Full-Time Father. Susan Mallery

he wasn’t going to lose her again.

      Then he realized what was wrong. Erin’s sensible plan placed limitations on his time and involvement. What if he wanted to be a full-time father instead of a part-time one? There wasn’t room in her equation for that.

      Before he could mention it, Christie burst into the room followed by Kiki. The girl had an armful of flowers cut from the garden.

      Erin looked at her. “Those are beautiful.”

      “Kiki said I could pick them for you.” She crossed the room and placed the flowers in her mother’s lap. “They smell nice, too.”

      “Thank you.” Erin’s smile included the housekeeper as well.

      “You know what else?” Christie asked, dancing from foot to foot.

      “No. What?”

      “Well, you said we would stay in town for a while so I could get to know my daddy.” Christie smiled winningly. “But we don’t have to stay so far away. We could stay right here. I found the perfectest room all for myself.”

      Chapter Four

      Erin stared at her daughter, sure she must have misunderstood what she was saying. One look at Parker’s stunned expression told her she had not. Christie wanted to stay here—with her father.

      It wasn’t possible, of course. The complications. The awkwardness alone boggled the mind. Besides, Erin had a feeling she was going to need some breathing room away from Parker. For some reason her hormones had decided to start line-dancing whenever he was in the vicinity.

      She caught a quick movement out of the corner of her eye. Kiki was inching toward the door.

      “It’s all the way at the top of the house,” Christie said, her voice bright with excitement. She was completely oblivious to any tension in the room. “I can see the ocean and the whole sky. There’s a rocking horse and playhouse and a big bed to sleep in all by myself.” Her smile was winning. “Across the hall is a grown-up room just for you. There’s a window with a seat. There’s even a little wooden box by the bed,” Christie went on, grinning widely. “You know, for a puppy.”

      Erin dropped her head to her chest and fought back a groan. When had everything gotten so out of hand?

      “Kiki,” Parker said sternly. “What have you been telling Christie?”

      The housekeeper had almost made it to the hallway. At the question, she paused, then slowly walked back into the room. “I didn’t say anything.”

      Parker raised his eyebrows and waited.

      “Well, I didn’t,” Kiki said defiantly. “Christie mentioned that she and her mother were planning on staying in town for a couple of weeks. This place is large enough to house a regiment. It seems silly for them to be paying a hotel bill when all this space is available.”

      “So you thought you’d tell her that?”

      “It may have slipped out,” she confessed. “But you must admit having them stay here isn’t a bad idea.”

      Parker glanced at Erin and shook his head. “She’s been with me too long to fire, but sometimes she tries my patience.”

      “Don’t talk about me as if I weren’t in the room,” Kiki said.

      “Would you rather I said what I was thinking?”

      Kiki sighed. “Not really.”

      Erin looked at Parker and was pleased that he didn’t seem truly annoyed by the conversation. At least he had a sense of humor. The real question was did he have a solution? Kiki and Christie stared at her with matching hopeful expressions. She didn’t know what to say. For one thing, Parker hadn’t invited them. For another, it wasn’t a good idea. She could feel it in her bones, and in her stomach.

      “I don’t think—” she began.

      “If Christie stays here, Parker has a better chance to get to know his daughter,” Kiki interrupted. “After all, he has a lot of time to make up for.”

      That one hurt, Erin thought, as the blow fell squarely below her belt.

      “Kiki, I appreciate what you’re doing,” Parker said. “But it isn’t necessary.”

      Erin touched the cool leather of the sofa and wondered what she should do. While she was still trying to figure that out, Christie cut to the heart of the matter. She crossed the study and stood directly in front of her father.

      After placing one small hand on his knee she said, “Daddy, do you want Mommy and me to stay with you?”

      Erin rose to her feet. “Christie, that’s enough. You can’t put your father on the spot like that. This morning he didn’t even know about us. We’re here to get to know each other and that’s what we’re going to do. We don’t have to live in the same house to become acquainted.”

      Christie turned toward her. Her lower lip trembled slightly. “But, Mommy, we’re ‘posed to live together. Mommy and Daddy and me. You read that to me. ‘member?”

      Unfortunately, Erin did ’member. She’d checked out a couple of books on different kinds of families from the library. She’d thought they would help Christie understand that she wasn’t the only one being raised by a single parent. Some of the chapters had talked about extended families. A new mommy or daddy joined the family, then he or she came to live with them. It was perfectly normal. Common even. Only it wasn’t going to happen this time. She and Parker might be Mommy and Daddy, but they weren’t going to live together.

      Erin walked over to her daughter and knelt down on the area rug. Parker was a scant foot away, but she did her best to ignore him. She took her daughter’s hands in hers, marveling as she always did at how small her palms and fingers were; small, yet perfectly formed.

      “Christie, it doesn’t matter if Parker and I live together or never see each other again. You’re the important one. You need to get to know your father. That’s why we’re here. You’re going to get a chance to do that, but it will be easier if we’re staying at the hotel.”

      Easier for the adults, at least, Erin thought. Aside from the privacy, she was going to need the downtime.

      She glanced at Parker who was staring at her intently. “I’m sorry,” she said. “You’ve had a lot of shocks today. Why don’t I take Christie back to the hotel and we can pick this up in the morning?”

      He didn’t respond. Instead he frowned slightly. “I’m not sure what’s best,” he said, then turned to Christie. “Do you want to stay here?”

      She nodded until her pigtails flapped like two flags in a stiff breeze.

      He leaned forward in his chair and placed his elbows on his knees. His face was close enough to hers that she could see the individual whiskers that would soon darken his jawline. His dark irises were a mixture of colors. Brown, dark blue, hints of green and gold.

      “It’s not a bad idea,” he finally said.

      Erin blinked at him. Not a bad idea? Was he insane? It was a hideous idea. It was the worst idea she’d ever heard. Unfortunately she couldn’t say any of that. The air had fled her lungs and she couldn’t speak. She didn’t know if it was the force of his gaze or the scent of his body, but either way, she was immobilized.

      “I would like the time to get to know Christie,” he continued. “There’s plenty of room for both of you.”

      “Please, Mommy,” Christie begged.

      “Don’t forget, I live here,” Kiki said from her place by the door. “I’ll be the chaperon.”

      Parker straightened immediately. His face hardened, and his expression became unreadable. Erin felt as if she’d been slapped. Obviously even the thought of anything happening between them was so repugnant, he could