Starting Anew (Life Unexpected Book 3) Read online

  He put the pen on the counter, spotted Lynn, and immediately gave her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. We had a rough morning.” He wrinkled his nose. “And I promise she had a clean diaper when we left the house. I can change her before I go…”

  Between the way he glanced at the clock on the wall and then at his daughter’s face, it was obvious he was running late. Lynn shook her head. “It’s okay. I can take care of it.” She held her hands out for Mia, but the girl continued to wail in her dad’s arms. “I’ll be right back.”

  There was a particular stuffed dog that Mia carried around with her nearly every day. Lynn found it and brought it to the front. “Mia, are you ready to come play with Woof-Woof? He’s been waiting to see you all morning.”

  Mia hiccupped as she lifted her head and looked at the stuffed dog, her bright blue eyes still swimming with tears. They were the exact same color as her dad’s, not that Lynn had noticed. Much.

  Between her eyes, that tousled blonde hair, and those slightly-pointed ears, she looked like a little pixie. Lynn’s heart melted just like it did every time she saw the girl.

  Mia finally released her hold on Nathan’s arm and reached for Lynn. When Lynn took the baby, her hands brushed against Nathan’s, sending tingles dancing along her arms. For just a moment, she caught a whiff of his woodsy scent. She always wondered if it was his deodorant or the aftershave he used.

  She got to enjoy it for a moment before Mia’s dirty diaper enveloped Lynn in an entirely different aroma. Lynn did her best to maintain a straight face and not wrinkle her nose.

  Nathan grabbed the diaper bag at his feet and handed it over. “Again, I’m sorry to drop her off like this. The morning got away from us.”

  “It really is okay. We’ve got this, don’t we, Mia?” She looked at the little girl who hugged Woof-Woof tightly in her arms. “Can you wave bye to Daddy?”

  Mia sniffed and waved with one hand.

  “Goodbye, baby. I’ll see you this evening. Be good for Miss Lynn.”

  With one last look, he ran his hand through his short-cropped, dark blond hair, turned, and left.

  Lynn was still trying to ignore the way her insides turned to jelly every time Nathan said her name when Mia started to cry again. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared at the door.

  “Oh, Mia. It’s alright. Come on, let’s go get you cleaned up.” Lynn carried her into the nursery to find Sharon watching her with amusement. “Don’t even start.”

  Sharon waited long enough to be certain no one would overhear her. “You should think about it. I’ll bet he’s not a whole lot older than you. Mia adores you, which is a huge plus in your favor.”

  Lynn rubbed Mia’s back as she made her way to the changing table. “And getting involved with the parent of one of our kids wouldn’t be messy at all.” She turned her back on her friend to tend to Mia, ending the conversation.

  She secured a new diaper, slipped Mia’s pants back on, and stood her up on her feet. “There we go. I’ll bet that feels so much better. Come on, bug, let’s go find something for you to play with.”

  So what if Lynn had a crush on Nathan? She’d seen him five days a week for the last five months, and he’d never shown an ounce of interest in her. It was best if Lynn continued to take care of Mia and admire Nathan from afar.

  ~*~

  Jeb Franklin took a long swig from a bottle of beer and set it back down on his desk with a thud. Not once did he take his eyes off the computer monitor.

  He allowed the music to wash over him, but it wasn’t just that. Bethany Truitt sang like an angel. Her fingers flew across the electronic keyboard as words he knew well flowed from her mouth.

  He’d memorized every second of the video, from the moments she took in a deep breath to the bridge where she let her hands drop to her side as her eyelids fell slightly and she sang from her heart.

  Bethany always sang from her heart.

  Jeb wasn’t sure which he loved more: The sound of her voice, or the way she’d occasionally look right at the camera, as though her hazel eyes were fixed on him alone.

  When the song was over, he switched tabs in his browser and began his nightly scour of social media. Ever since Bethany went off the radar years ago, he’d been watching hashtags hoping to catch a hint of where she might be now. False alarms in the past had led him as far as Florida and Idaho in search of the love of his life.

