole pie and eat until we’re sick,” I told her.

She giggled, then looked back at her mother. “I think he’s teasing. I won’t eat until I’m sick.”

Addy’s soft laugh sent warm tingles down my spine. “I’m sure he’s teasing.”

“Me? Teasing? I’m completely serious,” I said, glancing back over my shoulder to wink at her.

The flash of heat in her eyes didn’t go unnoticed.

Yeah. We were f*cked. If she wanted me like I wanted her, we were so screwed.

Franny let go of my hand and ran up the steps to the door of the restaurant. I followed her and put our name in with the hostess. When I turned to find the girls, I saw Franny studying the large tank of saltwater fish. Addy was behind her, pointing out different fish and telling her what they were. The two of them were a lot to take in. I could see others looking at them. One guy from the bar was watching Addy with interest. I leveled a warning glare at him as I walked up behind them and placed my hand on Addy’s lower back.

The man’s gaze shifted to me and then dropped back to his drink. He got the message. I saw then that Addy was staring at me. She had gone very still.

It took me a moment to realize that my hand had made her tense. There was no way to get around the fact that I’d just touched her in a gesture of possession. As much as I didn’t want to, I dropped my hand and looked at the tank. “I’m impressed your momma knows all the names of these fish.”

Franny glanced back at me and grinned. “Mommy knows everything,” she informed me with complete sincerity, then turned back to the fish tank.

I disagreed. If she knew everything, she’d know that dress she was wearing and the perfume she had on was driving me crazy. My touching her back like she was mine wouldn’t have surprised her. If she knew everything, she’d know I was hanging on by a thread.