Page 26 of Surrendering His Heart (Buena Hills #4)

Christian had lost his mind.

How else could he explain the way he’d let down his guard so completely by waltzing with Hallie the other night?

The last person he’d danced with had left a giant hole in his heart, and he’d feared sharing such a vulnerable act with anyone else would feel like a constant reminder of their tragic love story.

Why did Hallie get to him so much? Was it the way her stunning eyes sparkled with a mischief he’d never seen in them before? Or maybe it was the adorable way she was so bad at dancing. Whatever the reason, the moment Hallie set her hand in his, something shifted inside him.

He’d felt it instantly.

Undeniably.

Contrary to his long-standing fear, it wasn’t Sabrina filling his head during that impromptu waltz. And she wasn’t in his head now as he stood by the big twisty slide at Village Green Park.

Three days had passed, and the sensation of holding Hallie in his arms still lived in his head rent free. Dancing with her had been a mix of heady exhilaration and gentle contentment. But also terrifying as realization struck him in those moments.

He was no longer just attracted to his best friend’s little sister.

He was falling for her.

And he had to put a stop to it before he stumbled too deep.

Especially now that the girls were involved.

Penelope had refused to let Hallie leave the house until she’d gone to bed, for crying out loud.

She wouldn’t even let Christian brush her teeth or read her a story.

Isla hadn’t claimed the woman as an unsuspecting bestie like her sister had, but even she’d warmed up to the idea of having Hallie around.

Continuing down this road wouldn’t just hurt him, but his girls as well.

Because all romantic relationships eventually stumbled onto the twisty path toward heartbreak. He couldn’t risk it. Whatever was happening with Hallie had to end before he took another step.

“Daddy, watch this!”

Christian pulled his head back to his surroundings to find Isla, standing at the top of the twisty slide. “I’m watching.”

As she flung herself down the slide, Penelope and her preschool friend, Charlotte, ran past him toward the rope climbing wall.

Those girls were living their best lives this afternoon.

Except for the one time she’d asked for a snack, his youngest daughter had been too busy playing during this playdate to even glance his direction.

Isla tumbled out of the slide’s bottom, her giggle bringing a small smile to Christian’s face. These glimpses of the joyful little girl she’d once been always gave him hope that she’d eventually be okay.

“Did you see me, Daddy?” She hopped up to him, her curly ponytail bouncing behind her. “I went so fast!”

Christian held up a hand for a high five. “You were so fast, I could hardly see you.”

“Oh, Daddy, you’re silly.” Isla spun back toward the jungle gym. “I’m going to do it again.”

He waved her off. “I’ll be here.”

While she ran toward the wobble bridge leading up to the twisty slide, Charlotte’s mom approached, her infant son in her arms. “I think we’re going to take off. This one’s getting tired. I really hope he falls asleep on the way to Charlee’s dance class.”

Christian checked his watch. “Yeah, we should get going too. Thanks for organizing this. Penelope’s having a blast, as you can tell.” On cue, a high-pitched cackle came from the wood chips at the foot of the climbing wall.

Charlotte’s mom laughed. “She’s adorable. We need to get the girls together again soon. Charlotte talks about Penelope all the time.”

“For sure. They play really well together.” Sticking two fingers in his mouth, he let out a shrill whistle, capturing the attention of all three girls. “Nellie, it’s time to go!”

Isla groaned from the top of the slide. “Can’t we stay for five more minutes, Dad?”

How could he resist her simple request when she was having so much fun? “Fine, five more minutes.”

At first, he thought Penelope’s timely squeal spawned from her excitement over more park time.

But instead of heading back to the playground, she took off running toward the copse of trees at the edge of the park.

Christian hastily said goodbye to Charlotte and her mom before jogging after his daughter, wanting to catch her before she reached the sidewalk.

The number of times that girl gave him heart palpations had already taken at least ten years off his life.

Fortunately, Penelope stopped before jutting into the street. However, when he saw who’d captured her attention, he squeezed his eyes shut. How could he possibly put a stop to his developing feelings for Hallie if the woman showed up wherever he was? Was she intentionally trying to drive him mad?

Oh, gosh. Was she a stalker?

He almost laughed out loud at himself. You’re being paranoid.

“Hallie! Hallie!” Penelope tugged on the hem of the woman’s hoodie.

“Hey, sweet girl.” The way Hallie smiled down on her bathed Christian’s chest in a pool of delicious warmth. Like a hot tub on a cool evening.

Stop it. You just said you were ending this. Pulling his eyes away from their interaction, he checked to make sure he still had Isla in his view. She’d exited the slide and was heading their way.

When he turned back to Penelope, she’d slipped her small hand into Hallie’s, dragging the woman over to him. “You have cookies today?”

“Nellie …” Christian began .

“No, sorry,” Hallie said with a light laugh. “I don’t have any treats today. But maybe the next time I make cookies I’ll drop some off for you. How does that sound? Hi, Isla.”

Isla gave her a silent wave—not a glowing hello, but a far cry better than previous greetings.

