What Could Be (Everyday Love Book 1)

by Jaycee Weaver

  What Could Be

  written by

  Jaycee Weaver

  ©2017 by Jaycee Weaver

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author.

  Published by Sandia Sky Press LLC, Albuquerque, NM

  Cover by Jaycee Weaver

  Cover photo of couple on car copyright: wavebreakmediamicro / 123RF Stock Photo Used under license

  Cover produced via Canva

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are creations of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locations is purely coincidental. Some events and locations within Albuquerque, New Mexico are used with or without altering names and identities because the author loves her hometown and everything in it and intends absolutely no harm whatsoever. Any factual errors were made unintentionally or with creative liberties on my part to better further the story as necessary.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  Sneak Peek

  Prologue

  “Trey! You have to sit still!” Brynn cried out to her little brother in protest. “Don’t you want to be smart like me some day?”

  She let out a huff of impatience. At nine years old, Brynn was obviously the one in charge of this game. She walked behind the preschool-sized table and chairs they were using in Trey’s room to play school and scooted his chair closer to the table.

  “Okay, now write an A. Like this,” she placed the fat pencil into his chubby fingers gently and with the air of authority only a big sister could have. She held his hand and helped him write the slanted lines from top to bottom, and then across the center.

  “I tired, Sissy,” Trey’s little voice almost whined, his shiny eyes searching hers to see how much longer was left of the game.

  “I know, Trey. How ‘bout I teach you to write your name instead?” She rounded her eyes and raised her brows as she whispered the offer, trying to make it sound more exciting. He nodded, his own eyes wide in imitation.

  With practiced hands, she carefully wrote the letters T R E Y on the top of the wide lined paper that she’d managed to rescue from the recycling bin at the end of last school year. Her third-grade teacher had been more than happy to let her take whatever extra worksheets and crinkle-edged writing paper that was left on the last day before break. Brynn had seen the chance to supply her own “classroom” at home, and was glad to find the materials to make playing school all summer not only fun, but realistic.

  Of course, playing with Trey wasn’t nearly as fun as playing with Annie or Pablo from the neighborhood, or Kendra, her best friend from school. They were closer to her own age and could actually do the worksheets so Brynn could check them and put a big red “A+” on them with a smiley face like Miss Devlin always did.

  She’d have to make do with Trey, though. Being six years older and a future teacher meant it was her job to teach him stuff he’d need to know. She loved to read aloud Cat in the Hat and Go, Dog, Go! with Trey. Someday, she’d help him read so they could share her favorite books. For now, she’d settle on teaching him his ABCs. And if he could just sit still a minute, maybe how to write his name.

  She handed him the fat pencil again and showed him how to trace the letters she’d written. Then she had a bright idea and remembered how Miss Paige in kindergarten used to make dots in the shape of the letters when she was little, so she did the same for Trey.

  “Now you connect the dots, Trey.” He stuck his tiny tongue out through his teeth in concentration and scribbled dark lines in a wobbly hand.

  “No, Trey! Like this!” She tried again, but Trey only succeeded in making more squiggles and a few tiny circles…well, sort of circles. And then he ignored her completely and drew funny looking smiley face people with giant wobbly heads and tiny stick arms and legs.

  Man, teaching little kids was hard!

  But that didn’t matter. Brynn knew what she loved. She loved to learn, and she loved to help other people learn. Little kids were fun to be around. Maybe Trey was still too little to write? She wouldn’t give up yet, though. Brynn was determined, Mom always said. Stubborn, said Dad. Either way, Brynn knew what she wanted and was going to make sure nothing stopped her. Someday, she’d be the awesomest teacher, ever. She couldn’t wait!

  Chapter 1

  Brynn

  “Miss Brynn? I need to go to the potty!”

  Brynn Easton looked up in alarm from the homework she was checking and assessed the urgency of the adorable little kindergartener’s voice. Rats. Maddie was notorious for waiting until the last second to get to the bathroom. Jumping to her feet, she told Gina, her best friend and coworker, she’d be right back. Gina waved her off. They both knew how things went around here.

