I watched Amanda as she sat on the floor, pointing out funny things on the screen to Chase. She’d pulled Abby’s laptop down with her, signing in, no doubt using the password Abby shared with her at some point.
Amanda knew she was bending the rules, and I tried not to find delight in my little rebel of a daughter. She knew I would take away the computer, and she would surrender it with no fuss, but until then, she would enjoy her time with her brother.
And the sight of it made me smile.
“We are screwed,” I agreed.
“But I love them,” Sunny sighed again. “Our little fusspot and the rulebreaker.”
I hugged her close. I rather looked forward to seeing what they would do to keep us on our toes.
We’d certainly never be bored.
“Me too,” I assured her. “Especially their mother.” I kissed her. Once. Twice. Third time for luck.
She cupped my face. “Now, let’s take them home,” she said. “I have biscuits for you in the car. We can have them for lunch before you forget the no-dessert thing too.”
I had to kiss her again. An unexpected afternoon with my family.
“Perfect.”
* * *
Twelve years later
AMANDA
I crept up the path, sliding my fingers through the wooden slats until I found the latch. It lifted noiselessly thanks to the WD-40 I had squirted on it yesterday in preparation. I had learned my lesson before—that stuff leaves a scent, and if my dad smelled it, he would know something was up.
Luckily, my parents slept at the front of the house and I had already checked their light was off. I had Damon leave me by the beach and I cut up across the sand and stood under the willow trees to make sure. I slipped from tree to tree—there were six in total. The older ones were my parents, and the younger ones were us kids. It was kind of a sentimental thing for them, but I had to admit I sorta liked it. My tree was the tallest, then Chase’s. The twins—Cedric Michael and Kelsey Lynn—weren’t far behind. They were born two years after Chase. I loved them all, even if they were a pain at times.
I slipped through the gate, my shoes in one hand, hoping the patio doors would be unlocked. If not, I would have to go to the front and use my key. That would wake up my parents for sure. The solar lights flickered around the pool, and the outside light glowed dimly in the darkness as I crept closer. I’d almost gotten to the house when a voice broke the stillness.
“Not so fast, young lady.”
I spun on my heel.
“Oh. Hi, Daddy.”
“Don’t ‘Hi, Daddy’ me. You’re an hour past your curfew.”
I glanced at my phone. “An hour and a half, actually.”
My dad tried not to grin. “Honest to a fault—even for a rule-breaker. Sit down.”
I curled into the chair next to him.
“Your mother and I are pretty lenient with you. But you broke three rules tonight, Amanda.”
“Damon and I were talking, Daddy. I forgot about the time.”
He shook his head. “Four rules now.”
“Four?”
He held up his fingers and counted. “You broke curfew. You didn’t call and let us know you were okay. You didn’t answer my call. You just lied to my face.” He sat back. “I noticed the squeak is gone from the gate as well, so technically, you planned on being late, so that’s five.”
I blushed. I had lied. I couldn’t exactly tell my dad Damon and I had been kissing on the beach and I lost track of time. I always did when we kissed. He was an artist with his tongue, and I was crazy about him. I kept my mouth shut about all that. It would send my dad off the deep end.
He grasped my hand. “Your mother and I trust you, Amanda. We know how incredibly intelligent you are. I also know, thanks to the kickboxing lessons you attend, you can take care of yourself. But our trust will waver if you pull this shit again.”
“Dad, it’s summer. All the other kids get to stay out later.”
“Those other kids aren’t my daughter,” he responded.
I huffed a sigh and crossed my arms.
“Just give me my punishment.” My dad’s punishments were always easier to take than my mom’s—she was way tougher.
He mimicked my posture and sat back. “If you want to discuss extending your curfew, then you need to sit down with Mom and me to talk to us about it. The same way you did when you wanted a bigger allowance, or to go to movies alone with your friends. I don’t appreciate you sneaking around to see more of this boy.”
“I’m not sneaking around, and he isn’t just some boy.”
