Chapter 19
Take a chance – do something super scary even when your heart is yelling RUN
Leia
Ihope you slept well.
Have a good day.
Happiness spreads through me as I read the messages from Fender. Ever since our first date, he sends me these messages in the morning. And every night he messages me to ask me how my day was.
These simple messages are breaking down my resistance to the man.
Why are you still resisting him?
Gah. Sometimes I hate my inner voice. How dare she make me question myself and my decisions? Doesn’t she remember what happened the last time I was in a relationship? With Isla’s dad?
Fender is not Charles.
Charles – always Charles, never Charlie – was a waste of space. I can’t believe I fell for his smooth lines and sweet talk. Fender is definitely not a sweet talker and he probably wouldn’t know a smooth line if it hit him in the face.
Fender’s also a gentleman. A word I doubt Charles has ever heard of. Fender brought me home after our date, kissed me on the cheek, and left. He didn’t try to push me into having sex with him. Although very little pushing would have been necessary. The man makes my panties damp with a grunt.
My phone beeps with another message. I’ll be there in a few minutes.
I check my clock. Shit. I spent the past half hour daydreaming instead of finishing up my work. I rush through my ‘must be done today’ tasks. I’ve barely finished the final task when the doorbell rings.
“Hey!” I’m out of breath when I open the door to Fender.
He bends over to kiss my cheek. “Are you ready?”
“Yep.”
He nods toward my feet and I realize I’m wearing the bunny slippers Isla gave me for Christmas last year.
I shrug. “You didn’t tell me where we’re going. Who knows? Maybe bunny slippers are appropriate.”
He chuckles. “I guess we can go then.” He motions to the Hummer.
“Did you buy the Hummer?” I ask as I kick off my bunny loafers and slip into a pair of sandals. “I thought it was a rental.”
“I’m leasing it.”
“Leasing? Can you lease for short-term?”
“It’s a six-month lease.”
“But won’t you be gone as soon as the record is finished?”
“I don’t have anywhere else I need to be.”
“What about your mom?”
He shrugs. “She won’t miss me.”
I frown. He told me all about his useless ex-girlfriend, Vicki, but he won’t tell me about his mom. Except she was a single mom and apparently won’t miss him. I have questions! So many questions.
“Where’s Isla?” he asks in an obvious attempt to pre-empt my questions about his mom.
“She’s having a sleepover at the community center.”
His eyes flare. “A sleepover? She won’t be home until morning?”
“Don’t get any ideas, big guy,” I say despite my mind filling up with tons of ideas. Sexy ideas of him naked in my bed with me. Ideas of me touching every single inch of his skin. And there’s a lot of skin to touch.
He growls and grasps my hips to draw me near. “What are you thinking, firecracker?”
My face warms. “Um…”
His fingers squeeze my hip. “Never mind. Your face doesn’t lie.”
He trails his nose along my neck until he reaches my ear. “I will fulfill all those fantasies you’re imagining and then some.”
“And then some?” I gasp.
He nips my earlobe. “And then some.”
“What if I have a very active imagination?”
“Then, we’re going to have a very long, satisfying night.”
Warmth spreads from my stomach down to my core where wetness gathers in my panties. Oh my. No man has caused me to get wet merely from speaking. What will Fender do when he gets me into his bed? And how long do I have to wait?
My phone buzzes in my back pocket and I jump in surprise. I giggle at myself before digging my phone out. I frown when I read the screen.
“It’s the community center.”
I walk away to answer the phone, but Fender follows me and shuts the door behind him.
“Hello,” I answer.
“I’m sorry, Leia, but I’m afraid Isla’s sick. Can you pick her up?” Cedar, the director of the community center, asks.
“Of course. I’m on my way.”
I hang up and rush to the front door. Fender stops me.
“What’s happening? Where are you going?”
I yank my arm away from him. “Isla. She’s sick.”
He grasps my hand and laces my fingers through his. “Come on. We’ll get there faster in the Hummer.”
I give in since he’s right. We’re at the community center in a little over a minute. I jump out of the Hummer before Fender can help me. I sprint to the front door with him on my heels.
“Where is she?” I ask when I enter the building.
The place is crowded with kids in their pajamas. I scan the room but I don’t see her anywhere. Panic begins to crawl up my throat.
“There she is.” Fender points to my daughter helping Storm out of the bathroom.
I rush to her. “Get your things.”
“I’ll get them,” Fender offers.
Isla glances back and forth between me and Fender. “Hold on. Why are you getting my things? What’s wrong? Did someone die?”
