She and Alex walked toward her car, winter air tickling her face. “Well, buddy, where do you think we should go to celebrate?”
“There’s nothing to celebrate. You lost.” He gave her a skeptical look, as if she might be trying to trick him.
“There’s plenty to celebrate.” She looped her arm over his spindly shoulders. “Besides, you’re the man in my life and I want to go do something. What should we do?”
“I’m a boy.” Alex stopped abruptly. “Evan’s the man in your life.”
“Evan and I...we decided not to be friends anymore.” That sounded a lot better than admitting to her son that she’d all but thrown a public hissy fit because she believed Evan didn’t love her.
Alex narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think that’s truth.”
“Well, it—”
“He told me he loves you.” Alex pushed his fingertips into his chest. “He loves you with the kind of love that never sends someone back.”
Claire dropped to her knees to be at his eye level. Snow seeped through her pant legs. “Sweetheart.”
“He said he’d never send you back, Mom.” Alex’s voice grew stronger. “That means no matter what you do or what happens you’re his family. No send-backs. Like me and you. It’s love forever that doesn’t go away.”
How could she make Alex understand that no matter how much she wanted to change things, Evan might not end up in their life?
“Listen to the kid. He talks a lot of sense.” Evan’s voice put her off balance and she had to catch herself with her hands to the ground.
Alex helped steady her. Claire rose to her feet and a stiff wind whipped her hair in front of her face. She pawed at the strands until she could finally see the man she loved leaning against the hood of her car. “Evan?”
He was here. She tried not to read too much into it. Evan wasn’t one to let a feud fester—well, besides with her father. But that was different. He could have sought her out to make peace, not to reopen their tattered love story.
He straightened as she and Alex drew nearer. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the dock. The truth is, I never wanted to be mayor.”
“She lost, too.” Alex jutted his thumb in her direction.
“Kellen won by a write-in vote,” Claire explained.
Evan broke into a dimpled grin. “If that isn’t the most Goose Harbor thing ever.”
She nodded, inching closer. “I thought it was a fitting end.”
His dimples disappeared. He shuffled his feet and then stopped to search her face with his intense green eyes. “Can you ever forgive me?” he whispered.
Claire stretched her hand out, offering it, waiting for him to take it. He did.
She closed her fingers around his, thankful she’d forgotten her gloves despite the cold. She traced the calluses on his work-worn hands. “I realized when I was praying yesterday that if you had wanted to use me, you wouldn’t have stepped down. I overreacted and I’m sorry for everything I said. What must everyone think?”
Evan captured her other hand so they were facing each other. He swung their hands between them. “All I care about right now is your opinion of me.” He stopped fidgeting with her hands and captured her gaze with his. He drank in the sight of her cheeks, her lips, her eyes. “Claire, after everything, do I have any chance of winning you back?”
Taking him by surprise, she rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him gently before pulling back. “You can’t win back something you’ve never lost.” She looped her hands around his neck. “I have loved you since I was a teenager and I want to love you until my age hits triple digits. No one challenges me the way you do. No one uplifts me or enrages me quite like you, either.”
“What about your dad? I don’t want to come between you and your family.”
“That’s my choice to make. Alex here...” She reached out and draped an arm over her son’s shoulder, bringing him into their huddle. “He’s taught me something really important. God makes families, not by bloodlines but by heart ties.” She tapped Evan’s chest twice. “My heart is tied to yours, Evan Daniels. I want you to be my family.”
“And me.” Alex scooted so he was between them. “I have heart ties to both of you, too.”
“Speaking of my dad, it just so happens that I gave him my two-weeks notice.” She added in a softer voice, “I don’t want to be under his thumb ever again.”
Alex propped his foot on the bumper of her car. “We’re moving out, too. We started packing yesterday. But we don’t know where we’re going. Right, Mom?”
Evan rocked back on the balls of his feet and a playful smirk lit his face. “Well, that’s funny, because I have plenty of space in my house.”
Claire tilted her head and grinned at him. “Is that so?”
“But I’m not looking for roommates, you understand.” Evan closed the distance between them again. “These spots in my house, they’re only available for family of the heart-tied variety. You wouldn’t happen to know any people who fit that description, would you?”
“Us!” Alex jumped back into the conversation. “We do!”
“Under one condition.” Claire held up a finger.
“I’m listening.” Evan fought a goofy grin. Unsuccessfully.
Claire stood there taking him in for a second. She loved him, every facet of his personality, and she wanted to be with him forever. They’d waited long enough. “We go to the courthouse tomorrow and do what we planned to do twelve years ago. We rewrite our ending.”
