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Chapter One

Corley, Oregon

Fourteen years ago

Sean Donavan closed his eyes half a second before pureed peaches went splat against his cheek. The childish giggle that followed caused him to open his eyes quickly to enjoy the sight. Emma, his two-year-old daughter, her eyes alive with mischief and joy, practically danced in her high chair as she giggled at her accomplishment.

Using one of the cloths lying on the kitchen table in front of him, he wiped his face for the third time. They never had a meal in the Donavan house without having plenty of clean cloths available. His baby girl could make a missile out of anything, but when it came to mealtime, she could turn food into an airborne art form.

Glancing around the small kitchen, he made note of the places he would need to clean. Brenda, his stepmother, wasn’t a neat freak, but he didn’t want her to have to do anything extra. She was already allowing them to live with her rent-free. Anything he could do to lighten the burden, he would do.

“Da Da?”

“Yes, Sweetpea?”

“Where Nana?”

“She’s at work, sweetheart.”

“Da Da wuk, too?”

“Soon.” He glanced up at the clock. He had to leave in a couple of hours. Plenty of time to get his little munchkin cleaned up before her Nana arrived to take over.

“You ready for your bath?”

Holding up her arms to be picked up, she gave him her brightest smile. “Pwease.”

As usual, his heart flipped over at the sight. He might be young and clueless about a lot of things, but he knew that he would never see anything more precious than his daughter holding out her arms for him.

Lifting his baby girl, he carried her to the bathroom and listened to her happy chatter as he bathed and dressed her for the night. She really was the sweetest soul, with light blond hair that curled around her cherubic face, a dimple in her left cheek, a button nose, and the most gorgeous clear blue eyes. Except for her eyes, she resembled her mother. The eye color must come from an ancestor down the line, because his own eyes were a blend of blue and gray. Not that it mattered. Without even denying his bias as her father, he knew that Emma Claire Donavan was the most beautiful child who had ever graced the earth.

Settling in the rocking chair in her room, he crooned an off-key lullaby and watched her eyes flutter closed. Peace washed over him. Here, in this moment, he had never been happier.

Sure, he’d given up some things. All his friends were starting their second year of college, learning new things, enjoying new freedoms, looking forward to success and wealth. If not for the bundle in his arms, that’s where he would be, too.

Plans didn’t always work out. When Bridget, his former girlfriend, had told him she was pregnant with his child, Sean hadn’t hesitated to take responsibility. She had told him she was on birth control, and he’d been stupid enough to believe her. That was on him. He had offered marriage. She had accepted but wanted to wait until after Emma was born. He had agreed, wanting to make everything as easy between them as possible. Their relationship had never been a good one. They’d dated for only a few months when he’d realized he was with her for all the wrong reasons and had broken it off. He was smart enough to know that marriage rarely fixed problems, but he’d been willing to give it a try. Having his child with him, in a stable home environment, was more important than his own needs. He had tried to make it work. Bridget hadn’t had an easy pregnancy, and he had been working and trying to stay in school. It was no wonder things had fallen apart.

Six months after Emma’s birth and two days before they were to be married, Bridget decided she wanted neither marriage nor motherhood. She’d put a note on the kitchen table, left the baby in her crib, and taken off. He hadn’t heard from her since.

With her gone, everything had had to change. He’d asked his stepmother for help, and she had stepped up in a big way—allowing them to live with her, taking care of Emma at night while he worked, and just being there. He owed her so much.

Being a father at twenty hadn’t been in his plans. Instead of studying math, science, and introductory engineering principles for a future as an engineer, he’d immersed himself in child development books. Any social life he’d had disappeared.

So yeah, he was missing out on some stuff. But this? This precious bundle in his arms? She was worth everything.

“Sean? You’re going to be late for work.”

His eyes popping open, Sean gazed blearily up at Brenda’s face. Though she was smiling, he saw the concern in her eyes. Sleep wasn’t exactly a high priority these days, and he probably looked like a wild-eyed zombie as he blinked up at her.

Twisting his neck to get the kinks out, he glanced down to see Emma still sleeping soundly. He kissed the apple of her soft-as-silk cheek and stood. “I’ll put her in her crib and be off.”

“You want me to make you some dinner to take with you? It won’t take long.”

“Thanks, but I’ll just grab something at work. You might want to go ahead and get your dinner eaten, because this angel is likely to wake any moment and want to play for a few hours.”

Her face softening as she looked down at the sleeping baby in his arms, she shook her head. “If ever there was a daddy’s girl, our Emma is it.”

Laughing softly, he glanced over his shoulder. “I’d say she’s a grandma’s girl, too.”