Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“Of course,” Kennedy speaks up. “How old is your daughter?”
“She just turned one,” Stella answers.
“Come on in. Let’s get you something to eat.” I guide her further into the room, ignoring the curious looks of my brothers. I see Jordyn and walk toward her, lifting her into my arms and spinning her around. She laughs and swats at me as I place her back on her feet. She motions to the table of food before her eyes lock on something across the room. No doubt it’s Ryder she’s looking at. Absently, she pats my arm and walks away.
“How about I take her while you make a plate? I’ll help you get settled.” I offer her the smile my mom calls charming.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” She brushes off my offer.
“It’s no trouble. We’re buds, right, Ada?” I ask the baby, offering her my index finger.
She latches on and giggles.
“Are you sure?” Stella bites down on her lip. Her facial expression tells me she’s not nervous to let me hold her daughter. It feels more like guilt. As if only she can take responsibility for her.
“Come to Mav, baby girl.” I hold my arms out for Ada, and she comes to me willingly with a smile on her sweet face. “Mommy’s going to get you both some food.” I bounce her in my arms, and she laughs.
“She likes you.”
“All the ladies like me,” I reply. Stella rolls her eyes playfully.
Stella makes herself a plate, and a smaller one for Ada. I lead them to a table and wait for her to get settled before handing Ada to her. “What do you want to drink?”
“Um, anything. I’m not picky.”
“We have pretty much everything.”
“Root beer?”
“Coming right up.” I tickle Ada’s belly before making a beeline for the table, making my own plate before grabbing us both a drink. By the time I get back to the table, Alyssa and my mom are talking to Stella, and sure enough, my mom has Ada in her arms. I take the seat next to Stella and dig in, letting the ladies get to know each other.
I can still feel the stares of my brothers, but I ignore them. I know what they see. Stella is a dime all day long. With her platinum blonde hair, those big baby blue eyes, and her curves, it’s a distracting combination.
They think I’m hitting on her, but I’m really not.
Yes, I can appreciate her beauty, but I seriously am just trying to help her. My momma raised me right. Besides, I can be nice to a woman and her daughter and not expect anything in return. I glance over at Stella, and she blushes. It’s cute as hell. I wink at her, because that’s who I am, and she quickly turns away.
Yeah, the ladies love me.
CHAPTER
TWO
Stella
Getting rescued by a handsome stranger was not on my bingo card today. Who am I kidding? Nothing about today has gone the way it was supposed to. I wasn’t supposed to be driving home from Atlanta today. However, Ada’s dad refused to come and pick her up. What makes matters worse is when I got there, he wasn’t home. I had to call his cell five times before he answered, and he claimed he forgot.
Forgot.
How do you forget that it’s your weekend to see your daughter? How did he forget when we talked right before I left the house to drop her off because he didn’t have gas money to come to Willow River? How is that normal? It’s not. He’s not. But those are the cards my baby girl and I have been dealt.
Speaking of normal, Maverick Kincaid is unlike any man I’ve ever met. He’s kind, and he’s good with kids. He’s gorgeous and not at all what I was expecting when he approached my car earlier today. Sure, I barely know the guy, but from what I’ve seen, Maverick is one of the good ones.
As an only child, I don’t know what it’s like to have a large family, but the Kincaids seem to have it down to a science. Kids are passed around, and everyone is talking and laughing, and it makes me yearn for something like this for Ada.
She doesn’t know either set of her grandparents. My grandparents are her great-grandparents. They’re so good with her, but it’s just not the same. I know that they are getting up there in age. They can’t run and play with her as my parents could have. I swallow back the emotion when I think about losing either one of my grandparents. They’re the only family we have since my parents disowned me.
Well, I guess that’s not completely true. We have Ada’s sperm donor, but that’s all he was good for. The minute I told him I was pregnant, he informed me he didn’t want to be a dad. Since then, he’s done everything in his power not to have to help support our daughter. He can’t hold down a job. It’s more like he refuses to hold down a job, so child support is nonexistent. I’m doing this on my own, and that’s okay, but sometimes… sometimes, I wish we had a support system like the one we’ve found ourselves sitting in the middle of today.