Evan drew her into his arms. He kissed her forehead and moved down to her cheek, her nose, her other cheek. “We’ll go.” He pressed his lips to hers. “But we don’t rewrite anything,” he whispered, his breath hot against her neck. “Instead, we’ll write a new beginning. All of us.”
* * * * *
Don’t miss these other GOOSE HARBOR stories
from Jessica Keller:
THE WIDOWER’S SECOND CHANCE
THE FIREMAN’S SECRET
THE SINGLE DAD NEXT DOOR
SMALL-TOWN GIRL
APPLE ORCHARD BRIDE
Available now from Love Inspired!
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Keep reading for an excerpt from HOMETOWN HERO’S REDEMPTION by Jill Kemerer.
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Dear Reader,
Have you ever felt weighted down by expectations? Perhaps like Claire, you have family members who pressure you to reach a certain level of success. Or maybe like Evan, you set impossible expectations for yourself.
Expectations and goals aren’t bad, but when our lives become ruled by what we accomplish or strive for, when we tie our self-worth to whether or not we meet a certain goal, that’s a problem.
While Evan made a lot of life choices in order to please his brother, he was also striving to earn God’s approval. In the end, Evan was the one who told Alex, “Do you know that once you tell God that you’ve chosen to be on His team, God will never let you go?”
God will never let you go. No matter what. Hear that. Take it in. Believe it.
Thank you for spending time with Evan and Claire. I hope you enjoyed their story. I love interacting with readers, so make sure to look me up on social media 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.
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Hometown Hero’s Redemption
by Jill Kemerer
Chapter One
Ice cream fixed a lot of problems, but it wasn’t going to fix this.
Drew Gannon passed a chocolate-brownie sundae to Wyatt. The tiny ice-cream shop had two tables inside and a patio full of picnic tables out front. Not much had changed in the fourteen years he’d been gone. If his best friend, Chase McGill, hadn’t insisted, Drew never would have moved back to Lake Endwell, Michigan. But Wyatt, Chase’s ten-year-old son, deserved a stable life away from the public eye. Drew had promised Chase he’d give Wyatt that life. He just needed to convince Lauren Pierce to help him.
Drew handed a twenty to the teen behind the counter, turned to Wyatt and pointed to the glass door leading to the patio. “Why don’t you head outside and save us a picnic table—the one with the striped umbrella.”
Wyatt nodded. He was far too grim for a little boy. Poor kid. The past nine months had traumatized him, and Drew was doing the best he could to make his life normal again. Well, as normal as it could be given the circumstances. A murdered mom. His dad in jail for trying to avenge her death. What a horrible situation.
Drew tried to spot Lauren. Would he recognize her after all these years? The only women he could see were either too old or not old enough. What if she’d changed her mind about meeting him? He wouldn’t blame her. If their situations were reversed, he’d probably never want to speak to her again.
“Here you go.” The girl shoved the change in his hand. “Napkins are over there.”
He thanked her, inserted a straw into his orange slushie and strolled to the door, pushing it open with his shoulder. An early-May breeze guaranteed sweatshirt weather. The sunshine highlighted Wyatt’s scrawny, slumped shoulders. His gaze seemed glued to the wooden table. Drew doubted he’d touched the ice cream.
Maybe he should call Lauren. Grovel if necessary.
“What’s wrong with your sundae?” He playfully punched Wyatt’s arm. “Don’t tell me you suddenly hate chocolate.”
His hazel eyes opened wide, as if he’d been lost in his own little world, which, Drew guessed, was exactly where he’d been for the past several months.
“I’m not hungry.” Wyatt slowly swirled the spoon in the gooey mixture, but he didn’t eat any of it.
Drew took a drink of slushie to ease the helplessness lining his throat. Would the kid ever enjoy simple pleasures again?
He checked his phone to see if Lauren had texted or left a message. Nothing. He needed someone to stay with Wyatt when he worked overnight at the fire station, and not just anyone would do. According to Drew’s mom, Lauren had the credentials—years of working with neglected children and a degree as a social worker—as well as the time. Apparently, she’d quit her job in Chicago and moved back to Lake Endwell a few months ago.
When he’d called Lauren last week, her clipped words had made it as clear as a freshly cleaned window she wanted nothing to do with him. She hadn’t relented after he’d tried to explain Wyatt’s situation, either. He’d finally resorted to pleading with her to just meet him in person before saying no. His words could never convince her the way one look at Wyatt could.
Except he hadn’t mentioned Wyatt joining them.
Manipulative? Yes.
Necessary? Absolutely.
The thud of a car door jolted him from his thoughts. He glanced ahead and his mouth dropped open.
Lauren Pierce.