“You’re sick. I’m taking you home.”
“I’m not sick. Storm is.” She scowls at her friend. “I told you not to eat the entire roll of cookie dough.”
“Do you need us to take Storm home?” Fender asks while I’m still trying to process my daughter’s words. She’s not sick? She’s okay?
“My mom’s here.” Storm waves to Honor who is hurrying toward us.
“Sorry about this,” Honor says as she helps Storm away.
I place a palm over Isla’s forehead. “You’re certain you’re feeling okay?”
She swats my hand away. “I’m fine.”
“Do you want to come home or stay here?” I ask.
“I have other friends here.” She motions to a group of girls huddled on top of their sleeping bags in a far corner.
“You sure?” Fender asks before I have a chance to. “We can watch a movie together.”
Is he serious? He’s willing to give up a date with me to spend time with my daughter? I thought he wanted some alone time with me.
“Thanks, Fender. But I’m busy tonight.”
My heart swells with pride. My daughter isn’t rushing to change her plans to spend time with a man. Good for her. She’s going to be a wonderful woman some day. A strong woman who doesn’t allow a man to hurt her the way I did.
“We’ll make plans for another night next week.”
“Okay. I gotta go.” Isla rushes off without a backward glance.
Fender grasps my hand, leads me out of the center, and helps me into the passenger seat of the Hummer.
“You okay?” he asks as he secures my seatbelt around me.
“As long as Isla’s fine, I’m fine.”
He kisses my nose before shutting my door and rounding the vehicle to get into the driver’s seat.
“Do you want to skip our date?” he asks as we drive back to my house. “We can get some takeout and watch a movie.”
“You wouldn’t be mad?”
His brow furrows. “Why would I be mad?”
“First, I drag you to the community center at breakneck speed and then I cancel our date.”
He parks the car in front of my house and turns to look at me. “It’s no big deal.”
“No big deal? No big deal?” I screech.
He shrugs. “All I did was drive you to the community center.”
“You don’t get it. No one has helped me with Isla since my grandparents died. Since Isla was three, I’ve been on my own.”
“You’re not on your own now.”
“For now. Once you leave Winter Falls, I’ll be on my own again.”
He grasps my chin. “Open your eyes, firecracker. The whole town is here to support you. Virginia and Indigo will babysit your daughter whenever you ask them, and the gossip gals will help out in any way they can.”
My belly warms at his words. Is it true? Is the town here to support me?
I shake my head. “I can’t chance it.”
“Chance what?”
“Them changing their minds.”
“Changing their minds? Changing their minds about what?”
“About me. How do I know they won’t decide I’m not worth it?”
He growls. “Not worth it? Firecracker, you’re worth everything.”
I glance away. “I thought I was once. I thought my parents would support me being pregnant. But no, they kicked me out. I thought Charles would help me raise our child. But, no, he left when Isla was barely five months old.”
“What about your grandparents? Didn’t they help out?”
“Isla and I lived with them until they passed away.”
“They didn’t leave you.”
“Everyone else did,” I mutter.
“Remember how I said all women betray you. And you pointed out I couldn’t say all women betray you when I really meant Vicki.”
I narrow my eyes on him. “Yes.”
“If I can’t use Vicki’s behavior as an excuse to not connect with people, you’re not allowed to use your parents and Charles the fuckhead as an excuse.”
I throw daggers out of my eyes at him. “I hate it when you use logic.”
“Get used to it, firecracker. I’m not going anywhere.”
Really? He’s not going anywhere? He’s staying in Winter Falls? Dare I hope? Nope. I refuse to hope. I snort instead.
“You – a rockstar – are going to stay in Winter Falls forever?”
“Cash and Dylan aren’t going anywhere. I’m afraid Jett and Gibson will never leave either.” He feigns a shiver. “I’m stuck with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum forever.”
He’s staying? Hope – an emotion I refuse to allow myself to feel – pushes at my skin as I study his face. Is he being truthful? I’m not the best judge of character. I fell for Charles’ bullshit after all. But I was a kid then. Barely old enough to drive. Maybe I should give myself a break. Maybe I should take a chance on another man.
This particular grumpy man to be precise. He was with me one-hundred percent when I thought Isla was sick. He also arranged a babysitter for our first date. And he refused to push it beyond a kiss at the end of the night.
Is Fender Hays the man I’ve been searching for when I didn’t even realize I was searching?
I steel my spine and take a chance. “Do you want to come inside?”