Mountain Man's Lucky Charm: A Single Dad Romance (Mountain Men of Liberty) Read online

  Her eyes began to get heavy, and I didn’t want to leave. So I didn’t.

  Before she fell asleep, she whispered, “The girls are asleep, why don’t you just stay the night too?”

  And I broke my one cardinal rule about hooking up. I decided I was going to stay the night, my body entangled with Alex’s.

  One night, I kept telling myself. Only this one night.

  But as I drifted off to sleep, I knew that it was a lie.

  Chapter 14

  Alex

  I awoke to the sound of a baby crying.

  A baby? I wondered briefly. I pried my eyes open, thinking it had to be a dream, but the baby was still crying.

  My body ached in ways I hadn’t felt in a long time.

  And I was naked. I never slept naked.

  I sat up in the bed and noticed I wasn’t alone, and it all came back to me.

  “Sorry,” Liam said, slipping into his pants. “I’m trying to get dressed as quickly as possible to get to her.”

  “It’s okay,” I said with a yawn, checking the time. It was five thirty. I was grateful the boys usually slept in a bit later, but with the crying, they were likely to be up as well. I slipped from the bed and grabbed my robe from the hook on the bathroom door. I slipped into it, and it hit me - I also wouldn’t be able to sneak Liam out easily. Rachel was likely awake too, no way she wasn’t. I loved my house but having the bedrooms and the office all together like this came with some drawbacks.

  I blushed at the thought of Rachel hearing us last night and prayed that we were quiet.

  Liam was dressed in his jeans and no shirt and slipped from the room, and I was right behind him. He went into the office while I checked on the boys. They were still asleep, somehow. I stepped out of the nursery and ran into a bleary-eyed Rachel.

  “Everything okay?” she asked.

  “Sorry, the little one woke up,” I said. “She’s probably just hungry.”

  Rachel cocked an eyebrow and looked toward the office. “Is he in there?”

  “Who?” I asked, trying to play innocent.

  “Don’t play coy with me,” Rachel said, perking up and grinning.

  “He’s not their father, he’s their uncle. It’s a long story, but yes.”

  Liam stepped out from the room, shirtless, with little Emma in his arms, comforting her. Rachel’s eyes widened and she looked at me. “Wow… Good for you, Alex. Really good for you, in fact.”

  I playfully smacked her on the arm, blushing so hotly that my cheeks felt hot.

  “I’ll leave the two of you alone and try to get back to sleep,” she said, stepping back into her room, but not before winking at me. As she disappeared into the room, I could hear her talking to herself. “Wow, good for her.”

  “Sorry, I guess you met Rachel,” I said.

  “I met her at the library the other day. Well, not exactly met her, but you know.”

  I felt like facepalming. “That’s right.”

  And now Rachel would never let me live it down. She was right. There was chemistry between us - not that we could take it any further than we already had. But it gave Rachel even more fuel to try and push us together.

  “I think I’m going to take the girls home. I didn’t pack anything for Emma to eat, and she always wakes up hungry.” Liam didn’t meet my gaze, focusing instead on the ground in front of him as he rocked a fussing baby.

  “I have food here, if you’d like.”

  “I think it’s better if we head home,” Liam replied softly. “The social worker is coming over this morning.”

  “Oh yes, of course.”

  One night, that’s all we agreed to, Alex. Don’t complicate things by getting sentimental and hoping for more.

  I stared down at the floor too, unsure what I should say. I didn’t want things to be awkward between us, but it appeared that was inevitable now.

  Liam went back into the room and helped Abigail out of bed. I stood in the hallway, unsure if I should help or even say anything as Liam got the girls ready to leave.

  “I’m sorry,” Liam said as he headed for the door.

  “For what?”

  “Well, you know. We shouldn’t have done that last night,” he said vaguely in front of little ears.

  “We shouldn’t? You know I’m a big girl, Liam. I can handle the emotions that come from something like this.”

