by Rye Hart
“You as well, son. Please, call me Jacob,” my father said.
“Well, Jacob, you have an amazing daughter,” Even told him.
My father beamed and nodded his head. “Don’t I know it.”
I grinned like a fool as I stood between the two men and bounced Hadley on my hip.
“And who is this pretty little girl?” my father asked.
“This is Hadley. She is almost nine months old now,” I said.
“Oh, she’s precious. Could I hold her?” he asked.
Tears filled my eyes as I handed the baby over to my father. He cradled her against his chest and began to coo at her in the same voice he used on me when I was little. Hadley stared up at him for a moment before reaching up and grabbing onto his nose and letting loose a giggle.
My dad laughed, and my heart about burst out of my chest at the sight. Evan came back around, holding Liam’s hand. Liam looked up at my father holding Hadley.
“That’s Hawy, I’m Liam,” he said proudly.
“Well it’s very nice to meet you Liam. I’m Jacob,” my father said.
My father held Hadley with one arm as he reached out to shake Liam’s tiny hand with the other and we all walked into the house. Dad was bouncing Hadley in his arms and Liam barreled his way into the kitchen. He climbed up onto the kitchen table and reached for a banana, but I eyed him sternly.
“Liam. Have you asked anyone?”
His eyes darted around the room before he slowly pulled his hand back.
“You have to ask first before you take,” I said.
“Mew, can I have nana?” he asked.
“Dad, is it okay for him to have one of those bananas?” I asked.
“He’s a growing boy! He can have two bananas if he wants,” my father said.
“Two?” Liam asked, his eyes growing wide.
“One at a time,” I said, giggling.
We all sat down at the kitchen table while my father made up some snacks. There was no high chair for Hadley, but my dad was completely content with sitting her in his lap. He was asking Evan all sorts of questions. Everything from ‘what do you do?’ to ‘what happened to the kid’s mother’?
I watched him draw in a deep breath before I reached out and placed my hand on his forearm.
“They’re not my kids biologically. I’m their uncle.”
“Oh?” my father asked.
“They’re my brother’s kids. He and his wife died in an accident a few months ago.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” my father said. “It takes a good man to take in two children that aren’t his.”
“I love them. They’re my life. I wouldn’t have wanted them to go anywhere else,” Evan said.
I smiled over at Evan and saw my father’s eyes take on a shine.
“Son, you are every bit the man my daughter told me you are. I see the way she smiles at you. She hasn’t smiled like that in years. I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for her, and for me. Knowing she is stronger and happy has been the best medicine for this old heart. Better than all those damn pills I have to take.”
“But you’re going to keep taking them, right?” I asked him sternly.
My father chuckled and shook his head. “Always the mother hen, this one. Yes, sweetheart, I will continue to take the pills. I have a lot to look forward to and I plan on being around for a long time.”
“Mr. Peterson, I have something I need to tell you,” Evan said.
“What is it?” my father asked.
“I’m in love with your daughter.”
My father fixed his eyes on Evan as mine filled with tears.
“She blew into my life on a snowstorm and fell into a comfortable rhythm with my family. She’s brought a light and a joy into my home that I didn’t think I deserved. The kids adore her and I’m head over heels for her. She’s a beautiful person, inside and out. And I can promise you, she will always be protected with me. She will always be looked after and taken care of as long as I’m in the picture. So, with your permission, I’d like to offer her a home with me.”
My eyes were watering with every single word that poured from his lips.
“You want her to live permanently with you?” my father said.
“She fits our family perfectly. She loves the kids, I know she loves me. She has a home with us, whether she chooses to stay or not. With your permission, I’d like to make it a proper home.”
The smile that crossed my father’s face was deep and full of admiration.
“Do you love him?” my father asked, turning his attention to me.
“I do,” I said, nodding. “I love him very much.”
“Then there’s only one thing I ask of you,” my father said, turning back to Evan.
“Anything you need,” Evan said.
“If there’s anything you need, especially with these two kids, you call me. Especially if you need a babysitter. I’d love to have little ones around me again. They bring so much life into a home.”
My father held out his hand for Evan to shake and I was sitting on the edge of my seat.
“You have my word,” Evan said.
