Love and the Single Dad Read online

  She came down slowly, breathing hard, her skin damp and hot, and then she went limp against the mattress, sprawled out, eyes closed.

  He leaned on an elbow next to her. “What’s the verdict?” he asked. As if he didn’t know….

  “Nolo contendere.” She wasn’t contesting it. She opened her eyes, ran a finger across his lips and smiled in that sexy way she had. “But I haven’t made my closing argument yet.”

  He flopped onto his back. “I await your rendering.”

  She straddled him, her hair brushing his sensitive skin as she treated him to the reverence of her seeking hands, her tender lips, the swirl of her tongue over and around him. Her fingertips went on journeys of discovery, making promises of fulfillment, but delaying and delaying until he couldn’t stand it a second longer. She finally let him find that elusive satisfaction, gifting him with incredible, amazing pleasure. Then he fell against the bed much as she had, limp, his needs quenched.

  Later, when they were lying side by side recovering and he was contemplating round two, her phone rang. She let it ring. Her answering machine was turned up loud enough that they could hear the message being left.

  “This is Jake McCoy. I’m sorry to bother you, Laura, but I’m looking for Donovan. If you see or hear from him, please tell him he’s needed at home. It’s not a medical emergency or anything, but Ethan needs some reassurance. Thanks.”

  Donovan and Laura looked at each other. “He probably had a nightmare,” he said.

  “Whatever the reason, you need to be with him,” she said, rolling toward him and touching his shoulder.

  He kissed her, softly, pulling back reluctantly. He wanted to ask if she felt better now, if she’d recovered from what had happened at the Stompin’ Grounds, but it wasn’t the way he wanted the night to end.

  “I’ll drive you,” she said, getting out of bed when he did. “I can drop you off a block away.”

  He started to refuse, then didn’t. It would save him ten minutes—and give him ten more minutes with her.

  He dressed in the living room, where he’d left his clothes. Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, he saw that he’d missed two messages, one from Jake, one from his mother.

  “Ready?” Laura asked from the door leading to the garage.

  No. “Yes.”

  She handed him a brush.

  They didn’t kiss goodnight when she dropped him off. They just stared at each other for a few seconds. “I’ll call you,” he said, leaning back into the car.

  “This has to stay private, Donovan. We had good reasons when this started. Nothing’s changed.”

  He had no time to argue. She left, her taillights disappearing into the night as he climbed to his mother’s porch. Inside the house, Ethan sat in Aggie’s lap, his face tear streaked.

  “Where were you?” he cried, resisting Donovan’s efforts to take him from his grandmother.

  “I explained that you went somewhere with your brothers,” Aggie said, but she was silently questioning why he hadn’t been with Jake and Joe.

  He reminded himself that his son wasn’t completely comfortable with him yet, and that Ethan was used to being with women, including a mother who’d been too sick to leave the house for as long as Ethan could probably remember. His grief was fresh and raw.

  “I’m here now, son,” he said quietly, rubbing Ethan’s back. “C’mere, please.”

  At first Donovan thought Ethan would reject him, but he flung himself into Donovan’s arms instead.

  “Just don’t go, okay? Don’t leave me!”

  Donovan carried him outside and sat in the rocking chair, the still-warm night quiet enough to hear the crickets. He rocked his son for the first time in his life, tucking him close, breathing the scent that was distinctly Ethan.

  “I know this has been a big change for you,” he said softly. “I know you miss your mom and Grammy, and the life you used to have. And I know you’re a little worried about how different everything is. But the thing is, I can’t promise to stay with you all the time. I need to go to work again soon. You’ll go to school. I also need to go out sometimes with friends, just like you’ll have sleepovers with Grandma Aggie or other people. You’ll make friends at school.”

  He tightened his hold on Ethan. “But when we’re apart, it will only be for a period of time.” He wished he could assure his son that he would always come back, but it wasn’t a promise he could make—just as Anne couldn’t. “You’ll always be with someone you want to be with, someone who loves you. Someone we both trust. Okay?”

