Spring Romance: NINE Happily Ever Afters

by Tessa Bailey

Valentina

  Daybreak came in fragments—a shaft of sunlight across the bed, my consciousness flickering awake, the feel of a muscled arm curled around my back, the hum of the air conditioner, cotton sheets against my skin, and a warm male body beside me.

  My eyes flew open abruptly. Oh. My. I was curled up against Lucas. In his bed.

  Before my brain was fully awake, my hand shifted on his chest, exploring the muscled planes and the dusting of hair. Lucas was all man even when he was asleep.

  He stirred, his eyes opening. In the muted light of morning, they were bright and sleepy. Rolling his head to the side, he scrubbed a hand through his hair and smiled.

  My heart promptly did a few cartwheels. I knew I was getting in over my head, but the way I felt right now was downright treacherous for me. Because I couldn’t let myself go there. I felt my lips curling into a smile.

  “Mornin’,” he murmured, his hand circling lazily on my back. “You were asleep when I got home last night, and I didn’t have the heart to wake you up.”

  Before I had a chance to reply, he glanced toward the clock on the nightstand. I suddenly became aware he was aroused. My eyes were drawn to the distinct shape of his arousal under the sheets.

  I wanted—oh, how I wanted—to touch him.

  He looked back in my direction. “Unfortunately, I have to get up. Considering that Rylie will be up soon, it’s probably best if you get up too.”

  “Oh, of course.” I started to scramble up, but his arm caught me, tugging me right back against his chest, which I didn’t mind at all.

  “Just a minute,” he murmured. His hand slid into my hair, and he pulled me close for a kiss. It was quick, hot, and left me breathless. Nothing more than a brush of his lips against mine, and a sweep of his tongue before he drew back.

  I didn’t quite know how to interpret the look in his eyes. I watched as he climbed out of bed. He had on fitted briefs that hugged his muscled ass with his arousal clearly visible.

  With a glance over his shoulder, he met my gaze. “I gotta be ready in record time so I’m out in the kitchen before Rylie’s up. I need a shower to wake me up.”

  I had no idea how to handle this morning, but I had enough sense to know it was best that Rylie didn’t find us in the shower together by accident, so I simply nodded. I was still wearing what I had on last night and figured Lucas must’ve carried me into the bedroom.

  When I heard the water running, I rolled off the bed, my feet landing on the cool hardwood floor. With a deep breath, I gave my head a shake and stood. I straightened my clothes and slipped out of the bedroom. Conveniently, I always kept a little travel toothbrush in my purse. This ranked as the first time I ever actually needed it. I tended to have all kinds of handy things in my purse, including a few Band-Aids, a comb, and hair ties.

  Stepping into the bathroom off the living room, I washed my face and quickly brushed my teeth. A side bonus to wild curly hair was it was easy to manage because it was usually messy. I used the comb to tidy it a bit and stepped out of the bathroom to find Lucas already in the kitchen. His hair was damp, and he wore a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips with a T-shirt. My heart thudded in my chest, and I once again wondered what to do. I thought maybe it was best if I left before Rylie woke up.

  I stopped beside the rounded edge of the counter just as he turned to face me. His eyes caught mine, and I wished I could climb inside his brain and see what he was thinking. I was unaccountably nervous.

  Swallowing, I cleared my throat. “I’m thinking I should get going before Rylie wakes up.”

  Lucas was quiet for a moment before he shrugged. “Maybe. Although it would be fine if you stayed for breakfast. She might like that.” Pausing, he smiled, and my heart practically started cheering. “Actually, she would love it. It’s no big thing that you fell asleep on the couch. That’s what we’ll tell her.”

  Thump, thump, thump went my heart. He was right, but I still …

  I didn’t get to finish that train of thought. I heard a pair of feet coming down the hall, the distinct sound of a small child’s half run.

  “Valentine!” Rylie called as she rounded the end of the hallway, coming into the living room and veering toward the kitchen.

  I turned, squatting down as Rylie made her way over. My heart squeezed. Between my rapidly burgeoning feelings for Lucas and his absolutely precious daughter, my heart was probably going to expire at this rate.

