The Single Dad Next Door

by Jessica Keller

  She licked her lips. “What did you decide?”

  He dropped his hand so he could slip it under the fleece coat to rest on the small of her back. “That no matter how tempting an opportunity might be, my place is here. Indefinitely.”

  “Was it the Snaggletooth Lions? Did they want you back?”

  Kellen pulled a face. “Snaggletooth? No. I’d never. And we don’t talk. Have you heard of a band called Since Grace?”

  “Only the most popular touring Christian band in the world. Yeah, I might have heard of them.”

  “A while ago I auditioned to join them.”

  “Kellen!” She fisted her hands into his shirt. “Your praise-and-worship songs are so powerful.”

  How did she know about those? “My...”

  “Tonight I listened to the CD by your computer. Hearing your music made me feel like you’d taken me by the hand and walked me right into the throne room of God. I haven’t experienced anything like that before. I hope you don’t mind that I listened.”

  “No one’s ever heard that stuff.” His eyes wandered to the outdoor light hanging above them. “Well, besides Sky and Ruthy.”

  She shook him gently where she held his shirt, making him look back at her again. “Forgive me, Kellen? I’ve been acting really selfish lately. God gave you an amazing gift and you need to share it with the world. I wouldn’t have said this before listening to your playlist, but I understand if you want to join Since Grace. You could have such an impact on the world, and the girls will probably love staying with your parents when you tour.”

  “Maggie.” He cocked his head. Silly woman. “Have you been listening to a word I’ve said? I turned them down. I’m staying here, in Goose Harbor. This is our home now. I won’t be moving the girls anywhere else.”

  “But your music. You’re clearly passionate about writing and performing songs.”

  Kellen shrugged. “I’ll figure out a way to make use of that at some point. For now I’m happy to sing for my girls...for you. I’m sorry for everything I said about the money...about Alan.”

  “Forgiven. I understand now why you reacted that way.”

  “Maggie, I...I don’t know how to say this.” He searched her eyes as his heart blasted against his rib cage. Would she reject him?

  “What?”

  “I’m in love with you.” He let go of her. “I mean, if you don’t feel the same way I understand. I won’t mention it again. It’s just...we felt like a family up until the past weekend and I didn’t want you to think that I only cared about you because you watch the girls. I care about you. I’m attracted to you. You challenge me to be a better man and to see things in a new way. You wanted to know me as an individual and it didn’t impress you at all that I’d once toured. Which is a good thing. I want to be with you, but I understand—”

  Maggie fisted her hands in his shirt again and jerked him forward. Her lips crashed into his before his brain could catch up. When it did, he wound his arms around her, his fingers twisting into her curls. Maggie’s kiss was hungry. Searching. Kellen answered it with equal energy.

  She broke away, breathing hard. “Does that answer your question?”

  He rested his forehead against hers. “I don’t even remember asking one.”

  “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. I should have come to you.”

  They both had to work on being more open. “Let’s focus on right now instead of worrying about the past.”

  “Now what?” Maggie raised her eyebrows.

  Kellen fought a growl. She had no idea how appealing she looked.

  “Let’s get you back home.”

  Maggie started to shrug out of his jacket.

  He stopped her hands. “Keep it. Here, jump on my back.”

  “Your...back?” She dropped his hand.

  “Piggyback. The ground is covered in dew and you’re barefoot.”

  She raised one skeptical eyebrow. “You do know I’m an adult, right? And I weigh what an adult weighs.”

  “You’re never too old for a piggyback ride.”

  She finally climbed onto his back and he carried her across the yard. Maggie’s laugh filled the air. With her arms wrapped around the front of his shoulders and feeling her heart beat against his back, he wouldn’t have minded walking all the way to downtown Goose Harbor like that.

  They were at her porch all too soon. Kellen swung her down on the last step. Relishing the moment and nearness, he stepped up to her level and wrapped his arms around her again, pulling her in for another kiss. It was short. Just a good-night. He wanted her to feel cherished...not as if he was about to maul her. He’d learned restraint since his Cynthia days.

  “You are beautiful,” he whispered as he stepped down off the porch.

  “See you in the morning.”

  He hooked his fingers into his pockets. “So I don’t have to obey the Saturday rule anymore?”

  Maggie rolled her eyes.

  “Good night.” He laughed and backed away. Kellen didn’t wait for her response. If he stayed any longer he’d kiss her again. And he didn’t know if he’d be able to stop.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Maggie pulled the lace curtain away from the window of the tidy house and glanced out.

  Her friend Paige patted her shoulder. “You know, a watched pot never boils.”

  Maggie let the curtain drop. “He said he’d be here ten minutes ago.”

  Paige’s smile was kind, hopeful. “Kellen will be here. He’s got the girls to juggle. He’d call if he had to cancel.”

  For the final month of the remodeling, both she and Kellen had decided that it would be best if Maggie moved out of the private side of the inn after all. Paige and Caleb had welcomed her with open arms. Her time with them had been relaxing, but she was glad it was over. Their house wasn’t home. Not for Maggie.

