Finding Single Dads

by Destiny, Sam

I waited for a moment as silent tears slipped down her cheeks, then she suddenly wrapped her arms around me and sobbed into my shoulder.

  “I falling for you, too, you stupid, stubborn ass,” she muttered against my neck. I closed my eyes, holding her close.

  “I might still be an ass sometimes,” I whispered. I fucked up on a regular basis and knew it was going to be hard to change.

  She pulled back and looked at me. “And I’ll be able to handle it. Besides, you’ll have to deal with me being loud, so…”

  I grinned. “And I’ll be able to handle it.”

  A beaming smile lit up her face. “Kiss me, then we can go down again so I might finally see some of my dog.”

  I complied, kissing her long and sweet, then eyed her attire.

  “You want to change first?”

  She grinned, shaking her head. “It’s just family after all, right?”

  Man, I liked the sound of it and honestly? I couldn’t care less what she wore—as long as she was around me.

  DALE - Nine Months Later

  “Just stay away from the crib, Sally, Lacrosse. Ugh.”

  I leaned back, watching Clare trying to shuffle my daughter and the dog away from little J’s crib.

  Months had passed, and things had worked out perfectly. I couldn’t remember ever having been happier. When she walked up to me, I pulled her close.

  “You make me so happy,” I whispered against her neck, and she exhaled slowly.

  “Just because I gave you a son. However, your daughter and her dog cannot stay away and leave the little man be so he can sleep,” she groaned, albeit jokingly

  “Our daughter,” I corrected, and she hesitated a moment before looking at me.

  “Dale…”

  I shifted so I could pull her onto my lap. “She calls you mom more often than not, Clare, and you’ve done a fabulous job raising her these last few months, teaching her all about how to be her own person, yet kind. You didn’t give birth to her, but I still consider her part of you.”

  It was true. “Mom” had accidentally slipped out of Sally’s mouth a few times, but I knew for a fact that she now used it on purpose. Clare usually reacted to it, too.

  Lacrosse had spent every waking minute, and every sleeping one, with Sally, and the two were inseparable. Luckily, Clare practically lived with us now, even if she insisted on keeping her house. I didn’t know why, especially since only my restoration equipment and Clare’s half-finished paintings were kept in there.

  It was something she had always wanted to try. While she enjoyed starting a picture, it was obvious she’d never finish one.

  I didn’t care, though, because she looked utterly content when the brush went over the canvas. I enjoyed watching her…until she’d get distracted, mostly by Sally.

  “Dale,” Clare whispered. “She feels like my child.”

  I knew what it cost her to say this. My mother had confided in me that Clare worried about overstepping her bounds when it came to Sally. I’d always meant to ask Clare about it, to hear her thoughts, but the time had never been right.

  However, that didn’t matter because she’d obviously finally come to terms with what she was feeling.

  “I have a surprise for you,” I said quietly, glancing past her at the children. Junior slept quietly and Sally rolled on the floor with Lacrosse, laughing.

  “I don’t need a surprise. I have you,” Clare replied, placing her arms around my neck. Still, I pulled the keys from my pocket, watching her eyes widen in question.

  “I found the perfect place. I know you’ll never give up your house, and I don’t have the patience to build anything. Let’s make a new house for our family. No longer yours, no longer mine. Ours. It’s the farm.”

  We’d visited a farm to see some sheep a few months back. I’d used that excuse to show Clare around without her knowing. I’d heard the owners were going to sell, and Clare and Sally had instantly fallen in love with the property, the small stream running nearby, the wide lawn to run on.

  When I stood on the porch, I’d pictured more kids playing there, knowing moving in with her would be just the first step.

  Clare Delaney didn’t know it yet, but she wouldn’t be a Delaney much longer.

  I already had the ring, and one day very soon, I’d get down on my knee, knowing with certainty that she wouldn’t turn me down.

  Clare Delaney loved me unlike anyone had ever been loved before, and she’d never again belong to someone else. She was the one for me, and I would make her see that over and over again for the rest of our lives.

  The End

  Thank you to everyone who made this possible as fast as it has happened.

  Thank you to Aimie Jennison for being my sounding board. You are, and always be, part of the reason why I can start every day new and think it’ll be a better day. #Parabatai

  Thank you, Jo Raven, Queen of Boy Torture, for believing I can, every day, every time, every try. You are my biggest support even if we don’t talk. ;-) I cannot thank you enough. This boy-torture-princess loves ya!

  Jamie Summer, thank you for your unwavering belief in my words, for your enthusiasm, for your eagerness to get my words. Everyone needs a friend like you! I love you, girl. Thank you.

  Ewelina, my somewhat PA and epic friend. You are always able to make me smile. ALWAYS.

  JC Clarke, Tammy, you… Thank you. I cannot tell you how much it means to me that you are as fast as you are, and as amazing. This cover is truly EVERYTHING I wanted. Thank you.

  Kim Young, your edits have been… I don’t know what to say. I cannot express how much it means to me to have an editing process as easy, and good as this one. Painfree also comes to mind. Thank you. Seriously. I’m going to learn so much from you, you’ll be impressed come the year 2062.