  Ethan drew a deep, shaky breath. “I was scared. I woke up and you weren’t home.”

  “I’ll tell you what. From now on, I’ll tell you if I’ll be going out, even if you’re already going to be asleep before I leave. Is that a deal?”

  Ethan was quiet for a long time before he finally nodded.

  “All better now?” Donovan asked.

  “I need ice cream.”

  “Oh, you need ice cream.”

  Ethan giggled. “Yes, I need it.”

  “All right. I’ll join you.”

  Crisis averted, Donovan thought, relieved. “Run in and wash your face and hands. I’ll fix two bowls. And one for Grandma, if she wants.” She’d disappeared, so he wasn’t sure if she’d gone to bed.

  As Ethan skipped into the bathroom, Donovan dialed Laura.

  “He’s okay,” he said when she answered, her hello soothing. “Abridged version is that he woke up and got scared because I wasn’t here.”

  “Thank you for letting me know.”

  “We’re going to have ice cream.”

  “The perfect cure-all.”

  He heard the smile in her voice. “Thanks again for tonight.”

  “We both know you were the one deserving of thanks. I appreciate your coming to my rescue, newsman. For noticing I needed rescue. Even though I didn’t think so at the time. I’m a little used to controlling situations.”

  She would’ve been fine, but he was glad she saw it the way she did. “And my thanks to you for bringing one of my fantasies to life,” he said, a clear image of her dressed like a lady lawyer glaring like neon in his mind.

  “That actually was my pleasure, too. Good night, Donovan.”

  He snapped his phone shut, then tapped it against his thigh. Within the next couple of days, he and Ethan would move into a house and start their life as a family. And soon he would have to figure out what to do about work, a decision he’d put off for good reasons, but that he couldn’t put off for much longer.

  But all that could wait until he’d had a bowl of ice cream with his son.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I can have a crew here and clear this yard in half a day,” Joe said the next morning, standing next to Donovan on the back patio.

  “What fun would that be?” Donovan peeled his T-shirt over his head as he watched Ethan drag a shovel through the foot-tall weeds, making motor sounds with his mouth.

  “Fun? I don’t get it, Donny. You’re renting. Why put in the effort?”

  “Because it’s something I can work on with Ethan.”

  “Ah. Okay. That makes sense. So, what would you like me to do, aside from loaning you tools?”

  “If you could help with the hauling, that would be great. You’ve already put in extra time lately on Jake’s place.”

  “Limited time. Keri wants to do her own thing. Anyway, what are brothers for?” He elbowed Donovan. “You’ll let me choose the plants, right? And tell you where to plant them?”

  His brother knew him well. “Yeah. Landon said he’d pay for them, within reason.”

  “Lucky him. He’ll get my wholesale cost, so you can load up this place.”

  “Hey, Dad!” Ethan shouted from the far end of the yard, a good forty feet away. “Can we get a dog?”

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  “Landlord’s rules. No pets.”

  “Aw, man.” He picked up the shovel again and started zigzagg
ing around the yard.

  “Is that true?” Joe asked.

  “No idea. Didn’t ask.” He recalled the speech he’d given Laura the night before, and figured this lie might come back to haunt him sometime. Then he justified it by not knowing whether he was lying or telling the truth. He just didn’t wanted to break Ethan’s heart.

  And he wasn’t ready to commit to owning a dog.

  Joe took a sip of his coffee, then said casually, “I’m gathering I had to drive your car home last night because you went off with Laura.”

  This was exactly the situation Donovan wanted to avoid. Should he lie to his brother now, too? No. To hell with it.

  “Yeah. I apologize for not asking you. I needed to catch her in a hurry.”

  “So Jake told me when he gave me your keys. I understand the attraction, Donny. In fact, I’ve seen it coming for years.”

  “But?”

