“HERE YOU GO.” HOLLY SMILED AT ONE of her students after she fixed the buckle on her little dress shoe and then sent her off to rejoin the dance.
The father daughter dance was a huge success, with one notable exception. There were a few girls who came because they didn’t want to miss out, but who didn’t have fathers here. Her heart clenched every time she caught a glimpse of them. They were having fun with their friends, but every now and then, they’d cast looks of envy at the other dads, or gaze longingly at the dance floor. It broke Holly’s heart to see it, but there was nothing she could do to make it better.
Everyone else seemed to be having a great time. Music and laughter mingled together, and the food and snacks flowed freely. And most of the dads seemed willing to get on the dance floor and dance with their daughters. Yes, the night, on the whole, was a success.
Scanning over the crowd to see if anyone needed attention, she told herself she absolutely wasn’t checking to see if a certain behemoth of a man and his adorable daughter had arrived yet. Snorting, she rolled her eyes at herself. Yeah, right. Even in her head, she didn’t sound convincing.
Shelby had been a model student all week long, and Holly found herself wishing, for the first time ever in her career, that a student would misbehave in some way. She got upset with herself every time she remembered the fleeting thought, and even now, guilt washed over her. Shelby was happy and well-adjusted in school, her grades were high, and she was making friends. It was everything Holly wanted for her, and getting into trouble didn’t even come close to making that list. Yet Holly had wished it, just so she’d have an excuse to see Ian again.
And that was a prime example of why it was best Holly and Ian stay away from each other as much as possible. It was just the icing on the cake of reasons why it was best. Deliberately pushing him from her mind as one of the dads approached, she directed him to the restroom. When he was walking away, she turned toward the door of the gym as it opened.
Breath catching, she watched as Ian and Shelby stepped into the room. Shelby looked adorable in a fluffy pink dress, her hair curled around her shoulders and patent leather shoes on her feet. But it was her father Holly couldn’t tear her eyes away from. His hair was once again slicked back from his face, and he wore black dress pants and a blue collared shirt. Lips quirking, she watched as he tugged his collar. It was obvious he didn’t wear dress clothes often, but he really should. In his jeans and t-shirt, he was mouthwateringly gorgeous. But dressed like this, he was breathtakingly handsome.
She was so intent on checking Ian out that it took her a few moments to realize it wasn’t just him and Shelby. Three other men walked in after the pair. Curious about what they were doing here, she approached the fighters. Ian noticed her, his eyes widening as he looked her over. Scolding herself for taking pleasure in his heated look, she was nonetheless happy she’d put on her prettiest dress and made sure her makeup and hair were done well. Feeling grateful she hadn’t needed her cane tonight, she came to a stop in front of them and smiled at Shelby.
“You look beautiful, Shelby,” she said warmly. “I’m so glad you could make it.”
“You look beautiful, too! Doesn’t she, Dad?” Shelby asked slyly, giving her dad a sideways glance.
“Gorgeous.” He ran his gaze up and down Holly’s body.
She cleared her throat as her cheeks warmed. Glancing at the other fighters, she said, “I know you weren’t too sure about coming to the dance, but was so much moral support necessary? I didn’t realize you tough fighter types needed your hands held for stuff just like us common folk.”
“Haha, funny. I’m tough enough to handle a dance with my kid.” Ian rolled his eyes while the others laughed. “Shelby told me some classmates were coming but didn’t have dads who could make it. Me and the guys here thought maybe they wouldn’t mind dancing with us. I hate to think of any of the girls missing out while the other girls had all the fun.”
Holly’s mouth popped open and her eyes widened in surprise. That was the last thing she expected to hear him say, but it was an amazing idea. She glanced at the other guys before looking back into Ian’s bright blue eyes, her heart fluttering madly in her chest.
Searching for her voice, she grinned. “Guys, this is amazing. I’ve been wishing there was something I could do for them. Thank you all so much.”
“It’s nothing. Any chance to flirt with a pretty girl, I’m in,” one of them said with a wink at Shelby.
“That’s Seth.” Ian nodded to the one who’d spoken. Gesturing at each of the men in turn, he said, “This is Jax, and that’s Alex.”
“It’s so nice to meet you all. Thank you all again for coming,” she said, shaking their hands.
“It’s our pleasure,” Jax replied.