  The doorbell rang and Maggie beat Paige to the door.

  She flung it open, making the elaborate flower wreath hanging on it shudder.

  “Kellen,” Maggie breathed. He was dressed simply in jeans and a T-shirt. He’d gotten better about following the easier dress code that reigned in Goose Harbor. Even still, he looked like a man from a magazine. The only difference was that he was holding out his hand—for her.

  She placed her hand in his.

  He pulled her close. “I’ve missed you.” He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “So much.”

  “This living-ten-minutes-away thing isn’t cutting it, huh?” She swatted his chest.

  Paige adjusted the wreath on the door and shooed them off the front steps. “You two have fun.”

  Kellen opened the passenger door for her, but anything he was saying was drowned out by Skylar and Ruthy greeting her as she buckled up.

  Skylar squeezed her arm. “You’re going to love the inn! It’s all done and Daddy said we can live there now.”

  “I’m sure whatever your dad did was great.” Maggie commanded the butterflies in her stomach to be still as she smiled back at Skylar.

  While staying with Caleb and Paige, Kellen had instructed Maggie not to come to the inn. He’d said he wanted to surprise her with the transformation. The wait had been sheer torture. They’d all met for outings to the beach and dinner in town, but Maggie missed their old life as next-door neighbors. Although they’d never enjoy that again, would they? The new pastor and his wife had moved in only last week. The Ashbys were living in the inn now that the construction was complete.

  Kellen claimed her hand for the drive over. “Are you nervous?”

  “Not nervous.” She shook her head. “Just really proud of you. Thank you for letting me share in this moment.”

  But nerves hit her when he parked in front of the inn. From the outside, it looked as it always had. The inside would no
t. She knew that and had prepared her heart that morning during her time praying and reading the Bible. Still, she wanted to be excited about the changes, for Kellen’s sake, but what if she hated how it looked?

  Kellen smiled at her as he led her up the front steps. “Ready?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hold the door for us, Sky.”

  Skylar held open the door and Ruthy ran in ahead of them. Maggie gasped when they entered. The floors had been refinished and her great-grandfather’s chandelier glistened, showing every new detail in the room. The large wall in the dining room caught her eye right away. From chair rail to close to the ceiling, old family photos were framed and beautifully hung, making the room look as though it belonged in a home-decorating magazine.

  Maggie tugged on Kellen’s hand, going instantly to the wall. She ran her finger over a black frame that held a picture of her grandma surrounded by chickens. “Where did you get these?”

  “They were in the attic... Do you like it?”

  “I love this.” She blinked back tears.

  Skylar hugged Maggie’s leg. “If you like it, why are you crying?”

  Maggie bent down and hugged Skylar tightly. “Sometimes, when our hearts are so happy, that happiness has to spill out somewhere. You make me that happy.”

  Skylar koala-hugged her back. “What about Daddy? Does he make you that happy?”

  “He does.”

  “And me?” Ruthy tugged on her sleeve.

  Maggie opened her arm to pull Ruthy in, as well. “You, too, sweetheart.”

  Ruthy nuzzled her neck and whispered, “Can I call you Mom?”

  Maggie looked up at Kellen, silently asking him how she should respond. He nodded, practically beaming.

  “If you want to call me Mom, I think that might just make me happier than I’ve ever been in my life.” Maggie pressed a kiss to each girl’s head.

  Kellen rested his hand on her shoulder as she rose. “Let’s show you the rooms. We based the design of each guest suite off one of your family’s photos.”

  “You didn’t have to do all this. You could have followed your dream for this place.”

  “Maggie.” He turned her gently to face him. “You’re my dream now.”

  “I love you.” It was the first time she’d said the words out loud, and Kellen looked as if he might start spilling happiness from his eyes any second.

  “I love you, too.”

  Hearing the words made her heart jolt every time, but still, even after everything some fears lingered.

  She knit her fingers together. “I’m so ordinary and you’re amazing. I’m not like those other girls you dated. And I’m six years older than you. I have wrinkles here by my eyes.”

  He grabbed the hand that she was using to point at her wrinkles. “One—don’t belittle yourself, not to me, because I won’t hear it. Two—you’re right. You’re not like the women I’ve dated before...which is why I find you so attractive. Maggie, don’t compare yourself to anyone, okay?” He laced his fingers with hers. “And the age thing? Yeah, I couldn’t care less about that.”

  “It’s a lot to take in. No one has been interested in me in a long, long time.”

  “Their loss.” Kellen gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. “But you’ve thrown me off topic. Let’s show you upstairs.”

  The girls pounded up the stairs and Maggie turned to join them but froze when she saw the railing. “You kept the original railing. You said you were going to destroy it. You said...” She ran her fingers over the curls in the wood.

  Kellen twisted his arm around her waist, drawing her near. “It just so happens that there’s a lot of stuff that came with the house that I realized I really love.”

