Page 45 of The Payback Adventure
He winced. That made him sound like he had a Peter Pan complex. Well, he enjoyed some responsibilities, like making his friends happy. But being a father wasn’t like making friends happy. Being a father didn’t allow you to pick and choose when you showed up. If fathers made a mistake, it was a big deal.
Caitlin stared up at him expectantly.
He needed to say something to her, something a four-year-old would understand. “But I’m not a daddy. I’m…Henry.”
Her lower lip quivered.
Oh man, he didn’t want her to cry. She was just a little girl who wanted to be loved. He ignored the tug on his heart.
“What if I became your fairy godfather instead?” he asked.
Her cute nose crinkled. “What does a fairy godfather do?”
“He makes sure you’re happy and smiling all the time.”
She grinned. “You already do that. You bought me Flower and played vet with me. Oh, and remember when we colored?”
This was working. He smiled. “Then I’m one step ahead of the game.”
“Will you still call me princess?”
“Of course, princess.” He emphasizedthe last word. “Okay?”
As she nodded, her curls bobbed up and down. “Okay.”
But it wasn’t. Not really. Henry felt as if he’d dodged a bullet. Three of them. But Caitlin was happy, and he was relieved. He could be a fairy godfather or a real godfather.
A real father?
Forget it.
* * *
I’m not to blame.
Over the next few days, the words became Elisabeth’s mantra. She was trying hard to believe them. The words gave her peace about her parents’ deaths and a sense of freedom she hadn’t thought possible. And it was all due to Henry.
Thinking about him brought a welcome smile to her face. She couldn’t help it. He was thoughtful and hardworking. He’d stopped making so many mistakes and endangering the farm.
However, he was also becoming a…problem.
She glanced at the clock on her dashboard and stepped on the accelerator. The engine spurted. She pressed on the gas pedal again. Finally, the Suburban sped up.
She couldn’t deny Henry was gorgeous. Any breathing female would be attracted to him. But Elisabeth’s growing feelings for him went beyond the physical, and that bothered her. A lot. She’d lost a fiancé over having to raise her siblings and had no regrets. Keeping them all together was the right choice. She would never get involved with a man who didn’t want kids. Not that she wanted to get involved with Henry.
She didn’t.
Except she was getting attached. So were the kids. She didn’t want to think about what would happen when Henry left, but she had to.
He would be leaving. Just as soon as Manny returned or once Henry’s month was up in a little over two weeks. Elisabeth didn’t know what would happen first, but it didn’t matter. The result would be the same.
She had to prepare herself and the kids for his departure. They would have to get used to an empty space at the table again. They would have to give Ruff extra love and attention. Ritz would be back to sleeping on top of her. They would have to put a radio in the bathroom to replace Henry’s singing in the shower.
Thinking about all those things made her heart hurt.
That was bad.
Maybe it would be smart to distance herself and the kids from Henry. But how?