My dad’s eyebrows shot up. “Pardon me?”
I couldn’t meet his eyes. “He’s…special.” I sighed. “You wouldn’t understand.”
For a moment, there was silence. When he spoke, his voice was soft and gentle. “I do understand, baby. I met your mother when I was a kid. She was my best friend, and when I was fifteen, I fell in love with her. I’ve loved her ever since.”
He had never told me that before. “Really?”
“Yes. We went through a lot to be together.”
“Like what?”
He waved his hand. “That’s a story for another time. The point is, we aren’t trying to keep you apart, Amanda. Bring him around. Let us meet him. Hang out here some. If he’s as important as you say, we want to get to know him.”
“Really?”
“Yes. No more breaking curfew. I’ll speak to him man-to-man about it.”
I flung myself into his arms. “Thank you, Daddy!”
“Off to bed.” Then as I turned to go, he held out his hand. “Your cell phone. Give it to me.”
“Why?”
“That’s your punishment. No cell phone for twenty-four hours. And you stay in your room tomorrow. No leaving the house. And you don’t see this boy again until he comes for dinner.”
I handed him my phone. “Mom’s suggestion?”
“Yes. She said no dessert tomorrow wasn’t enough this time.” His eyes danced in the overhead light. “I didn’t remind her you had messenger on your laptop either. You owe me one. But I mean it about the dinner.”
I didn’t mind having Damon over for dinner. He was alone a lot because his parents worked long hours. I knew he’d enjoy the meal since my mom was such a great cook. And they would like him—I knew it.
I bent and kissed his cheek. “You’re the best dad ever.”
“Pretend to be mad at me tomorrow, or I’ll never hear the end of it from your mother.”
“Okay.”
“And we are having that talk tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Then he smiled. “Love you, my little rulebreaker.”
“I love you, Daddy.”
* * *
Linc
After I knew Amanda was safe in her room, I locked up the house, set the alarm and climbed into bed, sliding up to Sunny and wrapping my arm around her waist, tugging her back to my chest.
She made a low noise of protest in her throat at being woken up, making me grin. She sounded exactly like Amanda did on school mornings.
I kissed the side of her soft neck, teasing the skin with my tongue.
She tilted back her head, squinting at me in the dim light.
“Is she home?”
“Yes.”
“How late was she?”
“About an hour. She informed me it was an hour and a half.”
Sunny snorted. “At least she’s honest.”
“That she is.”
“Did you talk to her?”
“Yes,” I said proudly. “I punished her too—just like you said.”
Sunny huffed out a long breath. “How’d she take it?”
“Well, actually. I think she knows it could have been worse. She’s crazy for this boy, Sunny.” I sighed. “Christ, she is too young.”
She laughed, her breath blowing over my arm. “We were in love young too, Linc.”
“I know, that’s what scares me. She’s so similar to you. Even
to me, emotionally. She feels things so deeply.”
“Then we need to watch over her.”
“I told her to invite this Damon boy over for dinner. Officially. I want to talk to him.”
“We did meet him. He seemed very nice. His parents are lovely people, although they both work a lot. He comes to the center at times and helps out.”
“We met him casually. Like we have all her friends. He’s more.” I snorted. “‘Special,’ Amanda said. He’s more than a crush. I can feel it, Sunny. I want to get to know him.”
“Good plan.”
“I think she’s been seeing more of him than we know. I think at a lot of the group outings, the two of them are pairing off. It’s time to take this seriously and set some rules.”
“All right, Linc. We will.”
I sighed. “She wants to hear our story.”
Sunny was quiet for a moment.
“I think she’s old enough. She knows you had a terrible relationship with your father, and by telling her, it will explain why. She has always wondered how you couldn’t love your dad the way she loves you.” She paused. “It might help her understand.”
“Do we tell her everything?”
“You may want to gloss over a few things.”
“Yeah. We only spent the night in the cabin, talking, before I disappeared. And we never had sex until we got married. I’ll emphasize those parts.”
