Sealed With a Kiss Read Free Page B

salad.
He had a feeling that Rachel McReedy hadn’t been too impressed with
the welcome she’d received in his office. Her blue eyes had flashed
at him more than once, warning him that he’d annoyed her.
    “Is Ms. McReedy going to be my tutor?”
    John shook his head. “She’s already got a
job. But she’ll be at your new school when you start.” He watched
Bella pick through her fruit salad, looking for the strawberries
he’d buried at the bottom of the bowl. “How did you find out about
The Bridesmaids Club?”
    “Mrs. Daniels read me a story from the
newspaper about what they were doing. I went onto the Internet and
looked at their website.”
    John stopped eating. “You found their
website?”
    Bella smiled and nodded. For the first time
since he’d mentioned the card she’d made, her eyes lit up. “They
have so many pretty dresses. They’ve even got tiaras and
petticoats. Mrs. Daniels said her granddaughter donated her wedding
dress to The Bridesmaids Club. Mrs. Daniels’ granddaughter found
her husband on the Internet.”
    A piece of apple got stuck in the back of his
throat. He coughed and tried not to look as though he was worried
about his eight-year-old daughter knowing about online dating
sites.
    He glanced quickly at Bella. “Did you look at
any dating sites?”
    Bella shook her head and looked sad. “Mrs.
Daniels said they were only for adults.”’
    “You asked her?”
    Bella nodded. John breathed a sigh of relief.
“That’s good.”
    “She told me that she met her husband at a
friend’s wedding. I thought that The Bridesmaids Club might know
someone who’d want to marry you.”
    The fork in John’s hand never made it to his
mouth. He put the fruit back in his bowl and pushed the whole thing
away. He watched Bella closely. “I don’t want to marry anyone. I’m
happy living with my favorite girl.”
    “Mrs. Daniels said that Mr. Daniels makes her
happy every single day. Sometimes you don’t look happy.”
    John didn’t know what to say. He’d worked
hard to provide a stable, happy home for his daughter. But
sometimes, after Bella had gone to bed and the house was quiet, he
felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.
    His wife, Jacinta, had died six years ago.
He’d been working in the Middle East when he’d been told the news.
He returned home, unsure of what the future held. He didn’t know
Bella, didn’t know how to look after a two-year-old who missed her
mom.
    A chance meeting with a senator had set him
on the path he was on now. He’d started his own security company,
quickly moving into high-risk, high-return contracts that catered
to the rich and famous. Over the next five years, he’d bought
companies across America. Moving into international security
operations had seemed like the perfect fit. But with the fit came
danger.
    He’d created a successful security operation,
but some days he wondered if it was all worth it. He could afford
to give his daughter anything she wanted, take her anywhere in the
world. But after ignoring his life beyond work and his daughter,
he’d forgotten what it felt like to be happy.
    He put his arm around Bella’s shoulders. “I
love you, sweet pea. Sometimes if I don’t look happy, it’s because
I’ve got things on my mind. I promise that it’s not because I’m
sad.”
    Bella nodded. “Pinky promise?”
    John held his hand out. “Pinky promise.”
    Bella grinned and John’s heart swelled with
love. They wrapped their little fingers around each other and
sealed their bargain with a kiss.
    “Do you want to see the pretty dresses on The
Bridesmaids Club website?” Bella’s face glowed with excitement.
    John couldn’t think of anything worse, but he
smiled at his daughter. Bella loved frilly, flouncy, dresses. He
didn’t know how or why it had happened, but it had. “Sure, I do.
Finish your dessert first, and then we’ll go into my office and use
my computer.”
    Bella ate another spoon of fruit, watching
him with eyes