  He turned on his heels and for the first time, looked me right in the eyes. “I know, Alex. I know that. It has nothing to do with you, trust me. I just think if we keep this up, we’re going to complicate both of our lives.”

  A lump formed in my throat, and I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I nodded. After a few seconds, I managed a pitiful, “I understand. I mean, I agree, actually.”

  And I did agree.

  Liam was bad for me, and I was pretty sure I wasn’t what he was looking for. If I thought things with Charlie were bad, I knew a relationship with Liam would potentially be worse. He wasn’t the type of guy who wanted the same things I did. We were too different.

  Liam turned around and I followed him to the front door, which I opened for him. Abigail was rubbing her little eyes but managed a sweet smile and a wave as she left.

  “Bye girls,” I said, feeling sad at the idea that this might be the last time I saw them. If Liam went through with the adoption, this could be it.

  And I wondered if it would be the last time I saw him too.

  As I closed the door, I tried to steady myself with a few deep breaths. This is for the best, I told myself. We agreed to one more night together, and that’s what we got. Any more time spent together was dangerous for me, since there was no way a man like Liam would want to settle down and live the type of life I lived.

  I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I checked on the boys again. They were still peacefully asleep. I decided to clean up the office and change the bedding, put the pack and play away. As I stripped the bed Abigail slept on, I found the mouse she had come over with. The same one I’d given her at the library.

  I knew kids well enough to know that if she was attached to her stuffy, she would be very upset when she noticed it was missing. I grabbed my phone and typed a quick message to Liam, letting him know that the mouse was at my place.

  Not even a second after hitting send, there was a knock at the door. I checked the time. It was almost seven now, way too early for most normal visitors. Must be Liam, I thought, as I grabbed the stuffed mouse and rushed to the door. My heart was racing at the thought of seeing him again, so I calmed myself before opening the door.

  Except, when I did, my heart literally stopped.

  “Charlie? Tessa? What are you doing here?”

  Chapter 15

  Liam

  “I’m so glad we could get you in for a proper haircut,” I said as I brushed Abby’s hair. She sat there for me, playing with her sister’s little mouse since we hadn’t been able to pick hers up from Alex’s.

  Her hair was a bit shorter than when she came to me, just short curls around her chubby little face. Maybe I was biased, but I thought she was cute as hell - a little cherub. She had been in a good mood all morning, no fighting when it came time to brush her hair.

  “Sing!” she called out to me, throwing her hands in the air.

  I was grateful for YouTube, because I was able to look up some kid-friendly songs to sing with her, something Abby seemed to enjoy.

  “Hmm, what should I sing?’ I asked her.

  “Ears!” she yelled, a large smile on her face, dimples in each of her cheeks.

  “Do your ears hang low?”

  “Yes!” And she made the motion, putting her little hands next to her ears.

  Emma was sitting nearby in her bouncy chair, so I made sure she could see the show. I started singing and wiggling my hands around my ears as Abby did her best to sing along with me. Emma was giggling, as was Abby, and I had to admit, it was one of the most beautiful sounds I had ever heard.

  As I finished the song, I chec
ked the time.

  It was two minutes past eight. My heart dropped as I realized that Ms. Peters would be there at any moment. If things went well - and I had a feeling it would, because who couldn’t love these two - I might not have many more days with my nieces. There was a pit in my belly when I thought about it, but I pushed it aside.

  I was doing this for them.

  I didn’t have much time to be sad, because a moment later, the doorbell rang.

  “Oh, looks like we have visitors,” I announced, helping Abby down from the sofa. “Want to go meet them with me?”

  Abby nodded and waddled toward the door as I pulled Emma out of her bouncy chair. Abigail was waiting impatiently at the door, swishing around the skirt of her pink dress and bouncing up and down.

  How would anyone not love her and want to take her home, I thought. It was going to be impossible. If this family passed all their checks, I had no doubt in my mind they’d be taking my nieces home.