  Something was so endearing about a sleepy child. Rylie’s dark hair was mussed, and her cheeks were flushed from sleep. She still wore her pajamas.

  Her eyes were wide with wonder as she smiled up at me. “You’re here! Good morning,” she said, swinging her arms around my neck and squeezing tight. I hugged her back, sliding my hand over her hair.

  “Good morning. I fell asleep on the couch,” I explained, relieved I was actually telling the truth.

  The last thing Rylie needed to know was that her father had carried me to bed, and I woke up wanting him so fiercely my body ached with it. Although, I was discovering an almost surefire way to eliminate the desire pounding through my body was the presence of a child. Rylie represented so many reasons why I didn’t need to be getting ideas about Lucas.

  “JJ does that sometimes. Even Daddy does,” Rylie said solemnly.

  I ruffled a hand through her hair as I straightened. “I bet.”

  Rylie was already turning, approaching her father. Lucas leaned down and swung her into his arms, resting her on his hip as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Mornin’, sweet pea. What’ll it be for breakfast?”

  Rylie tapped her index finger on the side of her cheek. I bit the inside of my cheeks to keep from laughing because she was too cute.

  “Oatmeal with blueberries and brown sugar,” she finally announced after appearing to think deeply about it.

  “You got it.” Lucas’s attention was solely on her now. He turned, opening a cabinet that stretched from floor to ceiling and was filled with food. Reaching in, he pulled out a container of oatmeal and a small bag of dried blueberries, which he handed to her.

  As Lucas turned, she wiggled.

  “Hang on, let me put this down,” he said. After setting the oatmeal down, he took the blueberries from her and eased her to the floor.

  “Want some breakfast?” she asked.

  Like I’d say no. “I’d love some.”

  After that, it was just a morning. We had breakfast, and Lucas made a mean cup of coffee. I managed to get my body under control and not let my mind start running down the wild variety of paths I could select. Until it was time to go.

  I was covering the late shift for breakfast in the lodge restaurant today. When I stood to leave, there was a knock on the door. Whoever it was didn’t even wait, and the door swung open immediately after the knock.

  “Morning,” a woman called out.

  The moment I saw her, I knew she must be related to Lucas. She had the same black hair. It was straight and glossy, pulled up in a ponytail high atop her head. She was slender and probably a good foot shorter than he was. Her green eyes clapped to me immediately.

  Of course, I didn’t know exactly what she was thinking, but I definitely knew she was assessing me. Rylie immediately ran across the room, calling, “JJ!”

  “Hey, Jade,” Lucas called over. “Valentina babysat last night in a pinch and fell asleep on the couch.”

  Seeing as I’d never had a boyfriend, I had zero experience with meeting family. Much less under these circumstances where I didn’t know how to define what I was to Lucas. I worried Jade could somehow see right into me and sense my growing feelings for him. Anxiety tightened in my belly, and I swallowed and took a deep breath. I hadn’t done anything wrong, but I suddenly felt as if I had.

  Jade hugged Rylie to her. “You got me for today. Are you cool with that?”

  “Of course!” Rylie wiggled down and swung her arm wildly in my direction. “This is Valentine.”

  Jade crossed the room toward me,
and I actually wiped my hands on my sides, worried she’d feel they were damp.

  “Hi,” I said, politely holding my hand out.

  Jade’s palm was cool in mine as she shook my hand, quickly and firmly. “Nice to meet you. I’m sure it was a good thing you could fill in last night.”

  “Valentine’s nice,” Rylie said, bumping up against me as she leaned into my hip.

  I managed to smile at Jade. “I was glad to help. I met Rylie last week when Lucas brought her out to see if Shay could watch her for a little bit. Shay and I work in the office together at the lodge so …” My words tapered off, and I shrugged slightly.

  I definitely felt as if I were under a microscope—a protective sister microscope. Jade gave me one last careful look, then stepped past me with a nod. Lucas was closing the dishwasher and turned to face us.

