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

“Ah, there you are,” he muttered, spotting the glittery sneaker underneath her crib. He attempted to fit into the tight space far enough to grab it from the farthest corner. How had it gotten there? She’d worn it yesterday.

Grabbing it, he carefully shimmied out from under the crib, tossing the shoe next to its mate on the rug.

“Let’s remember to put your shoes away next time.

” He spoke the words out loud, even while directing them more toward himself.

Sitting back on his haunches, he glanced at the spot where his daughter had been a moment ago.

The empty glider chair underneath the collage of Penelope’s baby photos swayed gently back and forth on its base. “Nellie?”

Where’d she go? That sweet girl had more energy than she knew what to do with.

“Christian?” Danica called from downstairs. “I’m here.”

Just in time.

He grabbed both shoes and left the room, finding Penelope outside the door playing with the shape sorter blocks she’d left in the hallway. Princess Pumpkin, her loyal follower, sniffed at the colorful shapes scattered on the floor.

Although Christian had originally agreed to the idea of a dog to help with Isla’s anxiety, he was pretty sure the retriever preferred the youngest Gustafson because of the likelihood of pilfering a treat. Dogs really were the smartest animals.

“Come on, Nellie.” He picked her up before continuing to the stairs, Pumpkin trotting behind them. “Aunt Dani’s here. ”

“Yay!” Penelope bounced in his arms. “Let’s go!”

Once downstairs, they found Danica sitting next to her niece on the couch in the living room. Their heads were bent together watching a show on the tablet in the younger girl’s lap. Isla’s headphones hung around her neck, and she pointed at something on the screen, drawing a laugh from her aunt.

“Hey, sis.” Setting Penelope down, she scurried around the couch to climb up next to Danica. He gave his sister’s shoulder a squeeze. “Thanks for coming on such short notice.”

Danica leaned her head back to look at him. “I’ll never pass up an opportunity to hang with my favorite nieces.” She poked Penelope in the side, and the toddler bent over giggling.

“We’re your only nieces,” Isla said, scrunching her face in confusion.

Danica smiled at her with genuine auntie devotion.

“You’re still my favorites. Besides, my roommates decided they wanted to dye their hair in our bathtub.

I thought it was best to leave before they tried to convince me to become a redhead.

Can you imagine me with red hair?” She flipped a honey-colored strand back from her ear and shuddered.

“That would be a mistake, for sure.” Christian tossed Penelope’s shoes onto the floor in front of the couch. “Have you talked to Mom recently? She hasn’t answered the last few times I’ve called.”

Danica wiggled her way out from between the girls. Penelope filled the gap quickly, scooting over to cuddle with her big sister.

“I saw her last night.” Danica followed him into the kitchen where they could converse without interruption. “She’s looking forward to her cruise.”

“Mom’s going on a cruise?”

Danica’s face lit up like she was about to reveal a juicy secret. “Her friend talked her into going on a”—she made her fingers into quotation marks, bending and unbending them to emphasize her statement—“two-week singles cruise for middle-aged adults.”

A low guttural snort escaped Christian’s throat. “A singles cruise? Really?” When he caught his sister’s scowl, he softened his tone. “That’s cool, I guess.”

“She deserves to be happy, Christian,” came Danica’s mild reprimand. “I think it’s sweet. She’s finally getting back out there. You know how long it’s taken her to be okay with the idea after Dad died.”

“Sure, whatever.” He still didn’t like the prospect of her possibly dating again. It had been just the three of them for so long. “By the way, I told the girls I’d take them to get ice cream when I got home. You’re invited, of course.”

“Hey, I’ll never pass up free ice cream. Especially with crushed cookies on top.”

“This trip is beginning to cost me one of my limbs,” he muttered, scrunching his nose at her. “Don’t take it personally if Isla’s a little moody. She’s still sad about Annelise leaving.”

Danica glanced into the living room. “I understand. I’d be grumpy too if my nanny left. Annelise has been a constant for over half her life. It’s not easy having that suddenly disappear.”

Christian followed her gaze to the girls still snuggled up together on the couch. “I wish I could change things for her more than anything. She’s way too young to have to deal with these issues.” The anger he tried so hard to squelch flickered again.

His sister touched his arm. “So are you. But you’re doing your best for these girls. Remember that.”

Sometimes Christian forgot that Danica was only twenty-one. She spoke with more wisdom and experience than many people her age, maybe as a result of growing up too fast after Dad’s death.

