AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Deciding the mess could also wait until later, he grabbed a protein bar to tide him over before changing into a pair of golf shorts and his favorite T-shirt, the one Shannon had bought for his birthday with Andrea’s help, that read World's Greatest Dad. Within ten minutes they were on their way outside, Shannon holding Daisy’s leash as she skipped beside him.
The park was only a few short blocks from his house, one of the reasons he chosen the property in the first place. The minute he'd found out about Shannon, he hadn't wasted a second in preparing for her to live with him. He'd given up the lease on his bachelor apartment and found a small house in a nice neighborhood in record time. It had needed fixing up, but he worked on the repairs in his spare time. Thankfully, his sister Andrea lived on the opposite side of the park, not too far away for the girls to get together for play dates.
His family had readily supported his decision to become a father for Shannon. He was grateful for their help and unwavering support.
“One of the boys who splashed me hit his head on the bottom of the slide and blood gushed all over!” Shannon repeated the story from her adventure at the water park with relish. He shot her a wry look, wondering when his daughter had developed such a bloodthirsty streak. “Then a grown up put a big white bandage over the bloody part until the ambulance came.”
“Really? I hope the cut didn't need stitches.” He wondered if the child had been taken to Children's Memorial Hospital, located just a couple blocks from Trinity Medical Center. The thought of Trinity reminded him of Jillian. Shannon continued to chatter about her water park adventure but his attention wandered to the woman who haunted his dreams.
He hadn't been able to call Jillian last night. The hour had gotten so late he hadn't wanted to risk waking her. He glanced at his watch. He could probably call her in a few hours, but he normally reserved his non-work daytime hours for Shannon. The very fact he was tempted to call Jillian anyway irked him. Rafe was the one who needed to interview her. Not him.
He had no business dreaming of Jillian. The way Shannon had woken him that morning patting his cheeks, forced him to remember his priorities.
His daughter was the only woman he needed in his life. At least until she was eighteen and heading off to college. He'd made a silent promise not to cause any upheaval in the little girl's life. She had been through enough, being stuck in foster care for a full month before she’d been allowed to live with him. Besides, he was satisfied with the way things were.
He and Rafe had tracked down the missing boy, Kevin Slutzky, just before midnight. Kevin and his best friend, Steve, had run away, intending to go stay at Steve’s father's cabin on Pinecone Lake. They've only gotten as far as Sheboygan, Wisconsin before getting tired and hungry. The story could have ended much worse, and as it was, explaining to Kevin about his mother's heart attack and subsequent hospitalization had been bad enough.
Throughout the search, a small part of him had been very grateful his own little girl had been safely home in bed. He couldn't imagine losing Shannon now that he had her.
A lithe woman was running along the sidewalk circling the park, heading toward them. For a moment he thought he was delusional because her features reminded him of Jillian. As she came closer, he realized the jogger really was Jillian. He smiled and her eyes widened with recognition.
At that moment, Daisy darted into her path.
“Daisy! No!” Shannon tugged sharply on the leash.
Jillian faltered widening per step to avoid the dog, and he reacted instinctively, reaching out for her. He grasped her arm and the momentum caused her to fall against him with enough force to knock his breath away. He took two hasty steps back but managed to hold her upright.
He held her close, for a second or two longer than he should have, enjoying the silky feel of her skin against his and losing himself in the enticing scent of her shampoo. Shannon continued to berate the dog as Jillian grasped his shoulders, shaking one foot to disentangle the leash.
“Sorry about that,” he said as she finally freed herself. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, I think so.” Her voice was breathless, her face red from exertion. Holding Jillian in his arms was better than anything he could have imagined. He'd wanted to pull her close for a kiss the night he'd walked her to her car at the lakefront, but he hadn't dared touch her, especially in front of Shannon. As if sensing his thoughts, Jillian’s eyes widened and lingered on his mouth before she turned to look at Shannon who was crouched beside Daisy. “Hello again, Shannon. How are you?”
“Fine.” His daughter’s expression was contrite as the dog barked at her feet. “This is my dog, Daisy. She didn't mean to trip you, honest!”
“I know she didn't,” Jillian assured her. Reluctantly, Alec allowed her to extricate herself from his embrace so she could reach down to pet Daisy, whose fluffy white body was wiggling with excitement. “She's adorable.”
Alec wasn't sure if Jillian was referring to his daughter or the dog, but noticed she winced a little when she put her full weight on her foot. He reached for her again, taking her arm. “Easy, I think you've twisted your ankle.”
“I'll be fine.” Jillian belied her words by reaching down to give her ankle a rub. “I stepped funny, but it wasn't bad.”
“There's a park bench just a few feet away.” He wrapped a supporting arm around her waist. “Let's have you sit down for a minute.”
“I'm fine,” she protested, but limped over to the bench. Once they were seated, she wiped her forearm across her brow. “I didn't realize you and Shannon lived around here.”
He could have said the same. He hadn't realized Jillian lived so close to him either. And now that he did know, the park might become his favorite place to walk in the mornings. He cleared his throat. “I have a house over on Union Ave.”
“My bee sting is all better, see?” Shannon held up her arm.
“Shannon, it's not polite to interrupt,” he scolded lightly.
“I do see.” Jillian leaned forward, smiling as she examined the bee sting spot on Shannon’s arm. “I'm glad you're all better.”
“Did you really put stitches in my Daddy?”
Alec frowned, wondering what had made Shelby remember that. After they'd left Jillian on Sunday evening, he'd explained to his daughter how he'd met Jillian at the hospital when she'd taken care of him, although he had been careful not to let the little girl know the wound had been from a knife.
“Yes, I did.” Jillian nodded solemnly. “He was very brave, just like you.”