The two of them shook hands and I sat back into the chair with relief. Smiles bloomed on everyone’s faces as Liam wiggled down from the chair. Hadley was blowing spit bubbles in Dad’s face and Liam was tumbling around on the furniture.
We wrangled Liam back to the table and we all sat for lunch. We stayed for a couple hours and I beamed when Hadley fell asleep on my father’s chest. The look on his face was priceless. It had been a while since he had been this happy too.
Thinking to how I would feel if anything happened to Hadley or Liam was like a punch in the gut, and they weren’t even my flesh and blood. My dad had been through hell, and I was happy that I was able to bring some light into his life again as well.
All thanks to the wonderful man sitting next to me.
We stayed for another hour until Hadley woke up and packed the kids up to head home. Home. What a feeling. I told my dad I’d be back the next day to pick up some of my things and he asked me to bring some toys over for the kids that he could keep at his house. I happily agreed and kissed him goodbye.
“What?” Evan asked. “What’s that little grin for?”
“I’m just—happy,” I said. “For the first time in four years, I feel truly happy and content with where my life is.”
“That’s a good thing to feel,” he said.
“I never would’ve thought that getting stranded in a blizzard would’ve changed my life like this,” I said.
“You saying you’d get stranded all over again?” he asked.
I looked over at Evan and studied him closely. The beard that covered his strong jaw, and the way his eyes twinkled. His broad shoulders and his strong chest. His bulky arms and his hand that wrapped quickly around mine.
My heart thundered with love for him.
“In a heartbeat,” I said.
He brought my hand to his lips to kiss, lingering just a little longer than usual. Goosebumps trickled down my arm as I sighed and leaned back into the seat. Our fingers laced together as we both relaxed for the ride home, and I smiled as I threw my gaze back out the window.
Home, with Evan and the kids.
Home, with the man that I loved.
Home, with the family I thought I’d never have.
EPILOGUE
EVAN
SIX MONTHS LATER
We finally took Melanie’s dad up on his offer to babysit at his house. It took six months for us all to get settled with the new living arrangement and, once we knew the kids were okay, we took advantage of the offer. Melanie and I dropped them off so we could go on a real date. Her father was as thrilled to see the kids as they were to see him. Liam had started to call him Papa Jake, and he loved every minute of it. He greeted us on the porch as Liam scurried inside, in search of the cookies he knew Papa Jake always kept just for him. I handed Hadley over to him and she snuggled happily
against his chest.
“You two have a wonderful night,” he said.
“I’m gonna try,” I said, nodding.
“And the two of you take your time. If they fall asleep here, they’re more than welcome to stay,” Jacob said.
“Thanks, Dad,” Melanie said.
I placed my hand on the small of her back and led her back to the truck. I had reservations for us in one of the finest restaurants Bozeman had to offer. I had a table off to the side, settled in a cozy little corner flickering with candlelight. Melanie gasped at how decadent everything was, and soon we were ordering from one of the best menus in town. Her eyes were glowing with happiness while we sipped on the wine I had chilling at the table. Her head was on a swivel, taking everything in as we sat there together in our own little world.
“Evan, you didn’t have to do all of this,” Melanie said as we sat down.
“You’ve been very good to me and the kids. So, I wanted to spoil you a bit,” I said.
“I would’ve been just fine with going back to the cabin to take a bubble bath,” she said.
“Don’t worry. That’s in the plans as well if the kids don’t get restless,” I said.
“Oh, a night of pampering. I like it,” she said, grinning.
The night was filled with talking and laughing. It was one of the rare moments where I had Melanie’s attention without the kids around. We weren’t listening out for them in their beds and we weren’t keeping an ear out in case one of them got hurt. I had her undivided attention, which was rare in our home, and I wanted to make the most of it.
The waiter took our plates away before promptly settling our desserts in front of us, and Melanie crinkled her nose at the plate.
“Did we order dessert?” she asked.
But then her eyes drifted back to the dessert and I knew she’d seen it. Sitting right on top of the chocolate mousse was a thin slice of white chocolate. And sitting on top of the white chocolate was the ring I’d seen in the jewelry store two months ago.
Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at me.
