by Karla Doyle
Candace didn’t question him. She believed in presenting a unified front around Macy, always. Any discussions to the contrary happened in private, though those had been few and far between since they moved in together. Minor stuff, like when to flex on the bedtime schedule, or what was a reasonable amount of broccoli to eat without getting a reward. Compromising had come easily for them.
Everything about this day, this plan, was his. No discussion. Hopefully, no compromise required. He’d know soon enough.
He took Macy’s hand on one side and Candace’s on the other, then led them to the first small clearing with a bench. A wide, pink ribbon had been tied from arm to arm, with a white “Reserved” card hung over the center. The conservatory staff had really come through for him this morning.
“Won’t you get in trouble for doing that?” Macy whispered, as he untied the ribbon.
“No, because it’s reserved for us.” He guided his two beauties to the seat, then took a step back and reached into his pocket.
“Are you taking a picture?” Macy asked.
“Maybe in a minute.” He withdrew the paper first, unfolding Macy’s recent drawing, the thing that’d hung the cloud over Candace’s face yesterday after school.
“Why do you have my drawing in your pocket?” There was never a shortage of questions when Macy was around.
“It’s a photocopy. The real picture is on the refrigerator, at home.” At home. He still loved saying that. “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to put it in a frame so it lasts forever.”
“Will you hang it on a wall somewhere?”
He nodded. “I’m thinking of the front hall. Then everyone who comes into the house will see our whole family, even if we’re not all at home.”
Candace’s eyes shone as she smiled. If he left things exactly this way, it’d be enough to ease her worries about Macy’s drawing.
That wasn’t enough for him. He stepped forward and set the picture on the gap between their legs, then removed two small, black boxes from his pocket. Opening the hinged lid on Macy’s box, he knelt in front of them.
“Candace and Macy, I love you with my whole heart. The truth is, my heart wasn’t whole at all until both of you became part of my life.” He handed the wiggly six-year-old her box, bearing a small, delicate ring. “Macy, with your permission, I would like to marry your mom, and—”
“Yes, yes, yes! Ask her, ask her!”
Despite laughing at her daughter’s reaction, tears were already rolling down Candace’s face.
Slight detour in the plan. That was okay, they’d circle back.
Shifting to face Candace, he opened the second box and placed it on his palm. “There is no ring, no single material thing anywhere that can adequately show you how much I love you, how much I value you, and how much I need you. This ring is just a small symbol of those things. It would be an honor if you’d wear this ring and let me spend the rest of my life showing you those things, every day, as my wife. Will you marry me, Candace?”
“Yes,” she said, cupping his face in her hands. “Yes, I will marry you.”
Cheering and applause erupted from the small crowd that’d formed in the path.
He couldn’t say for sure how long people hung around after that. Hard to see anything from the center of the tightest family hug of his life. Which brought him back to the detour point.
He kissed each beautiful face, then settled in front of Macy with both her hands clasped between his. “Thank you for letting me marry your mom.”
“You’re welcome.”
“There’s one more thing I want to ask you. I haven’t talked to your mom about this, even though I’ll need her permission if you say yes.” He glanced at Candace, hoping she’d get the gist of what he was about to do, and give him a sign.
Based on her hand-over-heart and hand-covering-mouth posture, he’d say he had her approval. She wasn’t trying to stop him, so it was time to move forward.
He met Macy’s innocent gaze and couldn’t hold back from smiling. He loved this little girl every bit as much as he’d claimed. Then some more. “We’re already a family, exactly the way you drew in your picture. I’m so happy that you think of me as your dad.”
“You are?”
“So happy, kiddo.” His heart had practically burst open when he first saw the picture she’d drawn at school, that she’d labelled him as my dad. Never in a million years had he expected to feel this way. But he did. “If you want to keep calling me Jake, that’s okay. But if you want to call me Dad, that’s more than okay with me.”
“It’s okay if I call you Dad in front of my friends?”
“I would love that. And be so proud.”
“Okay.” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged as hard as a little first-grader could, before drawing back to look at his face again. “Why do you need Mommy’s permission for me to call you Dad?”
“I don’t, not for that part. That’s your decision, one hundred percent. But if we want to make it really official, I’ll need your mom’s permission to legally adopt you.”
“Would my name change?”
“It doesn’t have to.”