  Skylar’s and Ruthy’s giggles trickled down the stairs. Maggie raised her eyebrows to Kellen. “Should we join them?”

  “Not quite yet.” His grin turned wolfish right before he stole another kiss. “I wanted to tell you before we get there—I remodeled the private side of the inn, too. I made the master suite bigger and added a bathroom. I wanted it to fit our needs better going forward.”

  “Our needs?” Maggie toyed with the edge of his shirt.

  “I’ve wasted enough of my life on wrong things. I don’t want to waste too much of it without you beside me. I hope that makes sense.”

  “Hope. That’s the key going forward, isn’t it?” She laced her fingers with his and pressed a kiss to the back of his hand.

  “‘It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves.’” He quoted from the often-dubbed “love chapter” of the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13. “Going forward, I’ll love you like that.”

  “We’re both messes at relationships, aren’t we?”

  “Good thing we believe in a God who happens to be an expert at fixing messes.”

  “It’s like the song on your CD.” Maggie ran her fingers down his arm. “The last song was a romantic love song about two imperfect people chasing after God.”

  He reached up, catching one of her curls and tucking it behind her ear. “I wrote that song for you.”

  “You did?” She breathed the question.

  “If you had snooped in my journal, you would have known that, too.”

  “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?” She swatted him. “I promise, no more snooping.”

  He shrugged. “Ah. I don’t mind.” With a playful tug, he pulled her forward, making her lose her balance. Maggie landed against his chest. “We should go find the girls. They’re dying to show you everything.”

  She splayed a hand on his heart. “Let’s go see our dreams.”

  “Not our dreams, Maggie—our reality.” He wrapped his arms around her.

  Ruthy harrumphed from the top of the steps. “Come on, Mom and Dad! Come see.”

  Chuckling, Maggie and Kellen went upstairs and the four of them explored the new inn—as a family.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from SECOND CHANCE SWEETHEARTS by Kristen Ethridge.

  Dear Reader,

  How do we move forward when our past has such a hold on us? The fact of the matter is, we don’t. We can’t. Not until we let go.

  We often allow our past to color who we are now, but God says that we don’t have to. Pain and mistakes made yesterday don’t have to hold us back from a new life today. Isn’t that amazing? The difficult part is, we have to choose to let go of the past—we have to decide that yesterday won’t define who we are today.

  Be brave, friends. Choose the clean slate. Don’t allow a mistake from the past to hold back your dreams or your chance at love.

  Thank you for spending time with Kellen and Maggie. I hope you enjoyed their story. Make sure to come back to Goose Harbor often and find out what’s happening to all the other people you’ve met along the way. I love interacting with readers, so make sure to look me up on Facebook, Twitter or at www.jessicakellerbooks.com and say hi!

  Dream Big,

  Jess

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.

  You believe hearts can heal. Love Inspired stories show that faith, forgiveness and hope have the power to lift spirits and change lives—always.

  Enjoy six new stories from Love Inspired every month!

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  Second Chance Sweethearts

  by Kristen Ethridge

  Chapter One

  As a midwife, Gloria Garcia Rodriguez
knew all too well how life could change in twenty-four hours, and today was no exception. By tomorrow, Hurricane Hope would be too close for comfort to Gloria’s island home.

  On Monday, the Texas Gulf Coast looked in the clear.

  On Tuesday, forecasters said the mass of clouds churning in the Gulf of Mexico had wobbled to the west.

  And now, on Wednesday, the red line of the hurricane tracker drew a bull’s-eye for Port Provident, Texas. If everything stayed on track, it would be here soon. The swirl of violent weather was too close and moving too fast.

  Gloria had tried by phone to reach Tanna DeLong, a midwifery client due to give birth any day now, but there’d been no answer.

  With the hurricane bearing down on Provident Island, Gloria knew she wouldn’t be able to rest easy or evacuate herself until she’d ensured all her expectant moms were off the island and had a contingency plan in case they went into labor while evacuated.

  Gloria easily reached the other two moms who were close to their due dates. Both planned to shelter with relatives in Houston, which was close enough for safety while traveling, but still far enough away to escape the brunt of the storm. There were plenty of hospitals nearby where either of those mothers-to-be could reasonably expect to be taken care of, should the need arise.

  On the other hand, Tanna was younger—only nineteen—and didn’t have family to take care of her. She’d come to Port Provident six months ago after fleeing an abusive boyfriend in Georgia. Apartment L5 was technically leased to a friend who’d offered Tanna a couch to crash on. At her most recent checkup, though, Tanna shared with Gloria that her friend had been picked up by the Port Provident Police Department on a drug charge and hadn’t been home in two weeks.

  Tanna was all alone, except for the baby in her belly. Gloria always felt responsible for the safety of the mothers in her care, but somehow she felt unusually protective of young Tanna.

  Water was already lapping in the streets, so Gloria had decided to take her bike and stay up on the sidewalk as she made one final attempt, in person, to contact the last patient she had left in town.