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He met her gaze. “I do. I…”

“Everly?” Her dad came hurrying toward them. “What are you doing here?” He dragged his gaze away from her to look at Tanner. He scowled. “What’s going on?”

Everly just stared at him for a few moments. “I want to ask you the same thing. What…?”

Her dad’s shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry, Everly. It’s like I said, I ran into some trouble…”

“Yeah. The kind of trouble that you just can’t tell me about, right?”

Tanner swung his head to look at her. She knew that her tone was sharp, and she sounded bitter. If he knew more of her history with her dad, he’d understand.

“I’m sorry. I…”

“It’s okay. It doesn’t matter.”

“How do you know him?” He jerked his chin toward Tanner.

“I don’t owe you any kind of explanation, Dad.”

He glared at Tanner. “Tell me this isn’t what it looks like.”

“It isn’t what it looks like,” said Tanner.

She looked up at him. Was he going to deny that they were together? The look in his eyes reassured her, but not as much as the feel of his arm as he wrapped it around her shoulders. “I know what you might think of me – Everly knows, too. We have no secrets. I know I haven’t been the kind of guy any father would want for his daughter, but I promise you, that’s changed.”

Everly wrapped her arm around his waist. She felt awful; Tanner had no idea that she’d only come to say goodbye to him.

Her dad glared at him. “Are you expecting me to believe that you’re the kind of leopard who can change his spots at the snap of a pretty girl’s fingers? I understand how Everly could turn your head around – she’s worth a million of the girls you usually chase. I like you well enough, Tanner. But you’re right; you’re not good enough for her. And I don’t believe for one second that you’re ready to give up the kind of life you live so that you can take on Everly and my grandson.”

Everly’s heart thudded to a halt as Tanner sputtered, “Say what now? Your who?”

Everly’s dad turned to her. “You haven’t told him?” His expression gentled. “So, no matter what Tanner thinks, you’re not…”

She could barely focus on what he was saying. She was more concerned with the way that Tanner had stepped away from her. He was staring at her as if he didn’t know her. She couldn’t blame him. She’d told him as much – told him that he really didn’t know her – just this morning. How she wished that she’d managed to find the right moment to tell him about Ashton.

“You have a son?” he asked slowly as if he was still trying to process it.

She reached out to touch his arm, but her heart sank when he stepped back again out of her reach. “I do. I kept trying to tell you. I didn’t think it mattered at first, and then, when I realized that it did, we kept getting interrupted – last night, with the deer, this morning when you got the phone call about the mare.”

He nodded along, as if he were agreeing with what she was saying, but she could tell that she’d lost him.

“You could’ve just told me. Youshould’vetold me.”

The hurt in his eyes broke her heart. “I was going to. I promise you. I’m so sorry. I…”

“Don’t you go apologizing to him, Everly. You did yourself a favor. He’s a good guy. But he’s not good enough for you and Ashton.”

She wanted to yell at her dad, to tell him to shut up and leave them alone, but he kept on talking. He turned back to Tanner.

“I’m not blaming you. I can see how Everly would make you want to change your ways. I can see how you might even have tried to convince yourself that youcouldchange for her. But tell the truth – be honest with yourself – you’re not ready to be a father, are you?”

Everly felt as though someone had wrapped steel bands around her chest and was squeezing all the air and the life out of her. Of course, she’d hoped. Even though she’d only come to say goodbye to him, she’d still hoped that maybe… Somehow… But any hopes she’d had were being crushed right before her eyes.

Tanner looked at her, then at her dad. When he turned back to her, he met her gaze and shook his head sadly. “I guess I’m not.”

She squeezed her eyes closed against the tears that threatened to fall. It was ridiculous. It was totally unreasonable of her to expect any other answer. Not only had the poor guy been blindsided, he also believed that she’d been lying to him deliberately ever since she met him.

She sucked in a deep breath, pulling herself together as she opened her eyes. “I get it. I understand, I’m sorry. Goodbye, Tanner.”