At least she had enough brains not to elope at twenty, then get blindsided by a surprise baby a year later. Only Christian would make that mistake. Love sure caused a guy to make questionable choices.

Love. Ha. Yeah, right.

“How’s the nanny search going?” Danica asked, rescuing him from his spiraling negativity.

“I’m interviewing two candidates next week, but I’m not holding my breath that either one will amount to much.” A few applicants had seemed promising during the interview, but one look at them with the girls made it obvious they weren’t a good fit. “Annelise has spoiled us.”

Danica reached over and squeezed his wrist in a show of support. “Hang in there. There has to be someone out there who’ll care about the girls as much as we do.”

Christian thought about that as he kissed his daughters goodbye and left the house a minute later.

He’d contemplated offering the job to his sister on more than one occasion.

But she had a hefty course load—with some of her classes scheduled into the late afternoon—plus a part time job, and her own social life.

It wasn’t fair for him to dominate all her time.

And Mom couldn’t do it—she was still several years away from retirement.

Would he ever find someone suitable enough to fill Annelise’s purple low-top Chuck Taylors?

He drove the five minutes to Tyler’s sister’s place on a street he’d avoided for years. Too many memories were tied up in that place. Ones he wished he could forget. As he pulled up in front of the familiar house, he couldn’t suppress the tsunami of images bombarding his brain.

Why couldn’t Hallie live in a beat-up old apartment like a typical early-twenty-something year old woman?

Answering the question took no time at all.

The house belonged to Tyler’s aunt and uncle, who lent it out to their children, nieces, and nephews to live in during college.

Christian had benefited from that generosity by virtue of his friendship with Tyler and his cousin, Brad, long before Hallie had moved there. That had been a fun six months.

Let’s get this over with, he thought, forcing himself to leave the car.

Trudging up the walkway, his eyes landed on the stone balustrade lining the front porch at the top of the steps.

It looked over the small rose garden in the yard below.

A vivid memory he hadn’t thought about in years hit with such force, it almost knocked him backward.

“He just doesn’t understand,” Sabrina said, snuggled up against his chest, her head nuzzled into his neck.

Christian leaned his back against the stone pillar holding up the porch’s awning. Tightening his protective hold around her, he listened to her as she poured out her frustrations.

“I’m an adult now. I should be allowed to date whoever I want. He’s never happy with any guy I’m with. If it were up to him, I’d be sent to a convent.”

Christian knew not to say anything. Her relationship with her father was a complicated one. As much as Sabrina complained about him, she’d defend him to the moon and back if anyone spoke a word of criticism.

“If he’d get to know you,” she continued, “I’m sure he’d realize what I knew from the day I met you.”

Christian leaned forward again, resting his mouth against her raven hair. “What’s that?”

She raised her face to glance at him, keeping her cheek pressed against his chest. “That you’re the perfect guy, and I’m the luckiest girl in the world to get to be yours.” She sat up and placed a lingering kiss on his lips.

“Nobody’s perfect, Sabrina,” he murmured when they’d broken apart. He brushed his lips against the tip of her nose.

She smiled sweetly at him. “You’re perfect for me. And you’re the only one I want to spend my life with.” She gasped, her eyes bright with an idea. “Let’s get married.”

“What?” Christian choked on his laugh. “We can’t get married. Our parents would freak.”

Sabrina grabbed both his hands in hers, bringing them to his chest. “So? It’s our life. We can elope. We both know we’re destined to be together. Why wait?”

He should’ve shut down the idea immediately.

Shouldn’t have let her talk him into it.

But he couldn’t deny the way he’d fallen hard and fast for the flirty ray of sunshine who’d become his dance partner during his first practice with the ballroom team on campus. They’d been inseparable since day one.

It had only taken a few weeks to see a future with her. Not long after, she’d promised to love him forever.

“Forever.” Christian snorted. Her forever lasted about as long as the time between their courthouse wedding and the day the pregnancy symptoms kicked in. She’d had one foot out the door ever since, despite his many attempts to fix their marriage.

He continued up the stairs to the porch, furious with himself for indulging in the past. If his marriage had taught him anything, it was that forever love didn’t exist. Romantic love didn’t exist. It was all an illusion people created to make themselves feel good.

But not him.

Not anymore.

He’d learned his lesson. All that mushy stuff was for the other chumps. He had enough on his plate already to get mixed up in foolish delusions again.