  If only she’d start singing and touring again. He’d follow her from town to town like he used to. But this time, he wouldn’t come on as strong. Every time he thought about trying to break into her bus, he wanted to kick himself.

  Bethany was high class. She deserved to be courted as such. No more heavy-handed attempts to get her to notice him. He had to win her over.

  He opened his desk drawer, revealing a large collection of guitar pics with Bethany’s name on them. He’d collected one or two from every concert he’d attended. One of these days, he’d find her again. Then he’d show her just how devoted he was. Eventually, she’d take notice of him. She’d realize that she loved him just as much as he did her.

  Then they could finally be happy together.

  Jeb finished his now-warm beer, closed the desk drawer again, and re-opened the previous browser. With a smile, he selected another video.

  Chapter Two

  Nathan slid into the cab of his Jeep Wrangler and rolled a window down. Leave it to Texas to jump the gun on spring. It was the first week of March, and temperature highs were expected to be in the eighties. He’d have to make a point of taking Mia outside to play on Sunday before it got too hot.

  Guilt tugged at him as he drove away from Little Lambs. He hated leaving Mia upset like that. These were the mornings when he wished he could keep Mia with him, or that she had a mother at home to care for her.

  Being a single dad was anything but easy. He was doing his best to raise Mia with the love and support he lacked throughout his own childhood. Thankfully, Mia had Nathan’s brother and his family to be there for her, too.

  And to hand his daughter over with a dirty diaper... Nathan groaned. It was Lynn’s job to look after Mia, change her diaper, and care for her during the day. But she shouldn’t have to start off like that. He had to hand it to her for keeping a smile on her face. She seemed to manage anything that came at her with a measure of grace.

  He thought about the way her smile deepened that cute dimple in her chin. He wasn’t sure which he liked better: her dimple, the pretty dark hair that framed her face, or the way her expressive hazel eyes made him wish he knew her better.

  He realized he was grinning and sobered with a sigh.

  It didn’t matter how beautiful Lynn was, he wasn’t in the market for a relationship. If there was one thing Mia’s mother, Gwen, taught him, it’s that you can never really know a person. Especially when you start throwing love in the mix. Back then, he’d thought he loved Gwen. She’d proved him wrong when she willingly walked away from him and their daughter without looking back. Nathan had been angry with her—furious even—but he’d never suffered from a broken heart. Clearly he hadn’t been as in love with her as he’d thought.

  It was bad enough Mia’s mother hadn’t wanted her. What made it worse was that something similar happened to him as well. If there was one thing he’d promised Mia, it was that he’d stay by her no matter what. The cycle would stop now, and Mia would grow up with a parent devoted to raising her and loving her the way she deserved.

  First his own adoptive parents, and then Gwen, had been dishonest with Nathan. That was one of his pet peeves, and he promised he’d raise Mia in honesty. She wouldn’t grow up wondering whether her daddy was telling her the truth or not.

  The last thing he needed was to put Mia in a position where she could get more attached to Lynn than she already was, only to have Lynn eventually walk away. At least now she saw Lynn in a more professional situation, even if Mia really was too young to know the difference.

  If—and that was a big if—N
athan decided to start dating, Lynn would be off limits.

  Nathan drove the ten miles through Fort Worth morning traffic to the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy where he worked as an instructor. He’d only recently moved to the area in October and was able to secure this job thanks to the recommendation of his instructor back in Miami. It’d been a big change making this kind of a move, but it’d been worth it to be near his brother and future sister-in-law.

  His phone rang, and Chess’s name popped up. Nathan chuckled at the timing. “Hey, Chess. What’s going on?” He looked at the clock. The first class of the day started in half an hour. He moved to put his things away in one of the lockers.

  “Did you double check with Gregor about having the wedding off?”

  Nathan’s boss was notorious for forgetting to write things down. “I did, and we’re all set. Two weeks from tomorrow—you’re not getting cold feet, I hope.”