  “Come on, Mads. Let’s hurry!”

  She ushered the adorably freckled five-year-old to the small bathroom adjacent to the classroom that housed her after school program. Maddie quickly finished and stood on tiptoe at the sink to wash her hands. Her precious little voice sang the alphabet song as she made soap bubbles before rinsing. Brynn had recently gone over proper handwashing techniques as a group and Maddie apparently took the advice quite literally. She was so cute! I’m so glad at least one of these kids took my lesson to heart!

  Brynn tucked a strand of her long blonde hair behind her ear, checked her reflection in the foggy mirror, and reached for Maddie’s little hand as they made their way back to the classroom. Their footsteps reverberated on the metal steps of the portable building outside the main school campus, hers loudly and little Maddie’s a softer echo a step behind.

  Cordova Elementary was an older campus in a nice, established eastside Albuquerque neighborhood that attracted young families and retirees alike. Her after school program, sponsored by the nonprofit Sandia Area Educational Collaborative, or SAEC for short, was housed in one of the larger portable buildings on the outer edge of the campus.

  Theirs was one of the older portables that had been left unoccupied after a population boom that had slowly decreased in recent years, and it featured two larger classrooms divided by a wall with a single door connecting them. While she was happy to have the space, it meant that they had to take the kids to the nearby restroom building, also a portable, just a few feet away. When they had small kids like Maddie who tended to wait until the last minute, having to leave one building, cross to the other, and then unlock the bathroom with a key was more than a little
annoying. It was a down right pain in the butt.

  Re-entering the room, the blast of air conditioning hit Brynn and she relished the relief from the last strains of a hot, desert summer clinging on to the end of September for all they were worth. Albuquerque was known for its unpredictable but beautiful weather, and Brynn couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Where else could she enjoy all four seasons, sunshine over 300 days of the year, and some of the best food known to mankind?

  Her eyes flicked over to the table where Gina was helping 3rd grade Jorge. Gina’s long-lashed brown eyes bugged out as she dipped her head toward Jorge, revealing her frustration over the child’s attitude. Brynn completely understood Gina’s silent communication. The kid was fantastic, but with math homework became an easily flustered mess. She sighed heavily and willed a big smile onto her face.

  In an even but cheerful tone, Brynn asked Jorge, “Hey buddy! How’s it going?”

  “Argh! I just don’t understand this! Miss Gina is trying to help me, but she’s not doing it the way my teacher showed me! It’s all WRONG!” His dark coffee eyebrows wrinkled hard in a deep frown at Gina. His small fists clenched and unclenched with the rise and fall of his chest as he tried to contain his temper. She took in a cleansing breath and smiled at Jorge as sweetly as she could manage. She really loved this kid, but his freak outs were starting to take a toll on her patience.

  “Okay, bud, let’s take a look. First, I’m really proud of how you’re controlling your frustration right now. I can tell you probably wanted to throw your homework a second ago, but you’re breathing and squeezing like we’ve been working on. Good job! Now, why don’t you explain to me how Ms. Martin taught you to do it, and we’ll see what we can do to help you figure this out. If we still don’t get it, I’ll let you take a break and talk to your mom when she picks you up. Your mom is a smart lady and I’ll bet she can work with you at home.”

  Brynn knew mentioning his mom would help Jorge to calm down. She was a great mom who worked full time at a local bank branch. She’d be more than capable of helping Jorge figure it out. Brynn just didn’t like the guilt she felt at the kids being robbed of their family time because they’d have homework to finish. She tried to make sure the kids in her care at least started their homework and made a pretty decent dent in it before they went home each evening.

  While she didn’t have any children of her own, yet, she remembered what it was like to be a kid and wanting nothing more than to play and spend time with her family after school. Between work, school, homework, sports, and other activities, many of these families would never get to sit around a dinner table together or spend much time doing anything but rushing from place to place. It’s what drove her to insist on homework time as part of her after school program.

