Free Family Wanted (Willow's Haven Book 1) by Renee Andrews Page A

too?”
    Isabella shook her head. “Oh, no, you don’t have to...”
    But Titus didn’t waver. “Of course,” he repeated to Savannah. To Isabella, he added, “Please. Savannah wants you to come.” When she opened her mouth to apparently protest again, he added, “And so do I.”
    She nodded. “Okay.”
    Savannah rushed toward him and hugged him. “Thank you, Daddy.” Then she moved to Isabella and wrapped both arms around her in a hug, making no effort to let go.
    “Thank you, Miss Isabella.”
    Isabella ran her hand down Savannah’s hair and visibly swallowed. “You’re welcome, sweetie. We’ll do it again tomorrow, okay?”
    Savannah nodded. “Okay.”
    Titus waited for her to release Isabella from the hug, but she continued holding on, and for a moment he thought his little girl might be crying. His heart couldn’t take seeing her cry, for any reason, happy or sad. Then he realized what had her so absorbed in the hug.
    “Miss Isabella,” she whispered, “I love you.”
    Emotion fisted around Titus’s heart and held tight as he watched Isabella’s tears slip free. She tried to casually brush them away and Savannah, with her face still pushed against Isabella’s side, didn’t seem to notice. But Titus did. And he also noticed the undeniable honesty delivered in her response.
    “Oh, Savannah, I love you, too.”
    * * *
    Isabella hadn’t been able to say anything to Titus after Savannah left to get Abi. The little girl’s sweet confession had overwhelmed her to the point that she simply couldn’t speak, and she could barely look at him as she gathered her things at the pool. Thankfully, she’d driven her car to the Cutter ranch and was now following them to the square. She needed this time alone to work through the surplus of emotions that the afternoon had stirred in her soul.
    But the fifteen-minute drive to the square wasn’t long enough. In fact, the only thing she managed to do during its duration was continue to remember how it felt to be there, with Titus and Savannah, playing in the pool and laughing, seeing him look at her with such thankfulness for helping his little girl and then hearing Savannah say the sweetest words she’d ever heard.
    By the time they pulled into the parking spaces at the back of the Sweet Stop, Isabella had shed so many tears that her neck was damp. She dropped her visor and glanced at her reflection in the mirror to check the damage. As she feared, she was a mess. Her hair, naturally wavy, went a little on the troll doll side after a visit to the pool. Normally, she’d pull it into a ponytail, but she’d forgotten to bring a hairband. And she certainly hadn’t expected an invitation to go out for ice cream with Titus, Savannah and Abi.
    Makeup was nonexistent, as it always was after she went swimming, except for a blur of smudged mascara beneath each eye. And a hint of it on her cheeks from where it must have slid south at some point in her crying spell.
    Thankful that there hadn’t been two parking spaces side by side, she patted her cheeks and attempted to smooth her hair while Titus parked a short distance away. She was still trying to make herself look a little more presentable when he opened her door.
    “Hey, it’s easier to eat the ice cream if we go inside the shop,” he said, giving her a smile that warmed her heart.
    Then he apparently noticed her eyes, or her makeup, or maybe her hair, because his features warmed and he asked, “Are you going to be okay?”
    He crouched down beside her, and Isabella focused on regaining control, sniffing, taking a deep breath...and then remembering that the girls were with him. She peered around him. “Where are Savannah and Abi?”
    “Abi’s uncle John and aunt Dana were entering the Sweet Stop when we drove up, so the girls went on in with them,” he said.
    Grateful they hadn’t seen her upset, she reached for her purse and withdrew a tissue, then used the mirror to attempt a better job of cleaning away