  “But watching you two on the dance floor? I know I’m not the king of relationships, but yours didn’t look comfortable.”

  Donovan considered that, and decided Joe was wrong. In private it was comfortable much of the time, exciting much of the time and also frustrating much of the time. He could talk to her more easily than anyone else, even his brothers, with whom he shared the most.

  “Appearances are deceiving,” Donovan said, swiping a pair of gloves from the ground and grabbing a shovel.

  “There’s an original choice of words.”

  He laughed. “I’m out of practice.”

  “Uh-huh. About that. What’s your plan?”

  “Still not sure. I’d like to have it figured out by the time Ethan starts kindergarten, which gives me about three and a half weeks. It’s hard to believe he’s only been here for a couple of weeks.” And it’d only been a couple of days since he’d first slept with Laura, yet it felt as if they’d been together for a long time.

  “Anybody home?” someone called out.

  “Speak of the devil,” Donovan said at the sound of Laura’s voice from inside the house.

  “Not really,” Joe said, looking at Donovan oddly.

  “It’s just a figure of speech, Joe.”

  “I know what it is, but you weren’t talking about Laura.” Joe grinned. “I guess Ethan starting school wasn’t what was really on your mind, after all.”

  Laura came through the open sliding glass door, her mother behind her. Donovan almost went to Laura, almost embraced her. She looked temptingly beautiful in a cool blue summer dress and sandals, her hair up, which always brought more attention to her pretty hazel eyes and her elegance, in general.

  “Good morning,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind us just dropping in. Mom wanted to see the place.”

  “Hi, sugar,” Dolly said, her red hair shimmering in the sunlight.

  “Welcome, sweet ’ums.”

  “I think I’m missing something,” Laura said, looking from Donovan to her mother in question.

  “Inside joke,” Dolly said, patting Donovan’s arm.

  “Laura! Dolly!” Ethan raced over. “Come see my bedroom.”

  “I saw it yesterday, Ethan,” Laura said. “I’m sure my mom would love to, though.”

  “Lead the way, young sir.”

  He giggled and took her hand in his grubby one, dragging her into the house. Joe excused himself to get more tools from his truck out front.

  “When my mom isn’t working for me, she’s an interior designer, did you know that?” Laura asked.

  He took a couple of steps toward her. “How are you this morning, counselor?”

  It took her a few seconds to refocus. She smiled. “I’m good, thank you. Did you sleep well?”

  “Surprisingly well.” He dragged his fingers down her bare arm, enjoying how her skin rose in bumps. “Did you?”

  “I had very pleasant dreams.”

  “I didn’t.” He bent close to her ear. “I had dreams that would shock you.”

  “Spinning new fantasies for me, newsman?”

  He liked how she returned his heated look. “Don’t you have a few of your own?”

  “I might.” She ran a pink-polished fingernail down his chest, tracing the line that disappeared into his jeans, then hooking the edge of fabric and pulling him near.

  Donovan grabbed a handful of her hair and squeezed. Her touch was feather-light. He lowered his head. She rose toward him—

  A loud clatter had them jumping apart.

  “More tools,” Joe said before striding out the gate again.

  “He knows about us,” Donovan told Laura, who had put a little distance between them. “He guessed, and I decided not to lie about it. But he’ll also keep his mouth shut.”

  She nodded, which could mean just about anything.

  “Dolly says I can decorate my room with fish,” Ethan announced when he and Dolly returned.

  “Fish?”

  “As a theme,” she said. “He said he likes to fish.”

  Donovan wasn’t aware Ethan had ever been fishing, but a kid-size fishing pole would make a good birthday gift. “Okay.”

  “If you’d like help with the decorating, I’d be glad to, Donovan.”

  “I wasn’t planning on getting much new, except mattresses. Until I know for sure what the future holds, I’m just accepting all donations.”

  “Do you have a style?”

  “Early McCoy,” Joe said, returning, pushing a rototiller. “It’s too bad all that stuff from the Widow Braeburn’s house already sold.”

