Page 51 of Surrendering His Heart (Buena Hills #4)

Christian tiptoed to Isla’s door, sliding it open enough to slip from her dark room.

“Daddy?”

He froze. Hadn’t she been asleep a second ago? Turning, he found her propped up against her pillow. He returned to her side. “What is it, sweetheart?”

“Why doesn’t Hallie come over anymore?”

His heart pricked at the mention of Hallie.

He still hadn’t texted her since she’d walked in on his hostile exchange with Sabrina.

She deserved an explanation—and probably an apology for his distance—but with his thoughts still in their downward spiral most of the time, he had no idea what to say.

Preparing the girls to meet their mother was taking every ounce of energy he had left. But Isla didn’t need to know all that.

Kneeling beside her bed, he tugged on the blankets as she laid back down. “She’s spending Thanksgiving with her family. You know that.”

“But she’ll come back?”

Another ache sliced through him at the confusion in her tone.

He’d thought she understood that Hallie was just leaving for a few days, not forever.

But she’d experienced so much abandonment in her young life.

Frankly, he’d been surprised at how easily she’d accepted Hallie in the last few weeks.

He hadn’t expected a few days away from her to trigger Isla’s fears.

“Of course,” he said, hoping the reassurance would ease her anxiety. She’ll be back on Monday.”

“I miss her.”

“I do too.” So much it hurt, especially after the last three days. So many times he’d wished she were here, supporting him through this latest mess caused by his ex. He’d come to depend on the peace she brought simply by being in the room.

He found Foxie halfway lodged between the bed and the wall and tucked it under Isla’s blankets.

She snuggled the animal to her chest. “Do you love her?”

How did she pick up on that? She was only six. “Where’d you get that idea?”

A yawn came over her as she responded, slurring her words. “Grandma said when someone is in love, they smile a lot. You smile all the time when Hallie is here.”

Warmth accompanied the painful throbbing in his chest. It seemed the cat was out of the bag, despite the fact that he and Hallie had agreed to keep their relationship from the girls for now.

He needed to call her. But he’d have to worry about that later. Right now, Isla stared back at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.

“I do.” He watched her hesitantly, gauging her reaction. Her possible disapproval would put him in an even trickier position. “Are you okay with that?”

She relaxed deeper into her pillow and nodded. “She makes me smile too.”

For Isla, that was basically a stamp of approval. He kissed her cheek. “I’m glad. Now, get some sleep.”

“Goodnight, Daddy.” She closed her eyes.

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

Christian camped out on her floor until her breathing turned heavy, then made his way downstairs. A knock at the front door punctured the quiet. He glanced at his watch. It was after nine. Who could possibly want to come over this late?

Maybe if he ignored it long enough, they’d go away. It could be Sabrina. She’d called a few times in the last three days, demanding a meeting with the girls, but he’d kept telling her he needed more time. Had she finally run out of patience?

Another knock punctured the silence of the dark house, more urgent this time.

Okay, ignoring wouldn’t work. Dragging his feet, he approached the door and pulled the canvas drape back a crack to peek through the side window.

He pushed out a noise that landed somewhere between an annoyed growl and a relieved sigh.

He flipped on the entryway light before yanking the door open. “Do you have any idea what time it is? I was about to go to bed.”

“Yeah, right.” Tyler breezed into the house, followed by Brad. “I know you better than that. Your night is barely getting started.”

That doesn’t mean I want company.

“We would’ve been here sooner if someone hadn’t insisted on stopping for a burger on the way.” Tyler slugged his cousin in the shoulder.

Brad rubbed at the spot, scoffing as though offended with the roughhousing. “I was hungry. Do you know how hard it’s been not eating meat? I need my iron.”

“What’re you doing here anyway?” Christian asked, leading the way to the kitchen.

He grabbed a protein bar from a box on top of the fridge and tossed it to Brad, who made himself at home at the square table.

“Shouldn’t you be at your family thing right now?

” Brad’s parents lived a good two hours away.

Joining his cousin at the table, Tyler held up a hand, a silent request for his own protein bar. “You would’ve known we were coming if you’d answered your phone.”

Christian tossed him one too, then rested his hip against the counter by the sink. “I think I left it upstairs. I needed a break from it after all of Sabrina’s calls.”

“It’s true then?” Brad asked around a mouthful of protein bar. He swallowed. “She’s really back?”

Neither he nor Tyler seemed surprised by the news, which could only mean that Hallie had already told them . Forcing out a deep sigh, he leaned his head back against the cabinet behind him. “Yeah, she’s back. She wants a relationship with the girls.”

