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“What about you? Why did you decide to move to Tyson’s Creek?”
“It’s complicated.” I can hear the defeat in her voice, but maybe I can use her curiosity to my advantage. Audrey drops her head to her chest. I can tell she doesn’t want to explain to me why she suddenly moved her entire life to a small town near the Tennessee-Alabama border, but hopefully, at some point, she will.
I reach forward, lifting her chin with my hand,forcing her to look me in the eye. “I’m sorry. I never should have asked such a personal question.”
“No, it’s okay.” Audrey pulls her chin from my grasp, turning toward the fire. “Can we just leave it at we needed a fresh start someplace where there are people we know who love us unconditionally?” Her shoulders sag in defeat as she drops her head into her hands.
“I can understand that.” I stand, wanting to give her some space, and head toward a group of boxes near the fireplace. “Having family—people who support you unconditionally—is a must when you’re all alone. Thankfully, I have my parents and friends who love Jade almost as much as I do. Let’s make a deal. If you tell me why you decided to move to Tyson’s Creek, I’ll tell you what you want to know. All you have to do is ask.”
After a few moments of silence, Audrey speaks. “It must be nice.” She chuckles darkly, not bothering to raise her head. “Both of my parents died in a car accident a few months short of Love’s first birthday. Luckily, Bristol and her family lived a few doors down and took us in, but after they moved, it was just Love and me.”
She lifts her head, staring me straight in the eyes as tears trickle down her cheeks. “I’ve tried so hard to create the best life for Love, but no matter how hard I try, I end up just screwing things up. We moved here because I was so wrapped up in my own head that I didn’t notice the writing on the wall. It cost Love almost everything. She’s an amazing kid and doesn’t deserve to have such a messed-up mom.”
My hands tighten into fists, squeezing them shut tightly so I can feel my nails digging into the palms of my hands. Rage courses through my veins, wanting to rip apart whoever made Audrey feel like this. It’s hard being a single parent, but it’s even harder when it feels like the entire world is against you. I was lucky, but Audrey needs to be reminded that she isn’t alone.
“I know we just met, but I can guarantee that you’re an amazing mother.” I stride toward her, taking a seat beside her on the couch, wrapping my arms around her as painful sobs rack her entire body. “Anyone who spends five minutes with you and Love can see that.”
Audrey continues to cry, letting her fear and anger seep into my shirt. I want to tell her that everything will be alright now, but I refuse to lie to her. Being a single parent is hard. Some days are better than others, but we will always doubt the decisions we make and how they affect our children. The only thing I can do for her now is be a shoulder for her to lean on, someone she can talk to with no judgment, hoping one day she’ll trust me with all her secrets.
As her tears subside, it’s time to give her a little piece of me, as well. “I felt the same way when Lydia died.”
She pulls back slightly, tilting her chin up to look me in the eye. “You don’t have to do this, Connor. You don’t owe me anything. Besides, we just met, and I’m not…”
I place my finger on her lips, silencing her protest. “I want to get to know you, Audrey. I want you to know meand that my love for Lydia is a big part of the man I am today.”
I sigh as I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. “When Lydia died, I was lost. I had no idea how I was going to live the rest of my life without her by my side. But I had this tiny little girl who needed me to take care of her. I didn’t know what I was doing, but every day, I woke up determined to be the best father I could ever be.
“I was terrified of making the wrong decisions. Choosing the wrong diapers, deciding when to take her to the doctor, or afraid that if I went to sleep, she’d disappear. But as time went on, it got easier. Sure, I make mistakes, but I’ve learned to trust myself and my ability to take care of my daughter.”
“Do you miss her?” she questions as she slides her hand up my chest, sending shivers down my spine.
“Every day. I’ll miss her for the rest of my life, but there’s more than enough room in my heart to love someone else.” My eyes slip shut as I drop my head to rest on her shoulder, her fingers caressing the small hairs on the back of my neck.
“The pain of losing someone close to you stays with you forever. I’ll always miss my parents and wonder if they’d be proud of the woman I’ve become.”
I unwrap her arms from around my neck, clasping them between my hands. “They are. I’m sure of it.”
“Gah, I’m sorry to be such a downer. You probably regret coming here.” Audrey pulls her hands from my grasp, trying to put some space between us, but I refuse. Iplace both hands on either side of her waist, lifting her onto my lap.
“I don’t. But this isn’t the worst date I’ve been on, not that I’ve been on a date in the last decade. So I don’t have anything else to go on, but it seems pretty amazing if you ask me.”
“You thought this was a date?” Audrey questions as she wiggles in my lap, attempting to get away from me, but I tighten my arms around her waist, pulling her to me.
“Do you want it to be a date?” I whisper, brushing my lips against hers softly.
My heart races—no, gallops—in my chest as two emotions swirl through my mind: fear and yearning. Yearning to feel the softness of her golden-brown skin against my calloused fingers. Then, the fear takes hold of my heart, making it feel as if I’m unable to breathe. I know in my heart that there’s something here between Audrey and me, but we just met. She moved here for a fresh start, and the last thing she needs is a relationship with a man she just met ruining it. But I’m unable to stop myself, and the need to be near her slowly overwhelms me.
I swipe my thumb across her cheek, her skin feeling like silk beneath my calloused fingers. I stare into her eyes, committing this moment to memory.
“This isn’t a good idea,” she whispers as I thread my fingers into her curly hair, pulling her closer.
Our lips brush gently against each other a secondtime, and I groan. Resting my head against hers, I close my eyes tightly as I fight for control. My mind and body are at war with each other as the magnitude of her words sink in. A possessiveness unlike any other rages through my mind as the desire to make all those horrible feelings that are swirling in her eyes go away. I want to be someone she leans on when she needs help, her support system, anything she needs, and more. But that nagging voice in the back of my head is telling me to slow down, that if things between Audrey and me start getting serious, then it’s going to change ours and the girls’ lives drastically. If things go wrong with us, it could ruin everything for her. The fresh start she and Love were searching for could go up in smoke.
“Audrey,” I groan, clinging to my last thread of control. “There’s just something about you that calls to me. That has reignited my once-dormant heart, and I want to explore it.”
I lean forward, nibbling on her earlobe before whispering into her ear. “We can go slow. Get to know each other. All you have to do is say yes.”
“Yes.”
