A hand came down on my shoulder, pulling me from my happy thoughts. When I looked up, Charity was staring down at me. “You okay?”
Reaching up, I covered her hand with mine and gave it a squeeze. “I’m perfect, sweetheart. Absolutely perfect.”
Her beautiful face wreathed with a stunning smile, this one free of all the makeup she usually hid behind. Returning my squeeze with one of her own, she let me go and moved down the table to take a seat by her friends.
“What’re those?” Oscar yelped loudly, and when I shifted my attention down the table, I saw him eyeing the fried brussel sprouts with wide, disgusted eyes. “Those look gross! I’m not eating that!”
“They’re good for you,” Lily insisted. In typical mom fashion, she wasn’t backing down when it came to getting kids to eat their vegetables. “They’ll make you strong. Why do you think my boys are as big as they are? It’s because they ate their vegetables.”
Oscar didn’t look like he was buying it for a second, and when he looked over at Brad, I didn’t miss the way the big guy shook his head discreetly and made a blech face.
“I saw that, Bradley Dixon,” Lily snapped. “And just for that, you’re eating two helpings.”
The scent of woodsy citrus invaded my senses as Bryce’s hand came down on my thigh and his breath tickled at my ear. “What are you thankful for today, beauty?”
Turning to look at the love of my life, my heart swelled in my chest, making it hard to breathe as I answered, “For fairy-tale endings.”
His smile made me tremble. “Honey, we’re only just gettin’ started.”
* * *
Bryce
Christmas Eve
I moved through the quiet house, locking all the doors and turning out the lights. Only the Christmas tree remained lit.
At Tessa and Charity’s assistance, the thing stayed on 24/7, from Thanksgiving until tomorrow night.
That was fine with me. Neither of my girls had ever had a real Christmas before, so anything in my power to give them was theirs to have. Which was why the whole house smelled like sugar and the kitchen counters overflowed with every size and shape of Christmas cookie you could imagine, and why I’d suffered through a million and one Hallmark Christmas movies without saying a word.
If I had to eat every last cookie while watching every last movie to make them happy, I was prepared to do it.
Setting the alarm, I made my way up the stairs, stopping at the door to what was now Charity’s permanent room.
Like I’d done every night for the past month, I quietly pushed her door open, peeking in at the sleeping girl to make sure everything was as it should be before pulling it closed and moving toward our room.
I was halfway down the hall when the phone in my pocket rang. Pulling it out, I looked at the display and chuckled.
“You’re gonna see us in two days, Pop. You don’t have to call every other day.”
“Not that a father needs a reason to talk to his son, but I’m actually not callin’ to chat. I wanted to give you a heads-up so you didn’t show up here and lose your goddamn mind.”
My back went straight and I came to a stop. “A heads-up about what?”
My dad let out a heavy sigh through the line. “Well, your momma might’ve gone a little overboard with her Christmas presents for Charity. In her defense, she’s never had a granddaughter before so it’s not really—”
“What did she do, Pop?”
He let loose another sigh. “Well . . . she kinda bought Charity a puppy.”
“A what?”
“It’s cute as a button,” he blurted quickly. “Girl’s gonna love it, but . . .”
“It get’s worse?” I clipped when he trailed off.
“It’s a great dane, son. Damn thing’s gonna be huge once it’s full grown.”
Dropping my head, I blew out an exasperated breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Jesus Christ.”
“Anyhoo,” my dad continued, “just wanted you to know. We’ll see you in a couple days, son. Merry Christmas.”
Before I could say a word, he disconnected the call.
Resigned to the fact that our house would soon have a huge-as-hell dog, I stuffed the phone back into my pocket and finished the trek to our room.
Tessa was sitting up in bed, a book opened in her lap, as I closed our door behind me. Placing her thumb on the page as a placeholder, she flipped it closed and looked up at me. “Everything locked up tight?”
“Yep.” Removing my T-shirt, I emptied my pockets onto my nightstand, pulled the covers back and slipped in beside her.
She put the book on the nightstand and curled into me, my arm wrapping around her and holding on tight. “Charity still sleeping like a log?” she asked, a teasing lilt to her voice. My wife knew my routine by now.
“Yep. Out like a light.”
She let out a husky chuckle that made my dick stir. “That girl’s got you wrapped around her little finger.”
She wasn’t wrong about that. And speaking of . . . “There’s somethin’ I’ve been wantin’ to talk to you about,” I said as she snuggled deeper into me.
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“What if we make Charity ours permanently?”
Tessa shifted, coming up on her elbow so she could see my face. “What?”
“This is already her home,” I announced. “Why not make it official?”
“You mean . . . you want to adopt her?”