  At that moment, Rylie piped up, “Can Valentine come over again tonight?”

  The adults in the room froze, and I could feel the sudden tension in the air. Lucas, who up to that point had been warm, gave off a cool air. His eyes flicked from Rylie to me and back. “I’m not on call tonight, so I’ll be home for dinner.”

  Jade, wisely in my opinion, immediately created a distraction. “Come on, girl,” she said, clapping her hands lightly. “Let’s get you out of those pajamas.”

  She held out her hand as Rylie looked up at me. “Are you staying?”

  “I need to get to work. It was sure nice to see you,” I said, ruffling her hair and leaning over to press a kiss on the top of her head. I was relieved when Jade called her name again.

  I wasn’t relieved because of Rylie, but because I wanted to escape the tension. I knew my smile was tight when I looked in Lucas’s direction. “Gotta go,” I said quickly, not waiting for a response.

  I heard Rylie and Jade’s voices fading as they walked down the short hallway with Jade keeping up a running commentary of questions. I had already stepped outside and was closing the door when I felt it open again. Turning back, I found Lucas right behind me.

  “Thanks again,” he said gruffly. “Look, I didn’t mean …”

  I didn’t give him a chance to finish. “You don’t need to worry about what you meant. You’re a father, and I get how important it is that nothing be confusing. Don’t worry about me.”

  I sensed he wanted to say more, but now definitely wasn’t the time. I may not have known how to read him to well, but I knew what I felt in his reaction when Rylie asked if I could return tonight. That wasn’t something he was considering, and that was perfectly okay with me. It had to be.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Lucas

  A few days later, after hearing Rylie ask more times than I cared to count when Valentina would babysit again, I walked into my parents’ house for dinner. I’d had a busy day at work with a guided hike and helping Jackson with the new cabins, so I was tired. Jade had texted to let me know she’d bring Rylie over here for dinner. We usually got together like this as a family every few weeks whenever everyone managed to be available.

  Rylie’s voice carried from the kitchen when I stepped into the living room with the murmur of my mother’s more muted reply following. “Hey, sis,” I said, toeing my boots off by the door.

  Crossing the living room, I sank onto the couch beside Jade where she was knitting. My parents had a simple ranch house. There was a large living room with a fireplace on one side, and a hallway to the back that led to a run of bedrooms. An archway led to the dining room with the kitchen beyond that.

  My father ran his own mechanic business in a garage down the street while my mother ran a floral business. In just about every way, I’d had a typical middle-class childhood. I was lucky. My parents loved each other and me and my sister. I never forgot to count my blessings.

  Jade and I hadn’t had much time to chat since she met Valentina the other morning, but given our schedules, that wasn’t a surprise. We rarely had time to talk for more than a few minutes.

  Her green eyes slid sideways, catching mine. Her knitting needles clicked away.

  “How’s it going?” she asked.

  “Same as usual. Just busy. Anything I should know about today with Rylie?”

  “Nothing new. She had a small fit when I made her stick to the half hour of TV time. Oh, and she’d like Valentine to come over again.”

  Jade’s slow drawl of Rylie’s version of Valentina’s name wasn’t lost on me. I knew she’d been waiting for a moment to ask about just what the hell Valentina was doing at my house that morning.

  I’d had plenty of time to chew on it in my thoughts and decided I might as well tell her the plain truth. In mulling it over, I’d come to a conclusion. It was too damn messy to try to think about bringing a woman into my life with Rylie. I didn’t want her to get attached, and there was no way to see into the future.

  I might’ve wanted Valentina—hell, I fucking dreamed about the woman every night—but that didn’t mean it was a smart decision to do anything about it.

  I met Jade’s assessing gaze and rolled my eyes. “Just ask me whatever you want.”

  “I don’t hear a single word about a woman in your life. Then I show up, and it’s clear Valentina spent the night there.”