“We wouldn’t miss it.” Alex gave her a warm smile. “My mate, Cammie, said she met you at the fight last week.”
Mate? she thought, wrinkling her brow. “Yeah, I did. She seems really nice.”
“Ha. You don’t know her very well.” Seth smirked. It turned into a grunt as Ian elbowed him in the stomach.
“Ignore him. He’s still salty over the last time Cammie beat him in a fight.”
“That was months ago,” Seth protested to Ian.
“And? We all know you hold onto stuff like that. Damages your ego when a girl beats you in a fight.” Ian looked completely serious, but the twinkle in his eye told the truth. He was teasing, and he clearly enjoyed it.
“Daddy, can we go dance?” Shelby asked as Seth was opening his mouth to reply.
“Of course,” Ian replied. His voice was infused with enthusiasm, but Holly could hear the reluctance he was trying hard to hide.
Shelby dragged Ian to the dance floor and Holly turned to the other fighters. “If you guys want to follow me, I’ll introduce you to the girls who don’t have dads present. Maybe you shouldn’t tell them why you’re here. Some of them have fathers who couldn’t make it, but some don’t have fathers at all. I’d hate for them to feel even worse about it if they have to answer questions about where their dads are.”
“Of course,” Jax replied quietly as the others nodded. “We’re here to make their nights better, not to make them feel bad.”
“Ladies, I have a special treat for you tonight,” Holly said as they stopped in front of the cluster of girls. “These gentlemen are here to spend the evening with you. Say hello to Jax, Seth, and Alex.”
Wide eyed, the girls echoed a hello before exchanging glances with each other. Quickly introducing the girls, Holly said, “You ladies chat, dance, and have fun. Come find me if you need anything.”
As she turned away, she heard one of them whisper to another, “They’re so hot!” Shaking her head, she found a chair so she could sit and take some of the pressure off her leg. The girls were ranging in age from seven to ten, but it was clear their senses were already well developed if they recognized that the men from Rocky River were all very attractive.
Tapping her toe to the music, she let her gaze roam around the gym before her whole body stilled as her eyes landed on Ian and Shelby dancing. A slow song was playing and Shelby stood on her dad’s feet, arms around his waist and head resting on his chest as they swayed to the music. Ian had one big hand wrapped around her shoulders and the other was slowly stroking her light brown curls. He was going to smooth out her carefully styled hair, but she didn’t seem to care, and Holly couldn’t say she blamed her.
Her heart was melting in her chest, turning her into a puddle of goo, but she couldn’t look away. The picture was too sweet and irresistible, and despite her lectures and warnings to herself, Holly lost a sliver of her heart to Ian right then and there. This huge, tough, tatted up beast of a fighter, slow dancing with his daughter while he held her tenderly, love shining from his face and pouring off his body in waves… she dared any woman to not lose a slice of her heart while watching.
Another teacher and chaperone walked up with a question, distracting her, and once they were gone, the song was over and Ian and Shelby were nowhere to be found. Trying to bury her disappointment, she rolled her ankle and flexed her leg, making sure it was still holding up. To her relief, it was still fine, but she kept up the exercises. Her leg became difficult and uncooperative if she left it in one position too long, and she wanted to keep it feeling good. She had her cane in her classroom, but she really wanted to avoid using it for the rest of the night.
Jumping when she became aware of a presence beside her, she swallowed a gasp and brought a hand to her chest as she saw Ian standing beside her chair, a smile warming his eyes as he looked down at her.
Holding out a hand, he asked, “May I have this dance?”
“What?” she sputtered, heart racing at the thought of being held in his strong arms. “This is a dance for the dads and kids. You should be dancing with Shelby.”
“It’s open call,” he replied with a nod to the dance floor. Following his gaze, she noticed a lot of the teachers dancing with fathers, and some of the fathers dancing with girls who weren’t theirs. “And Shelby is occupied with her friends right now. So? Want to dance with me?”
“I don’t think so, Mr. Gallagher, but thank you for asking,” she said, ignoring the voice inside her that let out a wail of protest.
“Please, call me Ian. I insist,” he replied seriously, eyes intent. “Is it your leg? I noticed you weren’t using your cane, but maybe it’s hurting you now. We can work around that. You can always stand on my feet like Shelby did and let me do all the work.”
Flustered, her mind went blank for a moment. “It’s not my leg. It’s doing fine right now. I only use the cane when it’s acting up.”