Sunny buried her face, laughing. “Okay, Daddy. Good plan. I meant some of your later, ah, decisions when it came to your father.”
I huffed out a sigh. “Yeah, we’ll stick to the basics there.”
“We’ll tell her together.”
“Good.” With Sunny beside me, it would be easier.
“Just so you know, I changed the password on her laptop. She can’t message at all tomorrow.”
“Dammit, woman, you are tough.”
“One of us has to be. I’ll make her suffer until the afternoon and then let her have it back. You can do it and be the hero again.”
I laughed. My kids knew I was a pushover. But they were good kids—Amanda included. Smart, funny, kind, and loving, they all had my heart.
And they knew it.
The room was silent for a moment. “Are you asleep?” I asked.
Sunny growled. “I was trying.”
“Oh. I was feeling hungry.”
“It’s called emotional eating.”
“Whatever.”
“There’re some biscuits in the cupboard. You know where the jam is.”
“Great. You coming?”
“No.”
A different hunger tugged at me. A smile grew on my face, and I tucked her closer, running my lips up her neck and kissing the sensitive spot behind her ear. “Would you like to?”
For a moment, she said nothing. Then she giggled.
I rolled her over, hovering above.
“I’m feeling like a teenager.”
“Horny?”
“Yep.”
She arched up, rubbing herself against my groin. “You feel like it too.”
“Wanna make out a little?” I nipped at her lips. “Or a lot? I’ll make it good for you.”
“You always do.”
“I love you, Sunny-girl.”
She pulled me down to her mouth. “I guarantee you a home run, Linc. Then you can have biscuits.”
I grinned.
Sunny and biscuits.
The perfect pair.
Perfect for me.
Acknowledgments
As always, I have some people to thank. The ones behind the words that encourage and support. The people who make my books possible for so many reasons.
Lisa, thank you for all you do. Your comments make me giggle,
and your red pen makes the words better.
Beth, Trina, Melissa, Peggy, and Deb—thank you for your feedback and support.
Karen, this journey wouldn’t be the same without you. I love working with you but getting to call you friend is even better. I promise you—your wine is safe. For now.
To all the bloggers, readers, and especially my promo team. Thank you for everything you do. Shouting your love of books—of my work, posting, sharing—your recommendations keep my TBR list full, and the support you have shown me is deeply appreciated.
To my fellow authors who have shown me such kindness, thank you. I will follow your example and pay it forward.
My reader group, Melanie’s Minions—love you all.
Books By Melanie Moreland
Vested Interest Series
BAM - The Beginning (Prequel)
Bentley (Vested Interest #1)
Aiden (Vested Interest #2)
Maddox (Vested Interest #3)
Reid (Vested Interest #4)
Van (Vested Interest #5)
Halton (Vested Interest #6)
Sandy (Vested Interest #7)
Insta-Spark Collection
It Started with a Kiss
Christmas Sugar
An Instant Connection
An Unexpected Gift
The Contract Series
The Contract (The Contract #1)
The Baby Clause (The Contract #2)
The Amendment (The Contract #3)
Mission Cove
The Summer of Us Book 1
Standalones
Into the Storm
Beneath the Scars
Over the Fence
My Image of You (Random House/Loveswept)
About the Author
NYT/WSJ/USAT international bestselling author Melanie Moreland, lives a happy and content life in a quiet area of Ontario with her beloved husband of thirty-one-plus years and their rescue cat, Amber. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them.
While seriously addicted to coffee, and highly challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties, and enjoys traveling, here and abroad, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip.
Melanie loves stories, especially paired with a good wine, and enjoys skydiving (free falling over a fleck of dust) extreme snowboarding (falling down stairs) and piloting her own helicopter (tripping over her own feet.) She's learned happily ever afters, even bumpy ones, are all in how you tell the story.
Melanie is represented by Flavia Viotti at Bookcase Literary Agency. For any questions regarding subsidiary or translation rights please contact her at [email protected]
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