She’d been saving to buy it and had already decided the superhero would be on L.J.’s wall when he returned from his trip in a few weeks.
“We’ll see,” she said, ruffling his hair. She wanted the gift to be a surprise.
“Stop spoiling him,” she muttered under her breath to the guys.
Just because they owned a hugely successful nightclub in Manhattan and could afford whatever they wanted didn’t mean she would take advantage. She already felt guilty for how much they were doing for her now, paying for this house and her classes. But she desired to make a better, more secure life for L.J., and borrowing money allowed her to get her degree in education and hopefully a minor in business.
She’d already been taking classes part-time at home in Florida, and she’d needed the ability to complete her studies more quickly and obtain a job that gave her summers off for her son. The guys had offered their financial help for a while. She’d just been too proud, reluctant, and scared to accept.
“I’m hungry.” L.J. interrupted her thoughts and reached for her bag, which she’d yet to remove from her shoulder.
“Of course you are.” She gave him the oversized purse she’d stuffed with treats and bottles of water, enough for a growing boy to be satisfied any time he asked.
He knelt down and began digging through the bag, settling cross-legged on the floor so he could have his snack.
She looked at him and grinned at how his light brown hair fell over his forehead the way his daddy’s used to do. She didn’t need to wonder if Levi would have loved his son. He would have adored the boy who looked so much like him and, of course, his uncle Landon.
“How about I order in some sandwiches,” Jason suggested, even as L.J. had already dug into some chips.
“Sounds good, man. I’m starving, too,” Landon said.
“I want turkey!” L.J. looked up from where he sat on the floor. “And mayo. And a pickle. And a soda. I can have a soda, Mom, right?”
She sighed, not in the mood for a soda-or-water argument. “Sure. And say please,” she reminded him.
He blinked and nodded. “Please!”
“Amber, what do you want?” Jason asked, his fingers hovering over the phone.
“Whatever you’re getting for L.J. is fine for me, too.”
While the guys stood by Jason and studied the app on his phone, adding in their orders, Amber glanced at her son, who looked up at his uncles adoringly.
She’d miss her little man while he spent a few weeks with Landon’s parents traveling. He was growing up so fast but this separation was necessary. If she was going to go back to college in the fall as well as hold down a job and raise her boy, she needed to get her feet wet with summer classes while she was on her own.
She’d moved from her hometown in Jacksonville, Florida, to Linton, Connecticut, in order to be closer to the Bennetts, giving them a chance to bond with their grandson, and it would be equally good for L.J. to have more family around since she’d left her parents down South. Last year, her mom had been diagnosed with late-onset multiple sclerosis and her mother and father had their hands full taking care of her mom’s increasing symptoms.
Amber had then found herself at a crossroads. She could remain in Florida, continue her job as the manager of a local clothing store, taking part-time classes and hiring babysitters for L.J. when needed, or uproot their lives entirely. She’d gathered her courage and opted for change.
So here they were in a small college town in Connecticut, close enough to the Bennetts that they could help out while she was in school or working, and only an hour from the guys.
Now that she’d made the move, her emotions veered all over the place, from excitement over her new life to nervousness because she was starting classes in a few days.
“Mom! They’re here!” L.J. was standing by the window. Turning, he ran for the front door.
“Wait for me!” She’d tried to teach him not to open the door until a grown-up was with him, but she sensed his excitement about seeing his grandparents. It had been a long while since their last visit in Florida.
She caught up with him as he bounced on his feet by the door and she pulled it open.
“Grandma! Grandpa!” L.J. called out, finding himself swept into their waiting arms.
From the day she’d discovered she was pregnant, she’d been embraced by Levi’s grieving parents.
“Come in!” she said to the couple who’d always treated her like a daughter despite the fact that she hadn’t been married to their son.
Carrie and Samuel walked in, each kissing Amber on the cheek. “I see your surprise helpers arrived?” Carrie asked with a chuckle.
“Hi, Mom, Dad,” Landon said. He strode over and hugged his parents.
“We can’t tell you how happy we are to have you two nearby. I know it’s a huge adjustment but it’s going to be wonderful,” Carrie, an attractive brunette, said, her hazel eyes glowing with happiness.
It was no wonder they had such good-looking sons, Amber mused.
“Of course, my wife said it best,” Samuel said, also beaming with pleasure.
Amber was so happy to know she and L.J. weren’t a burden to Landon’s parents, that they were giving them something to enjoy and look forward to as well.
“We would like to get an early start and miss later-afternoon traffic on the way to the city,” he said.
“We just ordered food. Can we add anything for you?” Jason asked.
Carrie shook her head. “We ate before we came over. How about we wait until L.J. has his lunch and then we get going?” she asked her husband.
“Sounds like a plan,” Samuel agreed.
An hour later, they’d all eaten their sandwiches, caught up with each other, and it was time for the Bennetts and L.J. to get on the road.
“Mom, I’ll be home later tonight. I’ll see you all tomorrow. You have the key to my place, right?” Landon asked.
She nodded. “I still think we could just stay in a hotel.”