“Then you don’t have an excuse for saying no.” He held out his hand again. “Come on. Dance with me. Lots of teachers are dancing with student’s fathers. Unless there’s another reason you don’t want to.”
He had her there. And she couldn’t let him know the real reason she didn’t want to dance with him. He already had more power over her and her emotions than he should have, and she couldn’t let him have more.
“All right, I accept.” She placed her fingers in his palm so he could help her up.
Stifling a gasp as a bolt of sensation shot through her the moment her skin touched his, her gaze flew up and she looked into the bright blue depths of his gaze. Judging by the look in his eyes, he felt the same jolt of electricity she did, and her heart leapt at the thought even as she told herself them both having the same reaction was bad, very bad.
His fingers tightened around hers for a moment and then he led her slowly to the edge of the dance floor. Needing to make sure she kept as much distance between them as she could, Holly held up her right hand for a more traditional dance hold. Lips quirking, Ian deferred to her, but she could see in his eyes that he knew what she was doing.
They swayed to the music, and Holly flitted her eyes around, looking anywhere but at Ian. The butterflies in her stomach from his nearness were strong, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt them. Maybe never. Not even with Kyle had she felt this level of awareness for a man.
Guilt immediately flooded her at the thought, and she briefly closed her eyes. What was she thinking? Kyle had been everything to her, and no man could come close to that. And especially not this muscled up fighter who was so different than anyone she’d known before.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts. “You went pale for a moment there.”
“I’m fine.” She couldn’t bear to look in his eyes, not wanting him to see any of what she was feeling. “Just not comfortable with dancing with a student’s dad.”
“I think it’s more than that.”
“It’s not.”
“Then why won’t you look me in the eye?”
Slowly taking a deep breath, she tried to wipe all emotion from her eyes, and reluctantly met his. Cocking an eyebrow, she stared at him. Lord, his eyes were beautiful, the bright blue color enhanced by his blue shirt. This man was so gorgeous. It was epically unfair to the female half of the population for any man to look as good as this one did.
“Are you happy now?” The words came out in a whisper.
“Not quite, but I’m getting there. This was a good start,” he replied.
What did that mean? His blue eyes were warm, full lips curled up into a smile, but she couldn’t figure out exactly what he’d meant, and the warmth in his gaze was seeping into her. Glancing away for a moment, needing to break eye contact, she changed the subject.
“So where’s Shelby’s mom? Shelby never talks about her.”
His eyes darkened and a muscle jumped in his jaw. This time, it was him who looked away. “That’s not a subject I want to talk about.”
“Oh God, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. Look, I know how it feels to lose a loved one. And you never really get over it, and it doesn’t necessarily get better, but you learn to live with it. And every day is a little better than the day before.”
“What?” he asked, frowning. Realization dawned in his eyes. “No, that’s not it. Farrah didn’t die. She’s just a worthless piece of shit.”
“Mr. Gallagher.” She gasped. “I hope you don’t talk about her like that in front of Shelby.”
“I don’t need to. Shelby knows.”
“I doubt that’s the case, if she hasn’t been told that before, like you say. Little girls love their mothers,” Holly said, frowning.
Exhaling heavily, he said, “Look, I know what I’m talking about. Farrah was awful to Shelby. Her whole tribe was. They mocked my daughter relentlessly for her birthmark, treated her like she was the dirt beneath their shoes. Shelby knows better than anyone the kind of person her mother is.”
Holly tried to comprehend a world where anyone, especially her own mother, could be mean to Shelby. Her whole family on her mother’s side, since she assumed that’s what he meant by tribe, although that was a strange way of referring to them. But the idea just wouldn’t compute. Children were a blessing, something to be loved, not treated as Shelby was.
“Her mom was cruel to her, over something as insignificant as a mark on her face?” she asked in disbelief. She felt incredibly protective of Shelby, and she couldn’t imagine how her own mother wasn’t.
Eyes softening, Ian’s lips curled up as he gazed into her eyes. “You think it’s insignificant? And yes, she was. Unbelievably cruel. That’s why I fought so hard to get her away from them and with me. And why I got so upset about a boy making fun of her for the mark. She’s had enough of that. She doesn’t need more.”