  Chess chuckled. “Not on your life. You ask Lynn to watch Mia yet?”

  Nathan closed the locker door a little too loudly. “Not yet.” Since Nathan was in the wedding party along with the rest of Chess’s family, that meant Nathan needed to find someone to sit with Mia at the ceremony. Lynn’s name had come up at one point. Honestly, Nathan was hoping another option would present itself. It was one thing to ignore his attraction to Lynn when she was working for Little Lambs. It’d be an entirely different situation if she were there with the rest of Nathan’s family.

  “You know, if you asked her out on a date or two before the wedding, it might not be so awkward. Or better yet, bring her to dinner tomorrow night.”

  Nathan cringed. According to his brother, Nathan talked a little too frequently about Lynn. Once Chess mentioned it to his fiancé, Brooke, Nathan hadn’t heard the end of it.

  Chess’s voice came through the phone. “Seriously, Anna said she could hold Mia if you want her to.”

  Anna was going to be Brooke’s maid of honor. It’d be no easier for her to hold Mia than it would be for Nathan, who was standing as Chess’s best man.

  There really was no one else to ask. If Nathan had to leave Mia with someone in the audience, it needed to be someone she knew, and Nathan really couldn’t think of anyone more perfect for the job than Lynn. But if he didn’t ask her soon, he’d be too late and out of options.

  “Nah, I’ll ask Lynn to watch her when I pick Mia up.”

  “Good. I’ll let you go and see you tomorrow.”

  “Yep. Bye, Chess.”

  The decision made, Nathan turned his focus on the students gathering on the mats. Among the many classes the academy offered for kids, Nathan taught one specifically for the local homeschool group. It’d become so popular, they decided to set up a second one for beginners and move those who were more advanced into a class of their own.

  Nathan looked at the new faces sitting in front of him and smiled. “Welcome, everyone. I’m happy to see you all here today. People learn a form of martial arts for a lot of different reasons. Why don’t we go around and each of you tell me your name and why you want to learn Brazilian jiu-jitsu.”

  He pointed at the boy nearest him who shared his information. Nathan made a mental note of each child’s name as they spoke, certain he’d have to go through the roster at least another time or two before he’d have them all memorized. When all but one boy had answered, Nathan motioned to him. “How about you?”

  The boy, who looked to be eleven or twelve, crossed his arms in front of him. “I’m Lee, and I’m here because my mom is making me.”

  Nathan glanced to the side where a bunch of parents were sitting. There was no mistaking Lee’s mother when she gave Nathan a look of apology.

  “You know what? That’s okay.” He walked back and forth in front of the kids before stopping again in front of Lee. “When I first started to learn jiu-jitsu, it was about the last thing I felt like doing. I was in a lot of trouble in school, and I hated the world.” Nathan could see a lot of himself in Lee from his body posture to the hardness in the boy’s eyes. “But I had an instructor who didn’t let me slack off and who taught me how to gain confidence in myself. He never gave up on me, and I have no intention of giving up on any of you, either.” Nathan pointed a finger at the whole class.

  Lee looked doubtful, but Nathan took that as a challenge as he began to explain the history of jiu-jitsu and what he planned to teach them over the next few months.

  By the end of the day, Nathan had taught five more classes and was more than ready to pick up Mia and ask Lynn if she’d keep his daughter during the wedding.

  ~*~

  Thankfully, when Nathan arrived to pick up Mia, she looked a lot happier than when he’d left. He found her standing next to a play stove. The moment she saw him, she gave him a wave with her chubby arm followed by, “Da! Da!” No matter how rough his day might be, hearing that word and seeing her sweet smile made it all worthwhile.

  He sat on the floor beside her. She toddled his way and fell into his arms. Nathan blew a raspberry on her cheek that had her belly laughing.

  A shadow fell over them before Lynn knelt on the floor beside them. “She did great today. She was tired and took an early nap. Once she woke up from that, it was full steam ahead.” She smiled, the dimple in her chin drawing Nathan’s attention. “We had fun, didn’t we, bug?” She reached over and patted Mia’s back before standing again. “Let me get her bag for you.”

