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CHAPTER ONE
Grant pulled his truck into a parking space right in front of the Sweet Everything Bakery. Nick had been begging to come here ever since he’d arrived, and Grant had always been busy. It was strange being a father to a child he hadn’t met until about two months ago.
The kid looked so much like his mother, it was uncanny.
He had the perfect vantage point from his position to watch his son in the rearview mirror without being caught. Nick seemed older than his six years, and it wasn’t only the fact that he was on the taller side. Losing his mother in a car accident had to have contributed to that. He’d been fatherless for all his life, and now he was motherless.
The pangs of guilt swirling inside Grant hadn’t gotten easier to handle. His ex should have told him about their child. Grant had lost so much time and he wished he'd at least touched base with Dee in the first few years after their split.
But he wasn’t going to dwell on those issues, not today.
They were supposed to be having fun. It was the first day he didn’t have to meet with any lawyers or social workers. There was no paperwork to pick up, sign, or deliver. Today, he and his son were going to spend the whole day doing what Nick wanted to do.
Nick lifted his head as his father’s eyes bored into him. He grinned and held up the notebook he had in his lap. “Look. I drew a picture of Mom on a horse.”
That guilt from earlier returned with a vengeance, but this time it was joined by a deep, seething ache. Dee was gone. She would never share her smile or laughter with anyone again. They hadn’t even seen each other for almost seven years. He wasn’t still in love with his ex, but at this moment in time, her support would have been helpful.
Grant forced a smile. “That’s great buddy.”
“This horse lives at Sagebrush. I got to ride her once when Grandma let me visit her.”
As far as grandmothers went, Charlotte was pretty run-of-the-mill. She loved her grandson and spoiled him when she had the chance. She was also critical of her former son-in-law’s life decisions. She probably held some residual anger from when Grant had cut himself off from her daughter.
Still, she was the only one left in Nick’s life that remained a constant, and Grant couldn’t take that away from him. Thankfully, she’d been available to take care of Nick after the accident while Grant got his affairs in order.
Nodding toward the bakery, he reached for the handle of his car door. “You ready to get those black forest brownies that you keep telling me about?”
Nick nodded vigorously and placed his notebook aside. “They’re really good.” He released his seatbelt and shot another glance toward Grant. “Can we get one for Grandma, too?”
“Sure, bud. We’ll make sure your grandma Charlotte gets a nice big one.”
He stepped out of the car and reached for the back door, but Nick pushed it open before he had a chance to get it. Nick beamed at him. “After brownies, I want to see a movie.”
“You do, huh? Which one?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Grant laughed. “Well, we’re not going to go to the theater unless there's a movie showing that you really want to see. How about I look up the movie times.”
He pulled his phone from his pocket and before he could open the browser, a call came popped up on the screen. He bit back a groan. What was his lawyer doing calling him on a Saturday?
Unless a problem had popped up regarding the custody of his son.
Grant stared at the numbers scrolling across the screen, hesitating. He’d only had Nick in his life for two months. He couldn’t lose everything he’d gained so far.
“Dad!” Nick tugged on his arm, his voice impatient. “You said we're having brownies. I want to get one.”
Waving his son off, Grant shook his head. “Hold on, kiddo. I have to take this call.”
“But you said you weren’t going to work today.” Nick pouted.
Grant got one look at his son, the disappointment flooding his features, before he glanced toward the bakery. It was only a few feet away. This town was so small that Grant was pretty sure he’d met everyone. What would the harm be if he let his son pick out a few brownies on his own? The risks were low from where he was standing.
He pulled out his wallet and grabbed a crisp twenty-dollar bill. “You go get us our brownies, I’m going to take this call and I’ll be right here waiting for you to come back out.”
Nick’s look of shock would have been better enjoyed if Grant didn’t have to worry about why his lawyer had left a message. “You want me to get the brownies? By myself?”
Grant shot a look at his son. “Sure, bud. It’s a rite of passage.”
