The Single Dad (The Dalton Brothers 3)

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

We were quiet for a few moments, something unusual for my spunky daughter, and I broke the silence to say, “My little negotiator, I know there’s still a few hours left before you have to go to bed, but in the meantime, let’s not convince Hannah to let you stay up extra late or let you watch something I wouldn’t approve of, okay?”

“Or have a popcorn fight in your bed like last time?”

I leaned back to show her my face. “There most definitely won’t be any of that, do you hear me?” I paused. “I think I’m still finding kernels in there.”

She giggled. “But it was sooo much fun.”

“I’m sure.” As I moved her against me again, I inhaled the scent from the top of her head, the same smell she’d had since she was born. Even though she now chose her own shampoo and I no longer rubbed her chunky limbs with lotion, her scent, to me, hadn’t changed. I missed that baby whose body was the length of my forearm, but I was proud of the girl she was turning into.

“I’m going to be home late tonight, so I won’t see you until the morning.”

“Is Hannah having a sleepover?”

I hugged her tightly, kissing her nest of hair. “She is. Are you going to let her sleep in the guest room?”

“No way. Cousin Hannah sleeps with me. That’s the rule.”

It was a good thing my princess now had a queen after quickly transitioning from a toddler bed, or the small mattress wouldn’t have held Hannah and all of Everly’s animals.

“Just try not to kick her tonight. Last time, she almost went home with a black eye.”

She covered her mouth with her hand. “That was the lion’s fault, Daddy. He’s ’posed to protect her. I can’t help I get all wild when I sleep.”

I loosened my grip, resting her against the bed, and flattened my palm on her stomach, her large blue eyes gazing back at me. “My beautiful baby girl.”

“Baby?” she huffed. “But I’m a big girl.”

“Eve, you’ll always be my baby. Even when you go off to college and get married someday—”

“Echhh.”

“Good. That’s the sound I want to hear every time I mention boys—boys who need to stay far, far away from my daughter.” I held her cheek, giving her five kisses in a row. Not six. Not four. Five was our number. “I won’t be here to say this, so have the sweetest dreams.”

“Don’t forget to tell Uncle D, I’m maaad.”

I winked at her. “I won’t.”

I pushed myself off her bed, surprised to see Hannah in the doorway.

“Hannah!” Everly yelled from behind me.

“What’s up, my little bestie?” Hannah said to her, waving. “I have a present for you downstairs, but I need to talk to your dad for a minute, so I’ll bring it up when I’m done. Cool?”

“Cool!” Everly squealed. “Yay!”

I turned toward Eve when I reached the doorway. “I love you.”

“More than all the stars in the sky, Daddy.”

I held her words in my chest, the same way I did every night when she spoke them.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes, Eve,” Hannah voiced as I joined her in the hallway.

We were nearing the stairs when she said to me, “My God, you two act like identical twins. You even have the same mannerisms.”

“Except she’s the cuter one.”

Hannah smiled. “There’s no doubt about that.”

As we descended the long wraparound staircase, I nodded toward my cousin’s outfit. “You’re dressed a little formal for babysitting. Did Eve ask you to look fancy for her tonight?”

Since Hannah had her own code to my house, she’d come over at some point while Everly and I were upstairs. And knowing my daughter, I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d texted Hannah a slew of emojis this morning from my phone and made that kind of request.

“No, I came here straight from the office.”

I checked my watch. “You were working this late?”

She sighed. “He’s a relentless asshole, and for some reason, he insists on making my life a living hell.”

“Who, Declan—”

“Shh,” she said, cutting me off. “We don’t say that name out loud. The man has ears like a dog, and somehow, miraculously, he’ll know we’re talking about him, and he’ll call me back into the office.”

“He’s meeting us out for drinks tonight, so he won’t be doing that.”

“The fact that you hang out with that dickhead makes my skin crawl.”