  Jade actually stopped knitting, which was a sign. She was pissed. Probably not about Valentina specifically, but most likely pissed because I hadn’t given her advance notice. I loved my little sister, but we had a kind of reverse situation going on with the protectiveness. That wasn’t to say I wasn’t protective of my sister, just that Jade was equally so with me. She would kick someone’s ass if she thought it was warranted. She’d been downright livid when she found out Melissa had an affair before she died.

  Jade’s hands fell to her lap, and she idly twirled the end of the yarn around her finger. “It doesn’t quite seem as simple as the babysitter falling asleep on the couch.”

  “She did fall asleep on the couch if that’s what you’re asking.” I conveniently left out the fact I’d carried Valentina to my bed.

  Jade huffed. “Just tell me what the hell is going on with her.”

  Leaning my head back, I sighed. “Nothing that night, but more has happened. But I’ve thought about it since then, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to let things keep going.”

  She shook her head sharply. “What the hell, Lucas? First off, if you were thinking about already having someone spend the night, that’s too fast for Rylie. But now you’re saying nothing happened that night, but it has before?”

  I ran a hand through my hair and nodded. “Look, don’t give me hell for asking her to babysit. I forgot I was on call that night. Once I got the call out, you were working, and Mom was in Asheville. Valentina did a great job with Rylie when I had to drop her off before with her and Shay, so don’t give me shit about that. For the rest, fair enough. You don’t need to worry because nothing else is happening.”

  I rolled my head from side to side, trying to ease the tension bundling there. I had to shy away from thinking about Valentina because I hated cutting things off like this, but it was the only sensible thing to do.

  “I’m not telling you not to get involved with her,” Jade protested, blowing a puff of air to get a lock of hair out of her eyes.

  “Well then, what’s your point?” I countered.

  “Valentina seems nice.”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Jade. You practically gave her a death stare.”

  Jade sighed. “Yeah, I thought about it afterward. I didn’t mean to come across as bitchy. I’m just … Well, I guess I’m protective of you.”

  “You guess?” I replied with a chuckle.

  My sister shrugged and cast me a rueful smile.

  “I can take care of myself just fine. But I guess it was a good thing. I was about to start letting things go somewhere, and I realized it might not be a smart move. I mean look what’s already happened with Rylie. She wants Valentina over all the time. She must ask me about her five times a day.”

  Jad
e picked her knitting up again, the rhythmic clicking of the needle starting up. “Rylie loves people. I don’t think she’s hounding you about Valentina because she somehow notices you have the hots for her. Rylie liking her is no reason not to give her a chance. Your list for that is already too damn long.”

  “Trying to manage a relationship is too complicated for me. Rylie’s doing great, and that’s all that matters. Stop worrying about my love life.”

  “What’s a love life?” Rylie asked from the archway.

  Oh, dear God. The perils of young children whose ears worked remarkably well.

  “We’re just talking about friends and stuff, sweet pea,” Jade called over.

  My mom said something from the kitchen, immediately drawing Rylie away. Jade set her knitting down on the coffee table, uncurling her feet from under her knees. “All I’m saying is stop looking for excuses.” At that, she stood and walked into the kitchen.

  I followed. Stepping into the kitchen, my eyes scanned the room, finding my dad seated at the table flipping through the newspaper. He still read the actual newspaper every evening. He would put it away when dinner was ready.

  “Hey, Dad,” I called.

  He glanced up with a smile. “Hey, son. Got you some coffee if you need it. I just made it.”

  Striding over to the counter, I heard Rylie talking to my mother. “Her name is Valentine. She’s my new favorite babysitter.”

  Jade caught my eye as she opened the refrigerator with a sly grin.

  Ever tried getting a six-year-old to stop talking about something? Trust me, I’d learned that achievement was near impossible.

  My mother’s gaze swung to mine. I hadn’t said a damn word, but she was too perceptive. She smiled sweetly. “Well, I sure would love to meet her sometime. You know I like to meet everyone who’s important to you.”

  I bit back the curse threatening to slip out and poured my coffee.

  * * *

  The following morning, we were at the table while Rylie was selecting bites of her oatmeal that included blueberries when she paused and set her spoon down. “Daddy?”