  I opened the door and found Ms. Peters with a couple who appeared to be in their late thirties or early forties. The woman had red hair like my nieces’, and I couldn’t help but think that was a sign. Her blue eyes lit up when she saw Emma, and she grabbed her husband’s hand.

  Her husband smiled politely, and he had nice eyes. He was clean shaven with a fancy haircut and khakis. I didn’t know much about them, but I fancied that he was successful in whatever field he worked in. My guess was accounting or finance.

  “Mr. McDowell,” Ms. Peters said with a smile. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “Good to see you too,” I said. I motioned for them to step inside my home. “Come in, have a seat. I have to admit, I have no idea how these things usually go.”

  “It’s okay, Mr. McDowell. We just want to have a casual meeting, so everyone can get to know each other.”

  “Please, call me Liam,” I said.

  “Very well, Liam. I’d like to introduce you to Marty and Christine Howard.”

  Marty reached out a hand and shook firmly.

  “And who do we have here?” Christine cooed, stepping close to me and Emma, smiling widely.

  “This is Emma,” I said.

  “What a sweet little angel,” Christine said, tears forming in her eyes. “May I hold her?”

  “Of course,” I said, though I felt trepidation over handing over the baby. She hadn’t been happy when I handed her to Piper at the daycare. What if she threw a fit here as well?

  Emma surprisingly went to Christine easily, though she stared at the woman with wide, inquisitive eyes.

  “She’s normally a bit shy with strangers,” I explained.

  “Well, maybe she knows we aren’t strangers to her,” Christine said, staring at the baby in awe.

  Maybe she was right. Maybe this was a sign. My heart ached, but I knew it was for the best. I cleared my throat. “Please, have a seat.”

  Ms. Peters took a seat in a chair, leaving the couch for the couple and the opposite chair for me. I took a seat and put Abigail in my lap.

  “And this is Abigail,” I said, introducing her to the couple.

  Marty and Christine were focused on little Emma, but Marty did look at Abigail and smile. “Hello there, Abigail,” he said. “And how old are you?’

  “She’s two,” I said, answering for the toddler.

  “She’s adorable,” he said, but returned his focus to Emma, who his wife was talking to in a low voice. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

  Christina finally sat down with Emma in her lap, and her husband sat down beside her.

  Ms. Peters cleared her throat and said, “So Marty works in the financial sector.”

  Ha! I knew it.

  “And Christine runs a small business from her home, so if they were to take in the girls, she would be working from home.”

  “Oh, that’s great,” I said, thinking about how the girls wouldn’t have to be in daycare, which to me, was a major plus. I really didn’t know what to say or what questions to ask but decided to ask the most obvious. “So what reasons are you looking to adopt?”

  Christine flinched and shared a look with her husband, who answered. “Christine and I have been trying for a family for about ten years now, and last year, we found out that conceiving naturally wasn’t an option for us. We simply can’t imagine our life without children, which is why we decided to open our home to foster children, with the hope to one day adopt.”

  “The Howards have fostered a couple times before, but only temporarily,” Ms. Peters said.

  “Oh, if I may ask, why is that?” Maybe I was wrong, but it sounded like a red flag to me. Or maybe I was just overprotective.

  “Because the children often were given back to their families,” Christine said. “Sadly so, but we expected it. They were only temporary placements. It made me realize just how badly I wanted to be a mother, however.”

  “Oh, okay, I’m sorry to hear of your struggles,” I said softly.

  Abigail slipped from my lap, and for a moment, I thought she might check out the couple. But she grabbed the stuffed mouse from the floor and came right back to my lap, reaching for me to pick her up.

  “She seems really attached to you, Liam,” Marty said with a friendly smile.

  “Yeah, I suppose so, but I’ve only had them for a few days,” I said. “I’m sure she will forget all about me.”

