The Single Dad's Second Chance

by Brenda Harlen

  She wanted him to let go, to give himself up to the pleasure of their joining as she had. But he held on, and when the aftershocks finally faded, he began to move inside of her. Slow, deep strokes that seemed to touch her very core. And though she wouldn’t have thought it was possible, the pressure started to build yet again.

  She dug her heels into the mattress, lifting her hips to meet him, thrust for thrust. Harder. Faster. Deeper.

  She arched. Clenched. Released.

  This time, when she flew, he went with her.

  * * *

  Three years was a long time to go without sex.

  For the first year, Andrew hadn’t thought too much about it—the pain of losing his wife had made him oblivious to all else. Eventually, though, as his heart began to heal, those basic needs had stirred again. But none of the women he knew had piqued his interest enough to want to do anything about satisfying those needs.

  Now, he was very definitely satisfied.

  When he finally summoned the energy to lift himself off Rachel, he whacked his heel on the footboard. He’d never considered himself particularly graceful, but he’d never thought he was as clumsy as he’d been since walking into Rachel’s bedroom. He swore, mostly under his breath, as the pain radiated through his foot, and she chuckled softly.

  “I bet you have a king-size bed, don’t you?”

  “I do,” he admitted.

  “Maybe we should have gone to your place.”

  “Right now, I don’t want to be anywhere else but right where I am,” he said, wrapping his arm around her and snuggling her close to his body.

  She smiled. “That sounds like a man who just got lucky.”

  “Very, very lucky,” he told her, and meant it.

  He’d missed the fragrant softness of a woman’s body. He’d missed the joy and challenge of exploring all of her dips and curves to discover what made her sigh, what made her gasp, what made her scream. He smiled, pleased that he’d already found a few of Rachel’s secret spots—and was looking forward to finding many more.

  But first, he needed fuel. “Do you have enough of that leftover lasagna to share?”

  “If I throw together a salad and add garlic bread.”

  He opened the wine while she made the salad, and after they ate, they made love again.

  He ducked into the bathroom to dispose of the condom. Two minutes later, he returned to her bedroom and just a glimpse of her naked body tangled in the sheets had his body stirring again.

  He climbed back into the bed and kissed her softly.

  She smiled at him. “Are you going to stay?”

  “Were you planning on kicking me out?”

  “No, but I do have the early shift tomorrow,” she warned.

  “There’s still a lot of hours between now and tomorrow,” he said, stroking his hands over her sleek curves.

  “I was hoping to spend at least some of those hours sleeping.”

  “Later,” he promised, as he parted her thighs and slipped into the welcoming haven between them.

  * * *

  She fell asleep in his arms and woke up the same way.

  His left arm was wrapped around her waist, and when she glanced down she could see the faint line around his third finger.

  She didn’t begrudge the fact that he’d been married, or even that he’d obviously loved his wife. But that circle of pale skin made her wonder if she would ever come first for any man. Even if Andrew did love her, would he love her as much as he’d loved Nina? Would he—

  Her breath caught in her throat when his hand shifted a little higher. His fingers toyed with her nipple, and he snuggled closer, making her aware of the fact that he was very definitely awake.

  “Next to sex, I think this is what I missed most of all—waking up with a sexy woman in my arms,” he told her.

  “I have bedhead and morning breath.”

  “You’re perfect,” he said, and captured her mouth in a slow and very thorough kiss that proved he meant it.

  “I have to go into work,” she reminded him.

  “What time?”

  “Seven.” She wriggled out of his embrace and reached for her robe.

  He glanced at the clock. “Then we still have almost an hour.”

  “I have to shower.”

  “I can multitask,” he promised, scooping her into his arms and carrying her into the bathroom.

  * * *

  Rachel was feeling relaxed and happy when she unlocked the shop at 7:10 a.m. She was running a little bit behind schedule, which was completely out of character for her, and she didn’t even care. Not even the surly attitude of the deliveryman, who’d apparently been waiting those ten minutes, fazed her.

  When Holly came in at ten o’clock, she took one look at her friend and said, “Are you on happy pills?”

  “Nope.”

  “Then you got lucky last night.”

  “Very, very lucky,” she said, borrowing Andrew’s response, then grinned. “And again this morning.”

  “I guess I don’t need to ask how it was.”

  “It was...so much more than I expected.”

  “Either your expectations were too low or he was really good.”

  “Do you remember when you asked me if I could top five?”

  Holly’s gaze narrowed suspiciously. “No way.”

  Rachel nodded. “Seven,” she said proudly.

  “Wow.”

  “That’s what I said...when I finally regained the power of speech.”

  “No wonder you’re grinning like a crazy person.”

  “I feel good today,” Rachel admitted. “Happy.”

  “I’m glad. Just...be careful.”

  “Thanks, but I remember the safe-sex spiel from high school.”

  “I’m not talking about protecting your body but your heart.”

  “It was one night,” she reminded her friend.

  “And you’re more than halfway in love with him already.”

  “I am not.”