  Ariana McWilliams, the woman who is an angel in disguise. You don’t know how much you do for me and my sanity every single day, every single second you talk to me. You deserve so much more than I could ever give you. Seriously, you are outstanding. Thank you.

  And lastly, thank you to the most important people out there: the readers. Thank you for being here. I hope you loved these three as much as I did. Thank you. Always.

  xoxo,

  Sam

  Single Dad’s Mistake

  By Sam Destiny

  Copyright © 2018 Sam Destiny

  Cover Copyright © JC Clarke of The Graphic Shed

  Edited by Kim Young of Kim’s Fiction Editing Services

  Formatting by Aimie Jennison

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be copied or reproduced without written consent of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, places or people, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Maybe unwanted, or unexpected, but never unnecessary—love hard without regrets.

  KNOX

  “You’re the fucking worst father ever!” Callum grabbed his skateboard and strode down the porch steps. He tried to slam the garden gate closed, but it popped back open.

  “Language!” I called after him.

  Sighing, I sat on the steps and shredded my hands through my hair. I’d thought raising an infant would be hard. I’d thought toddler phase would kill me. Turned out nothing was as bad as the teenage years.

  We’d just moved to Eden, Michigan, the house not even ready because one of the moving trucks was running late. Naturally, Callum hated everything about it. His new room was too big, the living room too small, and the kitchen too far away from his bedroom.

  I blew out a breath. Jesus, I’m exhausted.

  “You okay?”

  Startled, I looked up, a tiny blonde standing at the garden gate. Her tight black leggings hugged her legs and a black tank followed every curve of her body. It was almost distracting, the way her clothes hid hardly anything.

  I forced out a smile. “Peachy.” Wincing, realizing how horrible
that sounded, I sighed. “I’m sorry.” I stood and strode over to her. “My day hasn’t been exactly easy.”

  She nodded. As I got closer, I noticed her eyes were dark brown, a stark contrast to her fair hair and light skin. “I’m Sarah Burke. I live down the road. I wanted to go for a run, but, well… A screaming match won’t exactly go unnoticed around here. Welcome to the neighborhood.”

  She held out a hand, her eyes roaming over my face and down my body. I was certain it lingered on my hand a little longer than it should as I grasped hers.

  “Knox Dyer. Nice to meet you.” And that wasn’t a lie. She was beautiful, a kind acceptance in her eyes making my heart flutter.

  Her brows shot up. “Knox?” she echoed, and I winced.

  “Yes. I know. It sounds like a street name. My parents thought Knoxley would be a great name, and since Knoxley is even worse than Knox…” I spread my arms wide, “here I am.” I hated my name, had since I was little.

  “I like it,” she eventually decided, her smile warm and sincere as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, enhancing her cleavage. “How old is he?” She nodded down the street to where my son was doing skateboard stunts in a dead end.

  I blew out a breath. “Sixteen. I was nineteen when Callum was born. I figured it couldn’t be so hard. After all, I thought I owned the world.”

  Her expression looked thoughtful, a blonde strand blowing into her face as a wistful smile crossed her lips. “I bet life taught you, huh? You were young. Very much so. Where’s his mother?”

  I arched a brow, caught off-guard. People usually didn’t ask me that question out of fear of being insensitive. “I, uh…”

  Sarah blinked up at me, surprised. “What? Don’t know?”

  I shook my head. “Of course I do, but I have be honest here. People don’t normally ask me that.”

  She shrugged, the athletic tank drawing my eyes down to her cleavage again. “Well, I figure it can be one of three things. She’s dead, you have joint custody, or she took off and left you with the child. There’s nothing pretty about any of those things, but me skirting around the topic won’t make it better, will it?”

  I cocked my head. “I guess not. She was seventeen, fearing she’d waste her life if she raised him. We’d agreed to put him up for adoption. When we went to her last check-up before he was born, I realized I couldn’t do that, couldn’t have my child raised by someone else, so I opted to be a single dad.”

  “Got a new girlfriend to go with it?”

  I arched a brow, smirking. “Why? Are you offering?” Only after I’d said the words did I realize I’d been thinking she’d be nice to get to know.

  She laughed briefly, the sound clear and sweet. “Just curious. It’s a big house you’re living in. I figured it was more of a family thing.”

  I shrugged, wondering what it was about her I immediately liked. I was charming, so I got along great with women, but just because I hit it off with the ladies didn’t mean I liked a majority of them.

  Sarah was different. She was a little shorter than me, her body athletic, yet showed she didn’t say no to a good burger. I liked her curves much more than I was ready to admit, and the fact she wore no make-up to speak of added extra appeal in my eyes.

  “I’ve dated a few women, yes, but most were… I don’t know. Soon after meeting Callum, they walked out. It didn’t matter how cute he was, they always left. You know, he wasn’t always this much trouble.”

  It seemed puberty, the move, and whatever else had hit him hard. I couldn’t remember when we’d last sat down and finished dinner in peace.

  “You know, it’s a single dad’s mistake to think women will be okay with a child who’s not their own. I assume you told them right away?”

  The way she phrased her question proved that she knew better.