  Nathan was determined to ask her this time and cleared his throat. “I actually have a question for you.”

  “Okay.” She eased herself onto the floor again and sat cross legged, her eyes on him.

  He couldn’t quite tell if they were more brown or green, or an exact mix of the two. He wanted to stare into them way longer than was appropriate. “My brother’s getting married two weeks from Saturday. I’m in the wedding party along with the rest of Mia’s family. It would be a huge help to have someone in the audience to watch over Mia during the ceremony.” He swallowed. “I wondered if it were possible to hire you to come watch her for a few hours. You’d be in the same building I’m in, and of course I’d pay you.”

  “Oh. Well…” Lynn looked at Mia.

  He was rambling and wasn’t sure if the look on her face was surprise or confusion. “I know it’s short notice. If you have other plans, I’d understand. I just wanted to ask you first since Mia knows you so well. I thought it’d be easier on her to not have to get used to a stranger.” Nathan held his breath. It was ridiculous how much he hoped she’d say yes.

  She nodded then but kept her gaze on everything but him. “I have that day free. I’d be happy to help. Is it in the area?”

  “It’s in Dallas. I’ll pay you for six hours. That should more than cover the drive each way plus the time during the ceremony.”

  Lynn finally lifted her eyes and locked gazes with him. “That sounds great.”

  They talked and settled on a figure, which truthfully was lower than he’d expected.

  “There will be a reception afterward. You’re welcome to attend. It’ll be an informal barbecue. If you have someone you’d like to bring, you’re welcome to a plus one.” He’d noted months ago that she didn’t wear a wedding ring. That didn’t mean there wasn’t a significant other hiding in the shadows, though.

  “I won’t have a plus one.” She got to her feet and brushed some of her hair behind one ear. “Let me go grab Mia’s things for you.”

  He stood and lifted Mia into his arms. Lynn returned momentarily, and he accepted the diaper bag from her. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  He was going to tell her he’d bring all the information for her on Monday but paused. Chess’s words went through his head, and before Nathan knew it, words were flowing out of his mouth. “I work on Saturdays, and my brother and his fiancée watch Mia. After I get off work, we all meet there for dinner. If you’d like to come, we’d be happy to have you.”

  When she looked surprised, he rushed on. “It’d give you a chance to meet everyone before the weddi
ng. It might also be helpful for Mia to see you outside of daycare. That way she won’t be surprised when she sees you at the church.”

  He hadn’t expected the complete turmoil of emotions that danced across her eyes. What had he been thinking? If she agreed, was he supposed to just give her the address? Offer to drive her himself?

  Lynn seemed to sort through her options before shifting her weight and looking at the clock. “I suppose that would be helpful. I don’t drive in Dallas all that often, so getting a feel for the area where the church is, especially, would be a good thing. Do you think you could give me the addresses for both?”

  “Of course.” His relief when she said she’d join him was immediate and more intense than he’d expected. He told himself that it was entirely because he knew Mia would be more comfortable if she spent extra time with Lynn. “I’ll call Chess or Brooke and get the church address. Then I can text that to you along with my brother’s. If you’d prefer, I’d be happy to swing by and pick you up on the way there.”

  She ran the fingers of her right hand through that dark hair of hers before answering. “Sending me the addresses will be great, thank you.”

  Was it because she preferred to drive herself, or because she’d rather he not know where she lived? The question was way more interesting than it ought to be.

  They verified the time and exchanged numbers before Nathan pocketed his phone. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”

  “Yeah. See you then.” She waved at Mia, her freckled nose wrinkled as she made a funny face that had the baby giggling.

  Nathan fought against the wave of affection he experienced as he watched them interact. He picked up the diaper bag and carried his daughter out to the Jeep where he got her buckled in.

  As he slid into the driver’s seat, all he could think about was Lynn. She was single. Considering how sweet and beautiful she was, plus her skills with kids, how was that even possible?