“Nope. There’s no reason you can’t stay with me. I have the room,” he said of his three-bedroom in Tribeca. He’d found a renovated warehouse that had been turned into an oversized apartment near Club TEN29, their place of business. “I mean, we have the space,” he said with the grin he always had when mentioning Vivi, his wife.
“Okay, then. We’ll see you when you get home tonight or in the morning,” Samuel said.
Amber knelt down so she was face-to-face with her little boy. “You’re sure you’re ready for this trip?”
“I can’t wait to see the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty and eat New York City pizza with Uncle Landon!” he said with a small fist pump that had her chuckling along with holding back tears. It was going to be a long few weeks, and they’d never been separated before.
But she wouldn’t dim his excitement and anticipation by expressing her anxiety or fears. He’d be fine, and knowing that, so would she. “Okay then, give me a big hug and a kiss. Then we’ll get your suitcase out of my car and we’ll put it in Grandma and Grandpa’s SUV.”
L.J. put his skinny arms around her and hugged her tight, something she cherished because she knew the time was around the corner when he wouldn’t let his mom pepper him with the kisses she did now.
“Go run to the bathroom before you get on the road,” she told him.
Standing, she faced Carrie and discovered the other woman staring at her with an understanding expression on her attractive face. “He’ll be fine. We’ll keep him so busy he won’t have time to be sad or upset. And we’ll have him call and FaceTime every day or whenever he wants in between.”
Amber forced a smile. “I think he’s handling this much better than me,” she said, managing a laugh.
“Such is a mother’s lot in life. But they say if you can send your child off happily without you, you’ve done your job. And you’re doing an exceptional one. Especially since you’re doing it alone.” Carrie placed a hand on Amber’s cheek. “Enjoy
your summer, honey. Get used to classes and working and he’ll be home before you know it.”
Samuel cleared his throat. “Are we ready?” he asked, obviously uncomfortable with the two women’s emotional reactions.
“I’m finished!” L.J. cried, running out of the bathroom and skidding to a halt by his grandfather, grasping the man’s hand.
“Perfect.” Amber smoothed a hand over her flowy top that covered her leggings. “Let’s switch his bag to the back of your SUV and you can get going.”
The guys had cleaned up the sandwich wrappers on the floor and thrown everything into a huge garbage bag in the kitchen.
“I’ll get your bag,” Landon said, following L.J. out to the cars.
While the guys waited inside, she watched as L.J. seat belted himself and she found herself waving goodbye from the driveaway, no longer holding back tears since he couldn’t see that she was crying.
Tanner came up behind her. She hadn’t heard him come outside, she’d been so focused on her son. Always the most silent of the three, he wrapped an arm around her and spoke, his voice a low rumble. “He’ll be fine. And so will you.”
She sniffed. “I know.” And she held on to the thought that a big reason for both this move and the trip was to let him learn more about his father by spending quality time with Levi’s parents and his twin brother, all of whom had been so good to her over the years.
The moving van arrived a short time later, and she had no more time to dwell on missing her son. She directed the movers with the furniture, watching as they put the labeled boxes in their proper rooms and the guys got to work helping her put things away for both herself and L.J. They accomplished much more than she would have alone.
During the chaos, Carrie called to tell her they’d arrived safely in Manhattan and were going out for dinner later. Knowing she had nothing to worry about, she turned her focus to her new house.
Although she still had some boxes left, she was in much better shape than she’d anticipated, thanks to her friends. The guys left and she spent the night alone in her new house, learning the new creaks and sounds and getting used to her new normal.
The next day, she worked all day on the unpacked boxes, and when dinnertime came around faster than she’d expected, she decided to go into town to pick up something to eat while getting to know the area where she now lived.
She considered this summer a chance to find herself again, the woman she was beyond L.J.’s mother. She’d missed out on learning about herself before she became a parent. She figured a return to college, the milestone that had changed her life to begin with, would be the perfect way to start over.
* * * *
Shane Warden pushed his chair back from his computer, rose to his feet and stretched, his back aching from all the hours he’d put in at the desk in his office. If he didn’t know better, he’d never believe he’d gone to the gym this morning to work out. But he had. Then he’d showered, come back here, and had gotten into the zone on his research, losing track of time, skipping lunch and working through the afternoon. Now, almost dinner hour, his stomach was grumbling and he was way overdue for a long walk and some food.
He strode through campus, the sight of students sporadic, as summer session didn’t lend itself to kids hanging out on the lawns and in the student union. But the Circle, a cul-de-sac with a variety of restaurants and eateries, was open year round, and he decided to head there for dinner.
As he walked, he opened his phone and skimmed the progress he’d made on the paper he was working on. Another couple of years and he hoped to move into a tenured position, something he would have thought impossible a few years ago. Shaking his head before he went there, he refocused on the words on the screen, a deep dive into a paper dealing with advanced quantitative economic theory and…
He bumped into someone, jolting himself and causing his phone to fall to the ground at the same time he reached out to steady whoever he’d crashed into. His hands wrapped around soft flesh and obviously feminine arms. A floral fragrance reached his nostrils, and he found himself breathing in for a deeper whiff of the tantalizing scent.