  She enjoyed being with Andrew, but she wasn’t going to make the mistake of planning a future for them together when they’d only been dating a few weeks.

  At least she hoped she wasn’t.

  * * *

  After work on Saturday, Rachel drove to Raleigh to pick up her nephews. Since this sleepover had been planned for several weeks, she didn’t expect to see Andrew or Maura that night. But just as the boys were debating pizza or pasta for dinner, Maura called.

  She explained that they were having a movie marathon at her house—with both of the Cars movies—and since they weren’t girl movies, maybe Rachel and “her boys” could come over to watch. Trent immediately said yes, but Scott, who tended to be the shyer of the two, hesitated. He was more interested in pizza than a movie, so when Maura said that they were having pizza, too, he was persuaded.

  “What are your plans for tomorrow?” Andrew asked, when the pizza was gone and the kids were settled down in front of the giant-screen TV in his media room.

  “I promised to take Scott and Trent to the Marbles Kids Museum.”

  “Do you mind if Maura and I tag along?”

  “Of course not. But I have to have the boys home by four, because they’re going to Kim’s parents for dinner.”

  “That’s convenient,” he said, latching onto the opening she’d given him. “Because you’ve been invited to come for Sunday dinner at my parents’ house.”

  She swallowed. “You’re inviting me to meet your family?”

  “They’re mostly harmless,” he assured her.

  “But we’ve only been dating a few weeks.”

  “I want you to meet my family—and I know they want to meet you.”

  “Wha
t did you tell them about me?” she asked warily.

  “I didn’t tell them anything until my mother cornered me at work this week and demanded to know why I was so happy, which led to your name coming up and her insisting that I invite you to Sunday dinner.”

  She’d been with Eric for a year and a half but had never met his parents. In fact, she’d only met his daughter after they’d been dating for six months—and she’d been introduced to his ex-wife at the same time because Wendy had insisted on being present when Summer met Rachel.

  She probably should have realized then that her relationship with Eric was doomed. Or at least when she commented to him about the little touches and the secret smiles his ex was always giving him and he’d accused her of overreacting. Wendy might have chosen to end their marriage, but she still wanted to control her ex-husband. And he let her.

  The more time she spent with Andrew and Maura, the more she realized how mistaken she’d been to ever compare him with her ex. He wanted her to have a good relationship with his daughter and happily included Rachel in their family activities. No, there were no problems from that sector—the problems were with the little girl’s maternal grandmother.

  And now Andrew wanted her to meet the paternal grandparents. While she didn’t expect they would have the same issues as Carol Wakefield—who was undoubtedly trying to hold on to her only remaining link with her own child—she suspected that she would still be under the microscope, examined and compared, even if subconsciously, to the woman Andrew had married. And it was her own doubts and insecurities that made her worry they would find her lacking.

  “Yes? No?” Andrew prompted.

  “Is ‘no’ an option?”

  “Not really. My mother’s sent me six text messages in the past twenty-four hours pressing for confirmation that you’ll be there.”

  “Then I guess I’ll be there,” she agreed.

  * * *

  But she managed to put it out of her mind—mostly—while they were at the museum with the kids.

  She was surprised to learn that Maura had never been there before. Of course, because her nephews lived in Raleigh, it was one of their favorite places, and they were thrilled to show Maura around.

  They dressed up in costumes and played with building blocks and explored an obstacle course and pushed around life-size chess pieces. Most importantly, they had fun. And when it was time to take the boys home, none of them wanted to leave.

  After she’d dropped off Scott and Trent, they stopped at Buds & Blooms on the way to his parents’ house so that Rachel could put together a pretty arrangement for his mother. Maura was fascinated by the numerous buckets of flowers, so she let the little girl pick out the ones she wanted to give to Grandma Jane. After she’d selected the appropriate greenery to add to the bouquet, she showed Maura how to tie the stems together with twine then wrapped it in clear cellophane.

  David and Jane Garrett’s house wasn’t in the exclusive Forrest Hill neighborhood, as she’d expected. Instead, their ten acres of property straddled the border between Parkhurst and Westdale, on the southwest side of town. It was an old and established area, and the houses there had been built before developers started to cram enormous structures onto postage-stamp-size lots. Andrew explained that the house was actually an old farmhouse, renovated and added on to so many times over the years that it bore little resemblance to the original structure.

  “My father keeps offering to buy—or build—something new, but my mother refuses. Because they bought the house when they were newlyweds and each of us kids took our first steps in that house.”

  His father was a big man—easily as tall as Andrew and just as broad across the shoulders. He had dark hair liberally sprinkled with gray at the temples, the same green eyes as his eldest son, a quick smile and a firm handshake.

  His mother was tiny in comparison to her husband. Maybe five-four, Rachel guessed, with a slight build, chin-length blond hair and blue eyes. She didn’t offer her hand. Instead, she enfolded Rachel in her embrace.

  “I’m so pleased to finally meet you.”

  “Thank you for inviting me to dinner,” Rachel said, offering her the flowers.

  “Oh, my, these are beautiful.”

  “I helped make the bouquet,” Maura said proudly.