Holly shook her head, unable to speak for a moment. How unjust was it that she lost her baby, that she would probably never have one of her own, when she would have loved it with everything in her. And then there were women like Farrah who could have children, and yet treated them like she had Shelby. The world had never felt more unfair as it did to Holly in that moment.
“I don’t understand. How family, a mother, could be so mean to a little girl for something like that.”
“Her mother, her whole family, are obsessed with beauty. They prize it. Any kind of physical deformity is a black mark against them, and they’re treated accordingly. Like servants. Even Shelby.”
“Poor Shelby.” Pressing her lips together, she tried to control the anger she felt on Shelby’s behalf, but it was almost impossible. “That’s why she was so shy and timid at first, isn’t it?”
“It is,” he said. “She’s finally coming out of it. I worried that so many years of verbal abuse damaged her permanently, but it doesn’t look like that’s the case.”
“Kids are resilient, but they’re also sensitive. Years of going through that could have scarred her for life, and she might not have recovered. I’m so proud of her.”
“You really are, aren’t you?” he asked, eyes soft as he searched hers. “You care for her a lot.”
“I care for all my students, but Shelby… there’s something very special about her. You have an amazing little girl, Mr. Gallagher.”
“Please, call me Ian.”
Swallowing hard, she found herself nodding without quite meaning to. His eyes were soft and mesmerizing, and she felt like she was drowning in the blue depths. He began slowly leaning down, his eyes dropping to her lips. Following suit, her eyes fell to his mouth, watching as his tongue swept across his lower lip, leaving it glistening.
Desire rushed through her veins, heating her blood. She wanted this. Wanted his kiss, more than she’d wanted anything in a very long time. God, how long had it been since she felt desire? Years, not since Kyle, that was for sure, and it was a heady feeling—
Abruptly realizing where her thoughts were going, and that she was on the verge of kissing Ian on the elementary school gym floor, surrounded by her students and fellow teachers, Holly quickly pulled back. It was only then that she noticed the song was over and a fast one was playing, and it sounded like it began a while ago. She’d been so wrapped up in their conversation, so wrapped up in him, she’d lost all sense of what was happening around her.
“It looks like the song is over. Thanks for the dance, but I really should get back. I’m here to work, after all.” She stepped back faster than she’d intended and stumbling on her bad leg.
Reaching out a hand, Ian grabbed her arm to steady her. He opened his mouth to say something, but Holly had to get out of there now. Throwing her hand up in a wave, she made sure she was steady on her feet, turning to go to the bathroom. She needed to compose herself before she had to speak with anyone else.
Walking as quickly as she dared, she warred with the emotions washing over her. Her body was disappointed, yearning to go back to Ian and finish what they’d been about to begin. Her mind was disappointed as well, but it was disappointment at herself for not keeping things professional, for not keeping Kyle at the front of her mind at all times. And her heart… her heart was heavy, full of guilt and shame over forgetting Kyle, and at the same time, full of longing for Ian, and pain at knowing nothing could ever happen between them. She was a mess, and she didn’t know how to deal with any of it.
IAN WATCHED HOLLY WALK AWAY AS FAST as she was able, only a slight limp belying the trouble she had with her leg. He’d forgotten for a moment where they were, forgotten the kids and her coworkers surrounding them. And even though he knew it was best that she came to her senses, he was still disappointed that he hadn’t gotten to kiss her.
Every worry he had, every thought about why it wasn’t a good idea to get involved with her, every thought period, had flown out of his head as he stared into her eyes. Even now, he was struggling to remember all the reasons why kissing her wasn’t a good idea.
It’s a great idea. She’s our mate, and it’s always a good idea to kiss our mate, his tiger said calmly, like he wasn’t uttering life changing words.
“What the fuck,” he whispered, stunned to his bones. Holly was his mate? And his tiger just said the words like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Dad,” came Shelby’s urgent voice from his side. “I know you like to swear, but you can’t say stuff like that here.”
Well, shit. “I’m sorry, sweets. I wasn’t thinking. I won’t do it again.”
Patting his arm, she said, “It’s okay. Just make sure you don’t. You could get in trouble.”
Smiling down at her, he ran his hand over her head. “You got it. You having fun?”
“So much fun!” she replied with a bright smile that hit him like a wave of warmth. God, how he loved seeing her like this. Shiny with the happiness that radiated from her and acting, for once, like an eight- year-old should. “What happened just a minute ago, when you were cussing?”