  “Don’t be so sure,” Marty said, his smile wavering.

  Abigail seemed perfectly content on my lap, playing with her sister’s stuffed mouse, but I didn’t like that neither Marty nor Christine tried to talk to her. In fact, it felt like she wasn’t even there. And that bothered me more than I ever thought possible.

  “So Abigail loves to sing songs and she enjoys being read to. I think she’s going to be creative as she grows up,” I said, trying to bring their attention to my other niece.

  Christine smiled at us, “I bet she is. What a cutie.”

  She cooed over Emma, even getting down on the floor with the baby and playing with a rattle that she found on the table. Marty joined her.

  Abigail slipped from my lap and went over, cautiously, to play, and I stayed put. I watched from my chair, to see how she would react to the couple and how they would act toward her.

  But Abby didn’t care about them, she only cared about her baby sister. She handed her the little mouse and said, “Yours.”

  My heart nearly exploded in my chest from the cuteness.

  Emma grabbed the mouse and made a happy, screeching sound as she brought it to her mouth. Abigail sat next to her sister. Emma grinned and reached for Abby, touching her face and making more happy sounds.

  “They really love each other,” I said, my voice cracking. “I remember my brother and I fought all the time, but these two… they rarely ever fight. I know I’ve only had them for a few days, but they’re just so sweet together.”

  I watched as Christine and Marty shared a look, and my stomach dropped. They shared a certain apprehension, and I got the feeling that their ignoring Abigail wasn’t a coincidence. They weren’t really interested in adopting a toddler.

  I knew the statistics - the older a child, the harder it was to adopt. But two years old? Abigail wasn’t old enough to remember much, if anything, from before she was adopted. It didn’t seem fair, and I prayed that maybe they could see the bond between the girls and reconsider adopting them together.

  After all, they sounded like a nice family. A secure family. One that could give the girls opportunities and a life I couldn’t.

  “That’s sweet,” Christine said, smiling at Abigail. “Do you love your baby sister, Abigail?”

  Abby nodded, showing off her toothy grin.

  “How much do you love her, Abby?” I asked from the chair.

  Abigail held her arms out as wide as she could possibly go and said, “Dis much!”

  It was a little game we played, something my mother had taught my brother and me when we were young.

  Christina and Marty chuckled, an
d the way they looked at Abby, I thought maybe, just maybe, I’d convinced them they’d want to adopt both girls. Because God knows, I wouldn’t allow them to be separated.

  Chapter 16

  Alex

  I stared blankly at Charlie, waiting for his answer to the question. “What are you doing here?”

  Charlie didn’t meet my gaze. He stood there like a coward with his hands in his pockets, looking down at the ground. Tessa - my former friend - responded to my question.

  “I want to see my sons.”

  Hearing those words was like a punch to my gut. They were my sons, not hers. I gripped the door, digging my nails into the wood. I took a few deep breaths and continued talking to Charlie because I couldn’t even look Tessa in the face in that moment.

  “I spoke to my lawyer, and she said she would reach out to yours to draft an agreement,” I informed him, doing my best to keep my voice calm. “To see my sons.”

  “I know,” Charlie said, speaking at last. “We heard from my lawyer, and we’re going to work out the details, but in the meantime, we’d like to see the boys.”

  I stared at him for a long time, but he didn’t have the balls to look me in the eye, reminding me of the day he’d finally walked out on us. He hadn’t been able to look at me then, either, as he told me he wanted nothing to do with me or the boys. Yet there he was at my door, asking to see the boys he’d walked out on almost a year earlier.

  None of it made sense to me.

  I remembered what my lawyer had told me, that we should remain civil and try to work something out. It would look bad if I didn’t work with Charlie since technically, in the legal sense, he was still their father and had the right to see them.

  Tessa, on the other hand, had no rights. Was it worth causing a scene to tell her that Charlie could visit the boys, but she had to wait outside? No, it’s not.