  “Then you should help me find a vase to put them in,” her grandmother suggested.

  Maura took her hand and skipped off to the kitchen.

  “Are Nathan and Daniel here?” Andrew asked his father.

  “In the family room watching some game on TV. Kenna’s there, too.”

  “Kenna’s a friend of Daniel’s from high school,” Andrew explained, leading Rachel to the family room to introduce her to his brothers.

  She wasn’t surprised that Andrew’s brothers were good-looking. She was surprised how similar they were to one another, in height, build and appearance. She knew Andrew was the eldest, but he wasn’t the tallest. His youngest brother, Daniel, had about half an inch on him, and maybe a full inch on middle brother, Nathan.

  Nathan’s hair was a little darker than both of his brothers, his eyes were gray rather than green, and dimples flashed when he smiled. Daniel had a slightly peaked hairline, stubble on his square jaw and a devil-may-care sparkle in his emerald eyes. Kenna was quite possibly the most beautiful woman Rachel had ever met. With pale blond hair, big blue eyes, a dazzling smile and long, lean curves. She looked like a Swedish swimsuit model—generally the type of woman any other female wanted to hate on principle, except that she was also genuinely warm and friendly.

  When Jane Garrett called them into the dining room, everyone moved to their chairs around the table. Rachel was directed to sit beside Andrew and to the left of his father. Maura was on his opposite side, with her grandmother at the other end of the table. Directly across from the little girl was her uncle Nate, then Kenna and her uncle Daniel.

  “Look at this,” Nate said, lowering himself into his chair. “Mom got out the fancy plates—and it’s not Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter.”

  Jane gave him a narrow-eyed stare as she passed the platter of baked ham to him. “We don’t only use the good china on holidays.”

  “No, but the good china, candles and linen napkins?” Daniel looked at Andrew across the table. “Why didn’t you tell us you were dating royalty?”

  Maura’s eyes went wide. “Like a princess?”

  “A princess is royalty,” Andrew confirmed. “But Rachel isn’t a princess.”

  “Oh,” the little girl said, obviously disappointed.

  “Your uncles, on the other hand, are royal pains in the you-know-what,” he said, and made her giggle.

  Rachel was smiling, too, as she accepted the bowl of peas from Andrew’s father and spooned some onto her plate.

  “Now, in a deliberate change of topic,” Jane announced, “I was talking to Susan today—”

  “My dad’s brother Tom’s wife,” Andrew said to Rachel in an undertone.

  “—who heard from Kelly—”

  “My cousin Jack’s wife.”

  “—that Lukas and Julie have finally set a date for their wedding, so the invitations should be going out soon.”

  “Lukas is Jack’s brother,” he continued his explanations. “They also have another brother, Matt. They’re cousins who live in upstate New York.”

  Across the table, Nathan shook his head. “Three cousins and three weddings within twelve months.”

  “My friend Kristy’s mom is getting married,” Maura told her uncle.

  “Does she live in Pinehurst?”

  The little girl shook her head.

  “Nate thinks there’s something in the water up there,” Andrew explained to Rachel.

  His brother shrugged, not denying it. “It’s the only logical explanation I could think of for
three seemingly rational men choosing to strap on the ball and chain.”

  Maura frowned. “What ball and chain?”

  “It’s an expression,” her father explained, with a harsh look at Nate. “And not an appropriate one.”

  “When is the wedding?” Daniel asked.

  “The end of June, and I expect all of you—” his mother looked pointedly around the table at each of her sons in turn “—to be there. Matt and Georgia got married so quickly none of us were able to attend, and I understood that everyone couldn’t get away for Jack and Kelly’s ceremony because they got married on a Wednesday night, but there is no reason for anyone to miss Lukas and Julie’s wedding.”

  “I’ll go,” Nate assured her. “But I won’t drink the water.”

  “Maybe you could invite your cousins from Pinehurst to come here for a party before then,” Jane suggested.

  “Mom and Dad’s fortieth anniversary is coming up,” Andrew explained to Rachel. “And Mom’s afraid that if she doesn’t remind us every couple of weeks, we might forget.”

  Rachel agreed that forty years was definitely something to celebrate, and she found herself wishing that she might someday share that kind of long-term commitment with someone. Maybe even the man she was seated beside right now....

  Chapter Eleven

  “Well, that wasn’t so bad,” Rachel decided, after they’d said good-night to Andrew’s parents and were headed back to her place. Maura was in the backseat, playing a handheld video game, and although her attention seemed focused on her screen, Rachel kept her voice low so as not to be overheard.

  “Were you expecting that it would be?” Andrew asked, amusement evident in his tone.

  “I didn’t know what to expect,” she admitted. “It’s been a long time since I went home to meet anyone’s parents.”

  “I bet you it’s been a lot longer since I took anyone new home.”

  She’d suspected as much, and she appreciated that his family had been gracious and welcoming. Well, his parents, anyway. His brothers had gone out of their way to embarrass Andrew, but she’d grown up with a brother who found pleasure in tormenting her at every turn, so she didn’t hold it against them.