“Melanie, from the first moment you stepped into my cabin, you had sass. You knew your position, you understood your influence, and you made sure all of us were taken care of. You spotted the fact that I wasn’t eating, and you made sure it happened, even though we were strangers. From that moment on, I knew you were something special. A person to be treasured and cared for.”
I slid from the chair and got down onto one knee before I reached over and plucked the ring from the dessert.
“The change I’ve seen over the past six months has been incredible. You’re more adventurous and you’re less fearful. You’ve started coming into the shed with me to see what I’m working on instead of standing outside and yelling at me from the door. You walk with an inner strength I’d never seen in you until a few months ago. You astound me, Melanie. You leave me breathless every time I see you.”
“Evan,” she said, whispering. “Oh my gosh.”
“Our relationship has been the single best thing that has ever happened to me. You taught me how to trust again. How to love again. How to open myself up to the idea of life again. Your strength and fortitude is inspiring to me, and ever since you really let me in, I know this can work. I know we can work. And with this ring, this is what I promise—I promise to work the rest of my life to make sure you are happy and safe. I promise to work for the rest of my days making sure you have everything you could possibly want. I promise to love you, even when I don’t like you, and I promise to always stand in your corner, no matter what.”
Tears were streaming down her cheeks and I had to swallow hard to keep mine at bay.
“Melanie Peterson, light of my life—will you marry me?”
Everyone’s eyes were on us as Melanie nodded her head. She threw herself at me and wrapped her arms around my neck, the dessert forgotten as I stood and held her close to me. I could feel her nodding into my chest before she picked up her head, and her eyes sparkled with delight as she parted her lips.
“Yes, Evan. I will marry you.”
I slipped the ring onto her finger before I pulled her in for a kiss. The entire restaurant erupted into cheers and applause, surrounding our bodies with a thunderous noise. Our tongues collided in a heated battle, her arms locking around my neck as I pulled her close at the waist.
Her tears were dripping onto my skin as our lips swelled against one another’s.
“Oh, Evan. This ring. It’s—it’s beautiful.” she gushed.
I watched her gaze down at the simple diamond I’d purchased for her as my eyes danced around her beautiful form.
“There is nothing that looks more beautiful than you tonight, my love,” I said.
Her eyes lifted to connect with mine and I could see all the love she had to give swimming around behind them.
“Except for when you were freezing in the snow. You looked radiant when you were freezing in the snow,” I said.
She threw her head back and laughed before she playfully shoved my arm. Her tears were glistening in her eyes as I wrapped my arm around her waist again. I pulled her up toward me, her breath pulsing upon my lips as I gazed into her deep blue eyes.
“To our future,” I said before I kissed her again.
And the restaurant went wild.
The End
IT’S NOT OVER YET....THE PARTY HAS JUST STARTED!
Every girl deserves her own hot alpha bad boy. As a thank you, I have included a new bonus story for your reading pleasure. This short steamy read is about Mel’s fun and feisty best friend, Layla.
LAYLA’S LOVE STORY
CHAPTER 1
Layla
I sat in the coffee shop with Angela, my boss, and shot the shit as we waited for the lunch rush to start.
I loved this place. I was drawn to it in high school because it catered to my unique interests. It was the only place in town that was a safe haven for nerds like myself. From Star Wars lovers to Doctor Who fans to people who still played card games like Magic: The Gathering, there was a little something for every nerd who lived in Bozeman, Montana. I lived here after school, studying for exams while ordering coffee drinks named things like “Bean Me Up, Scottie” and lattes drawn into the top of the foam.
And now I was only a few steps away from helping to manage it.
We experienced slow days like this all the time. Some days were jam packed from sunup to sundown, and some days were deserted and barren. Angela and I had been standing around for almost two hours now, just shooting the shit, and I for one was getting bored.
Until the bell above the door finally rang.
“Thank fuck,” I said, murmuring. “Welcome to Java and Hutt. How can I help you this afternoon?”
Bozeman was a small town, though it was still one of the hotspots of Montana. Still, all the locals knew everyone, so there was rarely a time when someone walked in who I didn’t recognize. And if I didn’t recognize them, I could usually pin down who they were based on the gossip that flooded into this coffeehouse on a daily basis.