“Would I be allowed to change it?” she asked.
“Absolutely. I still have to talk about all the legal stuff with your mom, and it might take some time to make it happen, but in my mind, you’re already my little girl.”
Macy leapt from the bench, wrapping her arms around him in another miniature powerhouse hug.
Over Macy’s shoulder, he met Candace’s eyes. He’d massively overstepped on this one. No amount of backpedaling would undo it, so he hoped to hell none would be necessary.
She mouthed the words, I love you, then blew him a kiss. Sparkles glinted from the diamond on her ring finger. His fiancée. His future wife. The mother of their amazing child.
Macy returned to the bench and slid her ring onto her finger. Side by side, his two ladies beamed while admiring their new jewelry. Picture perfect.
He stood and stepped back, pulled out his phone and cued up the camera.
“May I do that for you?” a woman walking by asked. “You should be in this picture too.”
“Thanks, that’d be great. Thank you.” He slid behind the bench, crouching between Candace and Macy with an arm around each of them.
“Ready, and—” A gasp interrupted the woman’s countdown, as a blue Morpho butterfly landed front and center on Macy’s t-shirt.
“Mommy, Daddy, look,” Macy whispered.
“Perfect,” the woman said, snapping the picture.
A truer word had never been said. Everything was perfect.
Read the rest of the Close to Home series…
CUP OF SUGAR
Nia has one rule—don’t date neighbors. Simple, except the guy next door is single, handsome, and not inclined to close his blinds while naked. When her car dies, Conn takes “being neighborly” to a new level by offering a ride to her long-distance destination. Nia has resisted his looks and charm for months. Surely she can handle a few hours in his truck…
For months, Conn has blatantly put himself on display, hoping his pretty blonde neighbor would tire of secretly watching and come knock on his door for a cup of sugar—or more. No such luck—until an unusual opportunity arises. After a six-hour drive turns into a sweet-and-sexy weekend, Conn wants more than neighborly status with Nia. To get it, he must convince her to break the rule protecting her heart—by putting his on the line.
ICING ON THE CAKE
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would ha
ve been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up…
♥ ♥ ♥
Visit Karla’s website for more information.
Thank You!
Thank you for reading Sweet as Candy!
I hope you enjoyed reading Candace and Jake’s story as much as I loved writing it. If so, I would greatly appreciate you spreading the word, whether by telling your friends, or leaving a review or star-rating at your favorite online book retailer or anywhere you enjoy discussing books. Again, thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Karla Doyle
Also by Karla Doyle
Cup of Sugar (Close to Home #1)
Icing on the Cake (Close to Home #2)
Sweet as Candy (Close to Home #3)
Gift Wrapped
Body of Work (Very Personal Training #1)
Worth the Wait (Very Personal Training #2)
More Than Words
Game Plan
Crossing the Line
Stealing Home
Cup of Sugar
(Close to Home series—Book 1)
Nia has one rule—don’t date neighbors. Simple, except the guy next door is single, handsome, and not inclined to close his blinds while naked. When her car dies, Conn takes “being neighborly” to a new level by offering a ride to her long-distance destination. Nia has resisted his looks and charm for months. Surely she can handle a few hours in his truck…
For months, Conn has blatantly put himself on display, hoping his pretty blonde neighbor would tire of secretly watching and come knock on his door for a cup of sugar—or more. No such luck—until an unusual opportunity arises. After a six-hour drive turns into a sweet-and-sexy weekend, Conn wants more than neighborly status with Nia. To get it, he must convince her to break the rule protecting her heart—by putting his on the line.
Icing on the Cake
(Close to Home series—Book 2)
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up…
More Than Words
Their online games turn into games of the heart.
A brutal mugging two years ago left Calli terrified to go out after dark, and incapable of real dating. Hanging out with a resentful chihuahua every night hasn’t filled the void, and all the sex toys from the store she owns could never replace a flesh-and-blood man. An online Scrabble-type site promising anonymous, flirty fun sounds right up her alley. A like-minded geek, that’s what she needs. Unbeknownst to her, the man on the other end of the game is anything but geeky.
Travis is tired of the party scene and women chasing after his bad-boy persona. He wants somebody who is drawn to his mind, not his profession, and he might have found her—on the opposite side of an internet game board. After heating up the tiles with Calli online, he’s determined to meet her in person. Touch her in person. And when he does, their chemistry is undeniable. But when he discovers her tragic past, he realizes it will take more than words to win her heart…and her trust.