  “You know, it’s a relationship killer. Or a date killer. Or really just a killer topic. Do you have kids?”

  Or a husband? Boyfriend? Girlfriend?

  Her expression darkened as she straightened her shoulders, brushing a blonde strand of hair behind her ear. “Listen…” She placed her small hand on the fence between us and gave me a strained smile. “This has been nice. We should talk some other time, but I really gotta go. I need to finish this run, then get to work. You take care. Again, welcome to the neighborhood. Watch out for the crows.” She winked, running off before I could form a response.

  It seemed okay for her to talk about me, but the moment the topic changed to her, she shut down. Deciding that the last thing on my mind should be dating, I turned and made my way up the porch steps and into the house.

  Every room was filled with boxes. I contemplated where to start, deciding the kitchen would be as good a place as any. Besides, a tidy kitchen always made me feel as if I had my life under control.

  Ha, what an illusion.

  I stepped into the kitchen and looked around. The cupboards were high, making me think whoever lived here before had been as tall as I was, about six-three, then I paused. Why in the world did it matter how high the cabinets hung? My son was almost as tall as I was, although much lankier. No matter what he ate, he didn’t gain weight, and people always asked me if I wasn’t feeding him.

  Hearing the doorbell, I walked to the front and opened the door, freezing at the two women standing there. Easily forty, wearing too much make-up and not enough material to cover their bodies, they looked foreboding, like those scary witches you saw in movies.

  “Hey, handsome. Welcome to the neighborhood.” Their eyes raked down my body, making me shiver. When Sarah had done that in appreciation, it had been sexy. With them, it was just…weird.

  “Ladies.” I didn’t feel like giving them my name, even if we were neighbors.

  “I made you a tuna casserole, handsome,” the first one with dark, short hair and a shorter than short green sundress announced, brushing past me and walking right into the kitchen, as if she owned the place.

  “Ignore her, son,” the second one ordered, her hair bright red and just as short as her friend’s. It looked like someone had shrunk her pink capris and white blouse, her rather round body hugged by the material. “She has no manners. I’m Elena, sweetheart.” She walked into the house, making sure her chest brushed against mine, although there was plenty of space for her to pass without touching me at all.

  “Elena, leave the poor man alone. He hasn’t even unpacked yet and you’re already trying to pick apart his sexy body. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Where is your second half? Has she dug her claws into him yet?”

  At the voice, Elena turned toward the door. I looked out and saw Sarah striding up my porch steps. Did she forget something?

  Or had she come back to save me from these two?

  “Just because your libido died when your child did doesn’t mean we can’t be interested,” Elena snapped

  My eyes widened. Holy fucking shit. What an incredibly low blow. Surprisingly, Sarah took it in a stride.

  “Well, I’ll make sure to tell Mr. Dan, your husband, you said that. Have a nice day.” She looked at me as she backed away. “Oh, and Knox? My place is six houses down, should you not see any other way to escape the crows,” Sarah called, then she was gone again.

  I stared at the red-haired monster next to me, realizing I needed to tread carefully. “Listen, I appreciate you and your friend dropping by, but I need to get the kitchen and living room unpacked before my son comes back and throws another teenage fit. How about we catch up some other time?”

  Like…never?

  Elena crossed her arms in front of her sagging cleavage and gave me a sugary smile. “Dana and I are always here if you need anything, son.”

  It creeped me out how she switched between calling me that and calling me sweetheart.

  I gave her a strained smile I was sure looked more like a grimace than anything else. Her friend, Dana, leaned against the staircase banister, watching us.

  “Sarah Burke is a tease, Knox,” she announced, then wa
lked closer and ran her red fingernails across my chest.

  Why did these two feel it was okay to touch me without permission? And, damn, they clearly could hear a lot better than I’d have guessed.

  “Yes, she is flirty, but she won’t let you come close. She’ll make you all hot and bothered until your blue balls nearly burst out of those sexy jeans, then she’ll walk away. She’s not what you’re looking for,” her friend added.

  I felt my balls shriveling up just because these two talked about them.

  “A relationship is not what I’m looking for. If it ever is, I’ll make sure to come ask you if my choice is a good one. Goodbye, ladies, and thank you for the casserole.” That I definitely won’t be eating.

  Once they walked out—after trying to kiss my cheeks, unsuccessfully—I leaned against the door. This definitely was a weird neighborhood, but then again, what had I expected? I’d wanted a nice, safe home for my son, and you didn’t find those in the big city.

  However, in the big city, at least I would’ve been safe from those two. That suddenly sounded much more appealing than the yard and the freedom of owning my own house.

  * * *

  SARAH

  I wished there was something I could do against the likes of Elena and Dana. Even hours later, I was still upset about the way Elena had spoken to me…and the fact Knox had been right there. The jab had been low and she knew it, but I also couldn’t deny that for the last five years, my body had felt dead.

  Men tried to charm me, and I’d even attempted to go along a few times. After all, maybe I just needed to open the faucet to get the water running.

  Yeah, that doesn’t work with sex.

  Still, I could very much appreciate Knox with his raven hair and dark blue eyes, tattoos peeking out from the sleeves of his shirt.