“I’m sorry!” the woman said as he helped stabilize her before letting her go and retrieving his cell.
“My fault. I was reading on my phone.” He looked up and found himself staring into arresting light blue eyes surrounded by blonde hair that had been pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head, with sexy stray strands falling around her face.
“And I was looking at the directions on my screen. I’m new to the area,” she explained, biting down on her full lower lip.
“Where are you headed?” He hoped she was going his way despite the fact that she was, in fact, walking in the opposite direction.
“The Circle. I’m looking for restaurants. A place to eat dinner but I think I got turned around or something. I’m not very good with maps,” she said, her cheeks flushing an attractive shade of pink.
He blinked and tried not to look like the cat who’d swallowed the canary when he’d just gotten his wish. They were going to the same place.
He subtly took her in, a petite but nicely figured woman, wearing a pair of black workout leggings and a white and lavender top that draped around her body, giving him a hint of her curves that he enjoyed.
“How about you walk with me? I’m headed in that direction myself. I’m Shane, by the way.”
“Amber. And that would be awesome. Left on my own, I’d probably end up on the opposite end of campus.”
He chuckled. “Not everyone has a good sense of direction. So where did you move to?” he asked, making conversation.
She hesitated before answering. “A small cul-de-sac on the outskirts of the school,” she said vaguely, which he understood. She didn’t know him at all, and he shouldn’t have asked something so personal.
They started toward the Circle, and he pointed out the library and the businesses that surrounded the campus, consisting of large companies that tended to donate to the school. Those who lived in and around the area weren’t solely college employees.
“Are you meeting anyone for dinner?” he asked, surprising himself with the question.
She shook her head.
“Want some company? I can familiarize you with the area a little,” he offered.
She looked up at him as they walked. “Sure. I wouldn’t know which restaurant is good, and I’d planned to sit outside and read. Company would be nice.”
He was selective about dating and for good reason. But Amber wasn’t a young student, she was a woman close to his own age. Besides, he justified to himself, she’d just moved to town, which explained why he hadn’t run into her before now, and he was just doing a good deed by sharing a meal and telling her where to find things in her new town.
Although she was hot as hell to look at, he wasn’t going to do anything beyond share this one meal. Even if he was more attracted to her than any woman he’d met before.
Chapter Two
Amber hadn’t looked twice at a man in more years than she cared to remember. Oh, she’d dated when she could, her mom watching L.J., but anyone she’d gone out with had freaked out at the mention of her having a kid or never called her again. Lately, she’d been too busy being a mom and keeping her head above water financially and emotionally to worry about meeting anyone. But she was looking now because Shane was a very attractive man.
They’d settled into an outside table and chairs with hamburgers and French fries in front of them. She took a sip of her soda, aware of his heated gaze on the purse of her lips around the straw. They certainly shared an immediate attraction, she thought, dropping her stare to the food in front of her.
She didn’t have to look at him to be aware of his handsome face covered by a scruff of beard, warm brown eyes, and what looked like soft, kissable lips. She squirmed in her seat, unaccustomed to her body’s reaction to the man. Any man. It had been so long since her sex pulsed in delicious response to the opposite sex.
&n
bsp; Had she used her battery-operated boyfriend? For sure. But even those moments were few and far between with a little boy in the house. But this man with his nice body, his short-sleeve tee shirt pulling tight over his muscular frame, had her thinking about doing other things in her bed. Adult things she hadn’t experienced in far too long.
“So the campus is a circle with roads situated like spikes that lead to different areas and buildings,” he said.
His statement brought her out of her surprisingly sensual musings, and she met his gaze, doing her best not to blush. She hoped.
As he described the town, she was drawn by the rasp of his husky voice. “You turned down the wrong street the first time,” he said, an amused tilt to his lips.
Clearing her throat, she nodded. “Picking the wrong street would explain things. I’ve also been a little distracted.”
And she wasn’t just talking about being preoccupied right now with thoughts of him. And her vibrator. Oh, good God, she thought to herself. Just stop! Focus.
Forcing her mind back to the mundane, she went on to explain. “The movers just dropped the boxes off that need to be unpacked, and my son left to spend a few weeks with his grandparents. I’m not used to being without him.” Glancing up at him, she met his curious gaze.
“You have a son?” He blinked and she realized he had long, thick lashes, the kind she had to use mascara to obtain.
“I do.” Maybe she was testing him, tossing this bit of information out when they were just having a friendly dinner. But she’d rather know than find herself interested in the man only to discover he was just like every guy she’d dated before him. Not that she was dating him. Oh, my God, this man had her so internally flustered.
Still, her son not only came first, he was everything in her world, and any man in her orbit needed to know it. “He’s ten and he’s a great kid,” she couldn’t help but add with a grin.
“Are you married?” Shane asked bluntly, his gaze scanning her fingers, no doubt in search of a wedding ring or telltale tan line.
She shook her head.
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