Sliding my fingers through her silky hair, I tucked the strands behind her ear and said, “As far as I’m concerned, she’s already ours in all the ways that matter. What would it hurt to make it legal?”
“It wouldn’t hurt anything. I actually love you even more for suggesting it, which I didn’t think was possible, considering how much I already love you. I’m just surprised is all. I mean, not a lot of people are willing to adopt teenagers.”
I gave her my most cocky grin. “Beauty, we got married after knowin’ each other less than a week, and that’s worked out pretty damn well. Way I see it, we’re at our best when we’re on fast forward, so why not start with a mouthy teenager full of attitude? It’ll make us better prepared for when we have another.”
Those honey eyes warmed, the love shining bright within them. “I love you so much, Bryce.”
“Keep hold of that thought, ’cause I just got some news that might make you want to take that back.” She lifted her brows curiously. “Ma got Charity a great dane puppy for Christmas.”
She stared at me in surprise for a few seconds before bursting into laughter, and it was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard, aside from hearing her say she loved me.
“Well, damn. Lily might’ve just beaten me out for best Christmas present ever.”
“Oh? And what did you get her?”
“Not her,” she said softly, trailing her fingers across my jaw. “It’s your present.”
I wasn’t sure she could give me anything better than my ring, but I didn’t bother telling her that as she leaned over and opened her bedside drawer, pulling out something the size of a business card.
“Your drivers license?” I asked in confusion when she dropped it in my lap.
She began chewing on her thumbnail before saying, “Look at the name.”
I looked down and felt the air leave my lungs as I read the name along the bottom: Tessa Dixon.
Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly love her more, she went and did something that made me fall even harder.
“Best decision I ever made was walkin’ across that pool deck to you,” I told her.
“And the best decision I ever made was letting a stranger help me mark off items on my bucket list,” she murmured, pressing her lips to mine. “You’re my other half, Bryce Dixon.”
“And you’re my heart and soul, Tessa Dixon.”
We’d had more than our fair share of bumps on the way to our happily ever after, but there was one thing I knew for damn certain. We definitely got it right the
second time around.
And I couldn’t wait to see what was in store for us next.
The End.
Thank you so much for reading, and don’t forget to leave a review.
Keep a lookout for Leo and Dani’s story,
Waiting for Forever
Coming July, 2020
More from Hope Valley
After years of war, Lincoln Sheppard thought he’d left the violence and ugliness behind. He was content with the life he built for himself. Then the woman down the street came in and shook everything up.
All Eden Brenner ever wanted was to have a place to call home. She finally found that in Hope Valley. Then she went and fell in love with the man a few houses down the first time she laid eyes on him. There was just one problem. Women like her didn’t catch the attention of men like him. He was totally and completely out of her league. And to make matters worse, when her past comes knocking, the beautiful world she’s built for herself is at risk of crumbling to the ground.
When danger forces Eden into his arms, Lincoln begins to see her in a whole new light, and he suddenly finds himself wanting things he never expected. And he wants them all with the shy, clumsy woman from down the street. But when the truth comes out, that proves nearly impossible. Now he’s fighting the hardest battle of his life, and the stakes are higher than ever. Protect the woman he’s falling for while trying to win her heart at the same time.
Temperance Levine had her entire world ripped away from her at eighteen. What had once been a life full of light and happiness was torn to shreds in the blink of an eye. With nothing left but a broken heart and painful memories, she ran away from the only home she’d ever had and tried to start over somewhere else. But the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, and sometimes all you can do to heal old wounds is come back home again.
The day Temperance left him was the worst day of Hayes Walker’s life, and he’d spent every one since then merely existing. The future he’d imagined had gone up in smoke, and all he could do was take life one step at a time. But when tragedy brings Tempie back to Hope Valley, he knows this is the only shot he’ll have at getting his happiness back, and there’s no way he’ll let this chance go to waste.
After years apart, Tempie and Hayes are finally starting over and looking toward the future. But when their sleepy little town is rocked to its core, Hayes will be forced into a battle he never saw coming. Now he’s not only fighting for the future he always dreamed of, but also trying to protect the only woman he’s ever loved.
It wasn’t hard for Nona Fanning to fall for Trick. He was strong, kind-hearted, loyal, and unbelievably handsome. He was the man of her dreams, and all it took was one night to give her a taste of the beauty he had to offer. But while she’d been opening her heart to him, he’d kept his under lock and key.
After Patrick “Trick” Wanderly’s wife left him, ripping away their picture-perfect life, he convinced himself that she’d taken the best pieces of him with her. He wasn’t ready to move on and give his heart to someone else. Then his whole world flipped upside down after spending one night with Nona.