Body of Work
(Very Personal Training series—Book 1)
Cassie has fantasized about the ginger-haired personal trainer for months. Brian is friendly, but never more—until he appears on her doorstep and shows her how much her flirting has affected him. The more she’s with him, the more Cassie wants the fairytale, not just hot sex with the 6’2″ hunk. She can give Brian full access to her body, but after her ex’s reaction to her explicit photography business, sharing her secrets, and her heart, isn’t an option.
Brian knows better than to break the rules. Don’t date gym members. Keep his inner beast on a leash during sex. Cassie tested his resolve on number one her first day in the gym. Shattered the second rule when he touched her. The petite pixie shares his preferences in the bedroom. She makes him laugh and love—but past mistakes haunt him, emotionally and tangibly. Cassie’s worth the price he’ll pay for breaking the rules. Now he must convince her to give him her heart.
Worth the Wait
(Very Personal Training series—Book 2)
When personal trainer Sam bumps into his favorite former client, their chemistry reignites instantly. Leigh is everything he pictured in his sometime-down-the-road woman. Sexy, funny, independent, mature—in more ways than one. He never cared about their age gap, he just wasn’t ready to get serious before. He’s ready now. But when his prior playboy ways come back to bite him in the ass, it’ll take more than sizzling sex and charm to convince Leigh to stick around.
Leigh's life is humming along according to plan. Her custom bakery is thriving. Her daughter is a well-adjusted ten-year-old. Romance is the one area that’s lacking. Completely. Until the universe fulfills her request for some hot lovin’ and puts Sam in her path—for a second time. Sam gives her exactly what she was missing, and more. Maybe more than her well-structured life plan can handle…
Game Plan
Summer just got a whole lot hotter.
Recently divorced after seventeen years with a snooty, uptight, controlling man, forty-year-old Andie is definitely ready for some casual, sexy fun when a hot younger man “accidentally” hits her with a baseball. Mason’s interest is clear and he looks like a lot more fun than her overworked vibrator collection, so she goes for it, despite the obvious age gap. The young veterinarian is as easy to be with as he is on the eyes, making him an ideal summer diversion and the perfect man to help her make up for lost time and missed time between the sheets.
Mason had to meet the sexy woman at the ball diamond. The chemistry between them is instant and completely addictive. Andie is more than beautiful, she’s uninhibited and independent—totally unlike the needy twenty-somethings he’s been dating since his ex-fiancée deceived him five years ago. And yeah, Andie is ten years older than him, big deal. The more they’re together, the more his heart wants her as badly as his cock. Too bad Andie isn’t playing for keeps.
Gift Wrapped
After catching her boyfriend cheating two weeks before Christmas, Brinn is seriously lacking in holiday spirit. So when she looks into the eyes of a last-minute shopper after closing on Christmas Eve, she’s sarcastic rather than sympathetic. But Brinn is ever the good girl and her conscience wins out. She offers the handsome stranger ten minutes to select a gift and ends up with a present of her own—a date. On Christmas Eve.
Davis hates Christmas. Especially this year, since a neighborhood heist liberated him of his hard-earned belongings and the few gifts he’d purchased. But the robbery led him to a cute store manager with a sense of humor, smokin’ body and no plans for the evening. Mistletoe might be in order after all.
Their Christmas Eve date is like gift-wrapped, sexy satisfaction. But the best gifts keep on giving, and one naughty night may not be enough—for either of them.
Crossing the Line
Lifelong best friends Derrick and Jeremy met Hanna at a bar ten years ago. Both wanted her—one married her. Now the other man has been invited to join in for one hot weekend.
Everything would’ve been fine if they’d had their fun that weekend, then gone back to normal. But they didn’t. And when past demons resurface, things will never be the same—for any of them.
Stealing Home
When Paige’s latest attempt at happily-ever-after with a nice guy tanks, she decides to quit fighting her destiny. She craves bad boys. Men who deliver short-term, panty-melting excitement, not reliability and settling down. If she’s going to embrace her true nature, who better to start with than the dark-haired, tattooed ballplayer whose cocky attitude gives her more thrills than any steady boyfriend ever has…