“And you’re encouraging it?” Brad’s hostility didn’t go unnoticed.

But this time, his buddy’s opposition didn’t rankle Christian.

He agreed with it even, that being the main reason for putting off the introduction.

“What other choice do I have? As much as I hate it, she gave birth to them. Can I realistically keep her from being in their lives if she sincerely wants a place in it? The girls don’t deserve to be caught in the middle of our problems.”

“What about my sister?” Though subtle, Tyler’s tone held a slight edge. He’d adopted his protective older brother persona.

“What about her?”

Tyler peeled back the wrapper of his protein bar, though his eyes remained fixed on Christian. “I think you know.”

Christian sighed. He couldn’t keep playing dumb about his feelings in front of his friend. It was time to come clean. “I’m in love with her.”

His buddy’s expression remained unchanged. “Duh.”

“You knew?” After being so protective of Hallie, Christian had expected some kind of reaction from his friend.

“Of course I knew.” Tyler pushed back his chair.

“Shall I present Exhibit A?” Tugging open the freezer door, he waved his hand in front of the shelves where Christian had crammed Hallie’s two remaining cakes.

Isla’s haunted house had already been eaten.

“How many cakes did you buy at the Autumn Festival?”

Christian ran his hand down his face. “Three.” The word escaped as a low growl.

Brad barked out a laugh, almost falling out of his chair. “Welcome to the club, man.”

“What club?”

“The Smitten Guy’s Club.” Tyler shut the freezer before reclaiming his spot at the table. “Only a fully initiated member would go to those lengths for a woman.”

Christian dropped into the chair across from him. “If you already knew, why didn’t you call me out when she showed up that day you were at my house?”

“I know I’m protective of my sisters. But believe it or not, I really do respect their ability to choose for themselves.” Tyler leaned back on his chair’s hind legs. “Plus, Gemma told me not to.”

That pulled a chuckle from Christian. He was looking at the president of the Smitten Guy’s Club. “And you’re not mad? ”

His buddy crossed his arms over his chest as he pondered the question. “I’m … concerned. My sister is important to me. Her happiness is important to me. But she told me, in no uncertain terms, to back off and let her figure things out herself.”

A smirk tugged at Christian’s mouth. “I can’t picture Hallie ever saying those words.”

“That was more my interpretation of it.” His eyes lit with mischievous amusement.

“The question is,” Brad said, placing his elbows on the table and steepling his hands together, “now that your feelings are out in the open, what’re you going to do about it?”

“I don’t follow.”

His buddy rolled his eyes. “Why are you here while she’s at my parents’ house wondering where she stands?”

That gave Christian pause. He’d been so wrapped up in his own crumbling world, he hadn’t considered the possibility that she needed to be reassured that his feelings for her hadn’t changed. Actually, not being with her had made him even more sure about where they stood.

Boy, did he mess up big time. He wouldn’t blame her for considering it a deal breaker. Or at least a humongous red flag.

Tyler must have recognized Christian’s sudden panic. “Can you blame her for being confused? She gets to your house to find you in the same room as your ex, and instead of explaining the situation, you ask her to leave and ghost her for three days. See why I’m concerned?”

“I have to make this up to her.” Christian jerked to his feet. “I’ll call her now.”

Brad arched one of his dark blond brows. “Don’t you think this conversation should be done in person?”

The amount of nervous energy pulsing through Christian’s veins sent him pacing across the kitchen floor. “She’s not getting back until Sunday.” He snapped his fingers. “As soon as the girls wake up in the morning, we’ll drive up there so I can talk to her. Do you think your parents will mind? ”

Brad’s mouth quirked up in approval. “There are so many people swarming that house right now that three extras wouldn’t make a difference.”

“Good,” Christian mumbled, his mind already forming the heartfelt apology he’d give to her in the morning.

“Do you mind if we crash here tonight?” Tyler asked. “I need a few hours of shut eye, so I don’t fall asleep behind the wheel.”

Christian emerged from his thoughts long enough to answer. “Sure thing. I’ve got a couch with your names on it.”

“Rock, paper, scissors for it?” Brad lowered his chair to the floor, shooting a smirk in his cousin’s direction. “Loser gets the floor.”

Tyler put one fist on top of his flattened palm. “Best out of three.”

It almost felt like old times watching his friends battle for the couch—just three nineteen-year-olds messing around after a full day of classes.

But they were no longer those guys, and he couldn’t keep living in the past. He could only look to the future with the hope of sharing it with Hallie.