  “Right,” Donovan said. “Because the spindly-legged tables and prim little love seats would’ve looked great here in the man house.”

  “Man house?” Laura asked.

  “’Cause we’re men,” Ethan said, then high-fived his dad.

  “I can still help,” Dolly said. “I do staging for sales all the time. I’m good at it. Just have everyone put their donations in the garage. I’ll take it from there.”

  “Ethan and I get veto power, though, okay? We don’t want frills or doilies or knickknacks, right, bud?”

  “Right.” He frowned. “What’s doilies?”

  “Something we don’t want. Not manly.”

  Ethan puffed up. “Right.”

  “It’s a cute little place,” Dolly said. “Won’t take much to fill it up. As for the backyard—good luck.”

  “It’ll be great, you’ll see.” He looked around the space, envisioning it finished. “Yards like this are just begging to be filled up with kids.”

  Silence fell like a heavy quilt. Even the birdsong stopped.

  “We have to go,” Laura said briskly. “We have reservations for brunch.”

  Donovan saw her exchange a look with an obviously surprised Dolly. Laura was lying. Why?

  “Drop by anytime, neighbor,” he said as evenly as possible when what he wanted was to sit her down and make her tell him why she’d lied. “And, Dolly? I’ll take you up on your offer, thanks. See you later, Laura.”

  “Bye. So long, Ethan. Have fun.”

  “I will!”

  They left through the side gate. He would’ve picked apart everything that had happened except that all of a sudden his yard teemed with people—sisters, brothers-in-law, nephews, even a couple of nieces. He tried to stop them, but none of them paid any attention.

  Which was the price one paid for being a McCoy—a pushy support system that ignored your requests when it decided you were wrong.

  Well, maybe help cleaning out the yard wouldn’t be so bad. He and Ethan could do the planting themselves, and perhaps install a small jungle gym or swing set. There would be enough projects for the two of them to do together.

  And he was counting on Ethan inviting Laura over a lot. At least there was one McCoy male she couldn’t seem to say no to.

  “So, in order to turn a lie into the truth, we have to go eat a second brunch?” Dolly asked as she and Laura got into the Miata and headed to Dolly’s house. “Because I couldn’t possibly do that, no matter how much I love Honey’s blueberry
pancakes.”

  “I’m sorry I put you on the spot. I just wanted to get away.”

  “I know, sweetie.” Dolly patted Laura’s hand as she put the car in Reverse and backed out of her driveway. “You’re in love with him.”

  “Yes.”

  “Wow. No hedging at all. This is serious.”

  “Semiserious.” Laura turned the corner and headed for her mother’s house, a few blocks away. “Because it just can’t be, you know?”

  “Do I?”

  “Of course you do. You heard him yourself. He wants to fill the yard with kids.”

  “I heard him. I also saw the way he looked at you. You haven’t told him, I gather.”

  Laura shook her head. She pulled into her mother’s driveway. They went into Dolly’s house, a charming little cottage that showcased her extraordinary talent with paint and fabric. Summer roses from her garden filled vases in every room, the fragrance filling the air until she opened the windows, releasing the heat.

  “Iced tea?” Dolly asked.

  “Sure.” She followed her mother into the kitchen. The tea would be home brewed and peach flavored, the goblets cut crystal.

  They took their glasses and sat inside a screened sunroom off the back door, the view of the rose garden peaceful.

  “So,” Dolly said. “Talk.”

  Laura swallowed. “I hardly know where to start.”

  “Maybe I will, then. I’ve got a few questions myself.”

  Relief spread through her. “Okay.”

  “Did you honestly think you could be with him and not fall in love? He’s been your one-and-only for most of your life, even when you’ve been with someone else.”

  “Yes, I thought I could. I figured it would help get him out of my system. Maybe I was naive. Maybe I was rationalizing. When it came down to it, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”