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Tears cloud my vision and I cling to my mom a little harder. “I’m sorry for being a shit daughter. I promise never to do it again.”

“Of course, you won’t because I won’t let you. Now, are you going to introduce us to the handsome man standing over there?”

My mom always knows how to break the tension, and I’m grateful for the reprieve.

Pulling away, I take my mom’s hand in mine and guide us over to Max, who’s standing by the garage with his hands tucked into the pockets of his tight jeans that make his thighs look massive.

“Mom, Dad, this is Max Black. He’s been kind enough to let Beck and I stay here while I try to find a job.”

My dad’s gaze turns to me and then goes back to Max.

“Max, this is my mom, Lexie, and my dad, Ryder.”

Max steps forward and shakes both their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

“Thank you for taking them in. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.” My dad goes in for some weird man hug, and Max accepts it with ease. With his brows pulled down, my dad looks at me. “Now what’s this about you getting a job?”

“What choice do I have? A baby isn’t cheap. I’m afraid if I touch my money, Bradley will be able to find me. He still might be able to just from us checking into the hospital last night.”

Max steps forward. He’s looking down, but he glances at me out of the corner of his eye. “I’ve already spoken to a friend, and it’s been taken care of. There’s no record of you or Beck being at the hospital.”

“Really?” Excitedly, I place my hands on his chest and lean up to kiss his cheek without thinking. It’s not until I stand back and see the smiles on everyone else’s faces that I realize what I did.

“Why don’t we go inside? I’m sure you’d like to rest after your long flight.” Max suggests with a cocky smirk on his face.

“Actually, I’d love to take a walk around this beautiful property and stretch my legs now that I’ve seen Delilah and Beck are okay with my own two eyes,” my mom says as she takes Beck’s hand in hers and starts to walk toward the back of the house.

“I guess we’re going for a walk,” I laugh, linking my arm with my dad’s and start to follow after them.

“Are you up for a walk?” my dad asks.

Leaning up, I kiss his cheek. He’s always so worried about me. “I love you, Dad.”

“Aww, I love you too, sweet girl, but you didn’t answer my question.”

“I am.” I shrug and lift my hand. “It aches, but nothing more. I’m more emotionally drained from everything that’s happened with Bradley and then Beck getting hurt. I just want my life to be easy and simple.”

“Well, I’m not sure how simple it will be with him by your side.” He nods toward Max.

“He grew up here, so everyone leaves him alone. Well, except some of the moms on the Little League team. They’d like to get in his pants, but that’s to be expected.”

He makes a noise but doesn’t comment for a long moment. “Your mom probably has tips on how to deal with that. I know there were times for her when it was hard to see women throw themselves at me.”

I’ve seen my fair share of women drool over my dad. I have eyes, and I know he’s gorgeous, but he’s also my dad. Still, it might be a good idea to ask my mom how she dealt with it.

“I see a lot of myself in him,” he murmurs.

“In what way?” I watch as my mom and Max swing Beck back and forth. His laugh breaks through the quiet and brings a smile to everyone’s faces.

“The way he looks at you is the same way I looked at your mom. He’s falling for you.”

If anything, my dad looks at my mom with more love. I’d love nothing more than for Max to look at me with a fraction of that love one day.

“Impossible,” I scoff. “We barely know each other.”

“I knew right away, but held my tongue, knowing it would only freak your mom out. Your hesitance, you get from her. It’s not a bad thing, but you and Beck both deserve to have someone love you with everything they have.”

I stop walking and look up at my dad. His blue eyes are trained on me, giving me his full attention. “Can I confess something to you?”