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“Shit!” He flung himself out of bed and picked up the picture. Good, it wasn’t broken.
This was one of his favorite pictures. It was a picture of his mom and dad, him and Tristan, and Tristan’s mom. It was the last Christmas before she died. His family. A smile filled his face as the memory of that day came to his mind. His father had his arm around his mother. There were smiles on everyone’s faces. Adler had never doubted how much his parents loved each other; how much family meant to them. How much they wanted and deserved grandchildren.
He froze as Leila filled his mind—her long brown hair and large hazel eyes, smiling as he led her around the dance floor. The blush of her cheeks as his hands traveled up her leg. Theheat between them when their gazes met was impossible to ignore.
Shit. Now he needed a shower.
Chapter 4
Another church service was over, and Leila walked toward the nursery to pick up Skylar. This was the first time she’d left her alone in the nursery—well, left her anywhere outside of with Tom and Diane—and Leila had struggled to stay in the church service. The nursery workers had her phone number and promised to send a text if they needed her.
The only text she’d received was thirty minutes into the service. Charlotte Parks, a nursery volunteer, sent her a message which calmed her nerves. Skylar had taken her bottle and was sleeping peacefully. Charlotte was the perfect person to take care of Skylar. She was Elizabeth’s mom and great with babies.
“Hey, Leila.”
Leila turned and saw Jessica and her fiancé Chad walking toward her. Jessica worked at the Crisis Pregnancy Center, the place that saved Leila when she found herself single, pregnant, and in a new state, and gave her the much-needed support to face becoming a young, single mom.
“Hi, Jessica. Sorry, I was lost in my own mind, worrying about Sky.”
The girls hugged.
“I’m sure she did fine. We’re picking up Grant and keeping him for a while today to give Mrs. Parks time to decompress after the wedding. We’ll walk with you.”
“How was your dance with Adler last night?” Chad asked as they took the short walk to the nursery. “That show with the garter you two put on looked pretty hot.”
“Chad!” Jessica hissed under her breath as she elbowed him hard in the ribs.
He rubbed his side. “What? It looked like they were enjoying themselves. First dancing, then the garter thing. It was just an observation.”
A knot grew in Leila’s stomach as she remembered the trail of fire Adler’s touch left behind on her skin. “Honestly, I was just doing Desiree a favor, which was taken a bit too far. He’s not my type. Too much like Skylar’s father—conceited and stuck on himself.” Thankfully, the conversation ended as they approached the nursery. Last night was not something she wanted to talk about.
“Hi, Mrs. Parks.” Jessica hugged Charlotte as they reached the nursery door.
“Good morning, Jessica. Hi, Chad.”
“Good morning.” Chad gave her a quick hug.
“I’m surprised to see you both here. You were at the house late last night. Thank you so much for helping clean up.”
Chad swiped his hand through the air. “Don’t mention it. It wasn’t a big deal. Please let us know if you need any more help with anything today.”
“Yeah. We can help with anything you need,” Jessica said. “But honestly, it wasn’t easy getting here this morning. Staying homewas tempting, but we need to pick up Grant, so it seemed like the best choice.”
“Well, I’ll be finished here in a bit. Make sure to let me say bye before you take him. Hi, Leila. Skylar was a perfect angel.” Charlotte let Leila enter and helped her gather up Skylar’s bottle and place everything in her bag.
Leila picked up her still napping daughter, kissed the top of her head, and bounced her to keep her asleep.
She’d needed this today. This was the first church service she’d been to since Skylar was born. Her dad and stepmom didn’t go to church, and she’d been so exhausted between being a new single mom and work. Getting out of the house on Sunday mornings seemed like such a daunting task, but being here was just what she’d needed, and getting Skylar up and out on a Sunday morning was important to her. She needed to be around more people than just family all the time.
“I’m so glad, and thank you for texting me. That helped me relax and enjoy the service. After that, it was easier to focus on the sermon.”
“I know it’s been quite a while for me, but I remember how it feels to leave your baby. Trust me, it doesn’t get much easier even when they get married.” A cloud crossed Charlotte’s face, but it only lasted a short while before her face lit up due to the sound of tiny stomping feet.
Grant entered the room like a miniature tornado, his brown curls bouncing, and jumped into his grandmother’s arms.
Leila smiled as Grant wrapped his arms around Charlotte’s neck, planting a kiss on her cheek.Oh, my goodness. He’s so adorable.
Charlotte laughed and placed kisses all over his face. “There’s my boy.”