Still had that long, wavy blond hair. She didn’t head to the door of the ice-cream shop—no, she strode directly to the patio. A baby blue hoodie was zipped halfway up over her white tank top. Her enormous light gray eyes captured him. A film reel of memories flashed through his mind so quickly he couldn’t keep up.
Breathtaking. A woman who stopped men in their tracks.
Why had he been such an idiot back then?
Something had changed, though. Her nothing-gets-me-down smile had been replaced with something else. Something familiar.
Drew darted a glance at Wyatt.
If he hadn’t lived with Wyatt’s diminished personality for months, he might not have recognized it. Lauren had been traumatized, too. And he wanted to know why. The captain of the cheerleading squad had had everything going for her. She’d never let anything shake her optimistic spirit.
“Glad to see you again. You’re looking good.” He rose and held his hand out. She ignored it, arching her eyebrows instead. Why had he said that? It was something the old him would have rolled out. Heat climbed up his neck. The last impression he wanted to give her was that he was the same old Drew.
“So when did you get back?” Lauren asked as she sat opposite them.
“Yesterday. Wyatt and I are renting a cabin on the lake. Used to be Claire Sheffield’s—well, Claire Hamilton now. Remember her? Her brother, Sam, was living next door, but Claire said Sam, his wife and their little boy moved to a house just outside town, leaving both cottages empty. Anyway, we’ve made a dent in the unpacking.” Drew’s knee bounced rapidly. He was babbling, and Lauren gave no indication she was up for small talk. He’d better get right to it. “This is Wyatt. Chase’s son.”
A flicker of kindness lightened her eyes. “Nice to meet you.”
Drew elbowed Wyatt, who belatedly said, “Hi,” and dropped his attention back to the table. This was going great.
“Thanks for coming.” He didn’t blame her if she left, but to his surprise, she stayed. She looked weary—but stunning all the same. “Mom told me you moved back in January. You’re a social worker?”
“I did move back, but no.” She shook her head, her demeanor icy. “I used to be a social worker. I don’t do that anymore.”
Hmm... He hadn’t considered she no longer wanted to work in her field. “Mom said you had a temp job.”
“I do. It’s great.” She nodded, and her smile appeared forced. She addressed Wyatt. “What do you think of Lake Endwell so far?”
One shoulder lifted in a shrug.
Drew’s knee bounced double time. “We’ll have to rent a boat or borrow a canoe or something soon. Wyatt here—”
“I don’t want to canoe,” Wyatt said.
He put his arm around Wyatt. “You’ll change your mind. Summer is the best season to enjoy the lake.”
“I know a little bit about your situation, Wyatt.” Her voice was low, soothing. Wyatt’s gaze locked with hers. “It’s okay.”
“Everyone knows.” Wyatt hung his head. “I guess you saw the pictures. Those guys were always sneaking around with their cameras. The whole world knows.”
“After a while, no one will care.” Compassion glowed from her eyes.
Drew squeezed Wyatt’s arm. “No reporters will take your picture here. That’s why we moved. We’re going to have a nice, quiet, normal life until...you move back in with your dad.”
Wyatt didn’t say anything, but he studied Lauren,
which Drew took as a good sign. In high school, she had always seemed to be an open book. Straight-A student, prom queen, crusader against teen drinking and, of course, the captain of the cheerleading squad. And since he’d been the star quarterback, everyone had assumed they would make the perfect couple.
Not even close. They’d never dated. Not once.
Drew cleared his throat and leaned in. “So why did you move back?”
“I didn’t want to move, but I needed a change. And my family is here.”
“I didn’t want to move here, either. I want to go home,” Wyatt said. “Can’t we go back to Detroit?”
That made three of them not wanting to move back to Lake Endwell. Drew would have cracked a joke if the atmosphere wasn’t so tense.
“What’s in Detroit?” A trio of emotions sped across Lauren’s face—sympathy, sadness and wariness.
Wyatt hauled in a breath, his face full of animation for the first time in forever; then the joy slid away and he sighed, defeated. “Nothing, I guess.”
“There must be something.” Her voice lilted, coaxing Wyatt to talk, but silence won. “Never mind. You don’t have to answer. We all have things we’d prefer no one knew about.”
“My dad,” Wyatt whispered. “But he’s in jail.”
“My dad was in jail most of my life,” Lauren said. “He died a few years ago.”
Drew straightened. Why was she lying? Her dad had never been in jail. Bill Pierce was one of the most upstanding men the community had ever seen, and he was definitely still alive.
“Really?” Wyatt sounded skeptical and hopeful at the same time. “What did he do?”
“He murdered two men.” She rubbed her arm, not looking him in the eye.
“Oh.” He dropped his attention to the uneaten sundae melting into a puddle of brown and white. “But you’re so pretty.”
The Single Mom's Second Chance Page 18