It took awhile for him to see what he had standing right in front of him, but now Trick’s eyes are open, and he’s determined to fix what he broke. But when danger threatens to tear Nona’s world apart, it’s up to Trick to help hold those pieces together while fighting to protect the woman and the new life he’s come to cherish.
Gypsy Bradbury was never destined for great things. Or at least that’s what she’d convinced herself of. Growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, she had learned that hoping for more was a waste of time. Then Marco forced his way into her life and gave her a glimpse of a future brighter than any she could have imagined. But if her past taught her anything, it was that if something seemed too good to be true... it probably was.
The promise of a quiet, simple life was what drew Marco Castillo to Hope Valley. After experiencing war and death first hand, he was looking for something easy. Then he met a woman with guarded eyes and the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. The only problem was she came with more baggage than a 747.
There is nothing easy about Gypsy, but Marco knows without a doubt that the promise of her is well worth the effort. She’s the strongest, bravest woman he’s ever met, and when the life she’s fought to build for her and her family is threatened, Marco is determined to win that battle for her. Whether Gypsy wants his help or not.
Rory Hightower had a good life. She had a loving family, great friends, and a job she adored, running Hope Valley’s local watering hole, The Tap Room. But there was just one thing missing. Ever since she was a little girl she knew there was one special guy out there just for her. Her dream man. And when Cord walked into her bar, she knew instantly it was him. Which made losing him all the more painful.
Cord Paulson had only ever had one person he could depend on. And that bond ran deep. But when he moved to Hope Valley and met the breathtaking bartender with the bright blue eyes and stunning smile, he felt an instant connection. He wanted Rory from the moment he laid eyes on her. But when his past came back and his loyalties were put to the test, he made the biggest mistake of his life.
Then one night changes everything. After avoiding him for months, Rory has no choice but to lower her guard and let him back in. And Cord plans to use that to his full advantage. He’s determined to repair the damage he caused to her heart and win her back. He may have lost the love of his life once already, but there’s no way he’ll make the same mistake twice.
The light had been snuffed out of Xander Caine’s world a long time ago, leaving him to suffer in darkness. After a tremendous loss, he closed himself off from anyone and everyone, content to live alone in the shadows. Then a woman blew into town with the force of a hurricane and shook everything up.
Sage Winthrop was looking to start over. She didn’t have a plan for what her new life would look like, but when she landed in Hope Valley, she knew it was the place she wanted to call home. Then one chance encounter outside of the best coffee shop in town set her world spinning.
Sage and Xander hated each other on sight. However, when they’re forced to work together, that hate eventually turns into something neither of them expected. Their attraction proves too strong to ignore. But when secrets from Sage’s past are revealed and her life is threatened, Xander has no choice but to let go of his demons and step out of the darkness in order to save the woman he loves.
Discover Other Books by Jessica
REDEMPTION SERIES
Bad Alibi
HOPE VALLEY SERIES:
Out of My League
Come Back Home Again
The Best of Me
Wrong Side of the Tracks
Stay With Me
Out of the Darkness
The Second Time Around
CIVIL CORRUPTION SERIES
Corrupt
Defile
Consume
Ravage
THE PICKING UP THE PIECES SERIES:
Picking up the Pieces
Rising from the Ashes
Pushing the Boundaries
Worth the Wait
THE COLORS NOVELS:
Scattered Colors
Shrinking Violet
Love Hate Relationship
Wildflower
THE LOCKLAINE BOYS (a LOVE HATE RELATIONSHIP spinoff):
Fire & Ice
Opposites Attract
Almost Perfect
The Locklaine Boys: The Complete Series Boxset
THE PEMBROOKE SERIES (a WILDFLOWER spinoff):
Sweet Sunshine
Coming Full Circle
A Broken Soul
Welcome to Pembrooke: The Complete Pembrooke Series
GIRL TALK SERIES:
Seducing Lola
Tempting Sophia
Enticing Daphne
Charming Fiona
STANDALONE TITLES:
One Knight Stand
Chance Encounters
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Nightmares from Within
DEADLY LOVE SERIES:
Destructive
Addictive
About Jessica
Born and raised around Houston, Jessica is a self proclaimed caffeine addict, connoisseur of inexpensive wine, and the worst driver in the state of Texas. In addition to being all of these things, she’s first and foremost a wife and mom.
Growing up, she shared her mom and grandmother’s love of reading. But where they leaned toward murder mysteries, Jessica was obsessed with all things romance.
When she’s not nose deep in her next manuscript, you can usually find her with her kindle in hand.
Connect with Jessica now
Website: www.authorjessicaprince.com
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The Second Time Around: a Hope Valley novel Page 22