It seemed like forever before Hallie finally acknowledged him. And when she did, her friendly expression turned to uncertainty. Had she thought about the other night as much as he had?

She dropped Penelope’s hand, clasping both of hers in front of herself. “We keep running into each other, don’t we?”

He nodded. Too much. And yet, not enough.

“Is your business stressing you out?” Wow, what a conversation starter.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re out walking again.” He swallowed his concern. He couldn’t end this ill-conceived crush if he kept inserting himself into her troubles. It’s not your responsibility to fix them. Then why did he want to so badly?

Hallie tilted her head to one shoulder, considering him. “Something like that.”

By the way she said it, he deducted that whatever was on her mind had more to do than just her business. But it wasn’t his place to press the issue.

“I like walking over here,” she continued, bouncing on the balls of her running shoes. “There’s an empty storefront across the street.”

Christian nodded. Like a dumb bobblehead. “I’ve seen it.”

“I come down here a lot to think about how great it’ll be when I finally get my bakery. I’m manifesting my goals, I guess.” She gave a shaky laugh. “I know, that sounds silly, but it actually helps.”

“Whatever keeps the dream alive.” At least she had the opportunity to dream, which was more than he could say about himself.

“Wouldn’t that storefront be a perfect location? Think of all the families stopping by on their way to and from the park. I don’t think Buena Hills has ever had its own bakery.” Hallie squinted up at him. “You grew up here. Is that true? ”

Christian shrugged a shoulder. “As far as I know. My mom would be a better judge though. She remembers further back than I can.”

“It doesn’t really matter, I guess.” She sighed, the sound full of longing. “This place will be long gone by the time I come up with the funds to put down a deposit.”

“Sounds like you need an investor. Or a partner.”

She made a noise that was half desperate laugh, half groan. “Where do I find either of those? You don’t have any rich friends hiding in the woodwork, do you?”

The corner of his mouth turned up at her attempted levity. “Sorry.”

He didn’t miss the sagging of her posture as she stared in the direction of the empty storefront, not visible through the trees.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Her discouragement tugged at his heart, providing more than a little discomfort. It wasn’t his responsibility to be her cheerleader, and yet he hated seeing her so down. “Wherever you end up, it’ll be perfect. Don’t give up.”

Hallie startled a little and looked down at the space between them. Christian did too, confused to find her fingers resting in his. When did he reach for her?

Her eyes traveled slowly to his face again, their light blue depths full of questions. “I’m not.”

A lengthy pause followed her words, during which he couldn’t look away. Neither did he pull his hand from hers.

This is dangerous, he reminded himself. Dangerous for the girls. And dangerous for him. He shouldn’t let her get under his skin like this.

Hallie cleared her throat, slipping her fingers from his. She turned to Isla, her tone regaining its lighter nature. “Are you looking forward to your birthday? What’re you doing to celebrate besides your party?”

Isla’s face lit up as it always did when talking about her birthday. “I wanted to go to my first haunted house, but Daddy said no.”

“I can’t take you to a haunted house, kiddo,” Christian said dryly, though grateful for the topic change .

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to have nightmares after.” Not to mention, Carrie Pritchard, and the entire neighborhood gossip chain, would have a hay day if word got out that he took his kindergartner to a place overflowing with “satanic creatures.” Carrie’s words, not his.

But he did agree with the wisdom of steering Isla away from things that might terrify her.

His daughter talked a big game about loving the scary side of Halloween—should he be concerned or find it endearing?

—but her anxiety already caused enough bad dreams. She didn’t need anything else disrupting her sleep.

Isla let out a giggle. “Oh, Daddy, you don’t get nightmares. You’re not afraid of anything.”

“You must be really brave to want to go.” The amused twinkle reentered Hallie’s eyes. “My brother took me to one once and I had to sleep with the light on for weeks.”

“When was that?” Christian asked, holding back his own amusement.

“I was twelve. Tyler thought it would be funny.” She chuckled. “Newsflash, it wasn’t. For either of us.”

“What did you do?” Isla asked, hanging onto every word.

Hallie shrugged. “I clung to his side the entire time. I don’t think he anticipated I’d be that scared. He definitely regretted it after when our mom made him sleep on my bedroom floor until I felt safe enough to make it through the night by myself.”

Christian was about to respond with a comment about teenage brothers when Penelope tugged on her hand. “Hallie! Hallie! You push me please?”

“Uh … I have a couple minutes.” She looked at Christian uncertainly. “If it’s okay with your dad.”

Her statement gave him the perfect exit opportunity. He wanted to take it; really, he did. His decision-making abilities suffered whenever she was near.

But one glimpse of Penelope’s hopeful face weakened his resolve. The child just wanted to play. Her thoughts didn’t run any deeper than that .

He jutted his chin toward the swings. “Go on. Just for a minute before we go.”

“Yay!” Penelope tugged Hallie to the bucket swing before reaching her arms up for help.

Christian followed with Isla at his side, his stomach twisting. It worried him how readily his sweet daughter trusted Hallie. Yep, he definitely needed to put a stop to this.

Before disaster struck.