“Tell the photographer thank you for me,” Lily said. “But I think we’re ready to wrap things up.”
“It wasn’t so bad after all, was it?” Ashley’s smile was an all-knowing thing.
“What?” Lily pretended not to understand, momentarily distracted by the kiss Tyler blew to her a second before Joshua hit his mark and dumped Tyler into the water.
Cheers of delight erupted from the crowd they’d drawn.
“Your first taste of choosing chaos over perfection,” her friend teased.
First taste. A baby step. A new, imperfect beginning.
Tyler waved as he climbed out of the booth so the next sap—teacher—could take his place. His smile was G-rated, but the heat in his gaze reminded her of how wonderful each private moment between them had had become, now that her obsession with ovulation and fertility and conception was behind them.
“I’m loving every minute of it,” she said. “It’s not perfect and things are messy, but it’s magic. And there’s nothing to do about magic but grab your share and enjoy.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-1555-3
MOTHERS OF THE YEAR
Copyright © 2008 by Harlequin Books S.A.
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holders of the individual works as follows:
MOMMY FOR RENT
Copyright © 2008 by Lori Handeland.
ALONG CAME A DAUGHTER
Copyright © 2008 by Rebecca Winters.
BABY STEPS
Copyright © 2008 by Anna DeStefano.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Table of Contents
MOMMY FOR RENT Lori Handeland
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
EPILOGUE
ALONG CAME A DAUGHTER Rebecca Winters
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
BABY STEPS Anna DeStefano
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
EPILOGUE
Mothers of the Year Page 23
