AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nice to meet you.” She gives me a slight nod beforeall three of us laugh.
Emersyn glances at the clock. “If you’re here for Love, the class won’t end for another thirty minutes. There’s a coffee shop nearby. You could grab a snack and maybe some coffee since you’ve had such a long drive.”
“And that’s where we’re headed, but someone wanted to check in on Love before we went.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, can you please ask Love to come find me at the coffee shop next door if I’m not back by the time class is over?”
“No trouble at all.” Emersyn smiles brightly. “We all look out for each other here in Tyson’s Creek.”
“That we do, but we also have a tendency to be in each other’s business.” Leia rolls her eyes, causing me to snicker softly. “Everyone means well, but there’s not much else here to do besides gossip.”
“Speaking of gossip, you have a story to tell me in exchange for your coffee fix. I can come back and sign Love up for dance classes later,” I reply as I grab a small piece of paper and begin writing my phone number.
“That I do. Catch you later, Em.”
“See you, Leia.”
“If there is any trouble at all, here is my phone number. Just call me, and I’ll come running.”
“I promise, although I don’t think there will be any problems.” Emersyn winks at me playfully as I turn and head for the door.
“Thanks.” I give her a slight wave before heading out the door with Leia.
Chapter 3
Connor
“The delay won’t be too bad, but we were already cutting it close.” My best friend and business partner, Vance, groans as he flops down into his seat. “We may have to call the client about there being a delay.”
I stare at him, wondering when his chair is going to break. His large body leans back in the chair as he props his work boots on the edge of the desk. Little pieces of dirt flake onto the surface and floor, making an even bigger mess of his work area.
“You really shouldn’t put your feet on the desk, especially when they are covered in mud.”
“They aren’t covered in mud,” he mutters as he runs his hand through his dark hair, making it stand up in every direction before pulling his feet down and placing them on the floor. “Now, explain how we are going to fix this problem.”
His brown eyes narrow in my direction as I run my hand down my face before focusing on the spreadsheet in front of me. I wince, knowing he won’t like the solutionI’ve come up with. “We can use some of the lumber we originally ordered to finish up the addition to your house’s remodel so the renovations on the client’s house are completed on time.”
“Sure, what’s another few weeks’ delay in finishing the dream home for Selina?”
“Don’t be like that, Vance. You’ve been slowly renovating that house in hopes of Selina coming home. Another few weeks before we can finish the addition won’t change a thing.”
Vance has been working on fixing up Selina’s and his dream home for the last few years. He promised her they would grow old together in this house, sitting on what I can only describe as a porch bed, which used to be at her parents’ house until they gave it to him. Too bad for him that the day before our high school graduation, Selina left for New York to become a prima ballerina without a word, leaving Vance alone here with nothing but their dreams.
“True, but it’s not like I can finish the renovations without her input. I just need something to keep my mind off the fact that she doesn’t plan on giving me the time of day any time soon.” He winks at me before checking his watch. “Hey, don’t you have somewhere you have to be?”
I glance at my watch and curse. “You’re right. I need to pick up Jade from dance class. Sorry I’m leaving a mess for you to clean up. I owe you one.”
“Don’t sweat it, man. Go take care of my niece. Butyou’re right, you owe me.” Vance claps me on the shoulder as I grab my keys and head toward my truck.
As I rush to pick up my daughter, I think back to a time when things were perfect. Lydia was my greatest love before Jade was born. Vance, Selina, Lydia, and I were thick as thieves, the best of friends, until one day, we were something more. It was as if I woke up one morning and knew that Lydia was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. People always said we were meant to be together, but we had been friends for so long that I didn’t want to risk our friendship by confessing my feelings. Luckily for me, Lydia was brave enough for both of us and figured out my true feelings quickly.
I remember the day she came storming up to me before class, demanding to know if I loved her. I hesitated for only a moment before wrapping my arms tightly around her and crushing my lips against hers, pouring all my feelings into that single kiss, hoping I could tell her everything I’d been too afraid to say for years. We broke apart, breathing heavily, and she said, “Took you long enough,” before bringing our lips together a second time, and the rest was history.
We graduated from high school and got married. Neither one of us wanted anything fancy in life. Vance and I started a construction business together while I took online business classes at night. Those early years were hard, but we made it through. Now Ace & Hammer Builders is one of the leading companies in the area. We do everything from regular handyman work to generalcontracting for everyone in Tyson’s Creek and the neighboring areas.
About a year after we were married, Lydia discovered she was pregnant. I was over the moon, secretly wishing for a little girl that looked exactly like her mother. Lydia and I were nervous about being first-time parents, but thankfully, we had our family and friends to help us. It really does take a village to raise a child, and our village was solid. As Lydia’s delivery date grew closer, we got the normal first-time parent jitters. We asked the doctor a million questions about possible complications with delivery, but they assured us everything was going perfectly. Our baby was in perfect health, and we were anxiously waiting for them to arrive. But things aren’t always as they seem.
One night, the week before Lydia’s due date, she wasn’t feeling the best. She had been experiencing contractions most of the day, but nothing that led us to believe she was in labor. However, as we got closer to bedtime, they were becoming stronger and more frequently. We immediately called the doctor, but he stated that since the pain was still bearable and her water had not broken, we had a few hours before we needed to head to the hospital. He suggested we get some rest, but if anything changed, then we should immediately head to the hospital.