“Nothing you need to worry about, sweets. Just my tiger talking to me.”
Blue eyes forming full moons, she whispered excitedly, “You were watching Mrs. White when your animal talked to you, weren’t you? He said she was your mate, didn’t he?”
Freezing, Ian stared at his daughter in surprise. So much for acting her age. He forgot how perceptive she could be, so much so that he wondered if it was her shifter gift manifesting. It was like she could sense things and put the puzzle pieces together faster than humanly possible. Of course she noticed what he was doing and put two and two together. What was he going to tell her? Shifters could hear lies, and she was a tiger like him. She’d know if he tried to lie to her. Shit shit shit.
“I don’t—it’s—well, it’s complicated,” he finally said.
Taking his hand, Shelby led him off the dance floor to a quiet corner. “Dad, it’s not that complicated. You can’t be thinking you’re going to deny her, are you? Because that never works. You’ll just end up causing yourself grief while you fight it, and in the end, it’ll be pointless, because you’ll give in eventually.”
Eyebrows raising, he stared at his daughter. Sometimes she sounded so much more mature than her eight years. Another manifestation of her shifter gift, or just a product of her unfortunate upbringing with Farrah? Something else to ponder, and once again, as he did about a hundred times a day, he pushed down rising anger at Farrah. Anger would get him nowhere. All he could do was try to give her the life she’d always deserved.
Our mate will make the perfect mother to our cub.
Mate. Jesus. But he couldn’t deny the truth of his tiger’s words. He was one hundred percent right. Squeezing his eyes shut, he shook his head once hard before refocusing on the conversation.
“Shelby, it’s not as easy as you’re thinking it is. And what makes you think Hol—Mrs. White even wants anything to do with me?”
“Come on, Dad. All the girls talk about you. They call you Hot Dad. There’s no way Mrs. White doesn’t see that. Besides, all shifters mates are drawn to them. And if Jax can win Piper back, you can win Mrs. White.”
“What do you know about Jax and Piper?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“I know enough. She was really mad at him when she first came back to town, but he made it work. You can, too.”
Shaking his head, he caught a glimpse of green out of the corner of his eye, and looked over to see Holly walking back into the room. His breath caught as he watched her. God, she was beautiful. The dress she wore was hugging her curves, and the green brought out the emerald in her eyes. A student approached her, and she leaned down to talk to her. His heart clenched at her smile. She genuinely cared for the kids around her, and he thought that might be her most attractive quality. She was beyond gorgeous, but her personality and caring nature were the real draw, and they only enhanced her natural beauty.
Shelby squealed, breaking the spell Holly had woven around him without even knowing she was doing it. Glancing down at his daughter, he raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“The way you just looked at her,” she said dreamily. “That was beautiful. Oh, this is just so perfect. I think Mrs. White is amazing. She’d make the best mother.”
Stunned, Ian stared at his daughter, trying to wrap his mind around what she just said. “Do—” pausing as his voice broke, he cleared his throat and tried again. “Do you want a mother?”
Looking thoughtful, she was quiet for a moment. “I used to think I didn’t. Farrah was horrible, and I never wanted someone like her in my life again. I thought for the longest time that all mothers were like that. But I know now they’re not. And I still didn’t want to risk it, but Mrs. White isn’t a risk. She’s crazy nice, and I know she’d never do or say the things Farrah did.”
Heart cracking right down the middle, he took a moment to get his emotions under control. He couldn’t stand the thought of the emotional abuse and pain his daughter had gone through at the hands of her mother, and hatred for Farrah burned through his veins. And he wasn’t going to correct Shelby’s use of her mother’s given name. Farrah hadn’t earned the right of the title Mother.
“I’m glad you’re able to see that not all women are like Farrah,” he told her softly. “But sweets, I don’t want you to get your hopes up. Just because my tiger says she’s my mate, doesn’t mean she’ll agree to it. I don’t want you to be disappointed if she doesn’t.”
“Does that mean you’re going to at least try, though?” she asked hopefully.
Looking up, his eyes found Holly again. She was laughing at something another teacher was saying, and his heart stopped at the kindness and joy that radiated from her. His tiger purred in his chest, and Ian understood, down to his bones, his tiger’s sentiments.
“Yeah,” he told Shelby, not taking his eyes off Holly. His mate. “I’m going to try as hard as I can.”