  Of course, she also had plenty of wiggle room for play time, snack, and other activities. Her branch of the SAEC provided both before and after school care and had about 45 students from kindergarten through fifth grade. She’d set up half of one of the rooms as the homework area, where right then a dozen kids were working with varying degrees of patience and volume. The other half of the room was designated as an art and science center where the kids could complete semi-independent arts and crafts projects or work on STEM games and activities. It was a clear favorite.

  The classroom on the other side of the wall was set up as an open area with child-sized shelves lining the walls, filled with board games and toys in well-organized bins with tables nearby. It was by far the noisier of the two rooms, but the littler kids were drawn to it and she had a hard time deciding which area was her favorite.

  Jorge having made as much progress as he could for the night, she decided to check on the other room. Gina was more than capable of handling the kids here while she checked on the others. She turned the handle to the dividing door and stepped into the chaos.

  She smiled at the scene before her, little kindergarten and first grade girls playing with the Barbie bin, several kids snuggled up with books in the reading area, and a few playing Mancala and Guess Who? at the tables. Several of the boys rushed up at her all at once.

  “Miss Brynn! Now that you’re in here, can Ms. Erica take us outside to play football? Please?!”

  The shouts all came from different directions, but the one that had her heart melting was a precious kindergarten boy with a deep dimple in one cheek, hair even blonder than her own, and who was at this moment jumping up and down for all he was worth. Brendan looked like an excited puppy trying not to wet itself when its owner came home from a long day away. Her heart melted and she glanced over to Erica for confirmation that she didn’t mind taking them out. At Erica’s nod, Brynn grinned at the boys.

  “Okay, boys, Ms. Erica will take you out to play ball, BUT,” she paused dramatically so they understood to give her their full attention, “the playground is not open. You have to stay on the end of the field closest to our classroom, together, and when she says it’s time to come inside there’s no complaining. Got it?” Heads nodded at various heights as the boys agreed.

  Within seconds, the room felt startlingly quiet. Brynn looked around the room and was overwhelmed with the satisfaction she felt at the sight. I love this job. When she had originally started college, she had been entirely convinced she would become a teacher. She’d been enamored with other kids since she’d become a big sister at 6, and had been working with them in some form or fashion since. Babysitting her way through the socially awkward high school years, teaching Sunday school starting in her teens…she’d felt so strongly about becoming a teacher it was all she had talked about doing with her life. Ever. Of course, that was before....

  Shaking off the memories that tried to shove their way in, she let the fondness for her students bring a smile to her face and challenged one of the girls to a game of Mancala. Three rounds and a promised rematch later, the outside door opened.

  A tall, well-dressed man stood holding the door open, grinning at his sweaty little dimple-cheeked son, who raced into the room breathing hard and made a beeline straight for Brynn. She braced herself for the full force leg hug she knew was coming. Classic Brendan, she grinned.

  “Miss Brynn! Miss Brynn! I made a touchdown all by myself! Grant threw it to Miguel but I caught it and ran it in. I caught it! I did it!”

  She felt his excitement build up in her own heart and beamed at him, as proud as if he were her own little boy. She held her fist out and they gave each other exploding knuckles. Her cheeks were starting to hurt from grinning so hard, but she couldn’t help it. This kid had somehow managed to worm his way right into her heart from the very first day.

  “Great job, Brendan! That is so awesome!” The kiddo was kind of small for his age, but through sheer tenacity he kept up with the boys who were so much bigger than him. Brendan launched into an animated retelling of his big play and she laughed out loud. Seriously, my cheeks hurt!

  Her eyes flicked over to Brendan’s dad, who kept himself closer to the door. He was young compared to many of her other parents. He looked somewhere around 6-foot, lean but well built, with a dimple exactly like Brendan’s when he returned her smile. She could see the amusement glimmering in his eyes and the adoration for his son shining in his handsome face. They both looked to Brendan, now skipping around the room and telling the other kids about his touchdown. Oh, to be a kid with that much enthusiasm! she thought.

  Brendan’s father signed him out and the two left the room with matching dimpled grins and waves in her direction. The force of those twin grins left her a little breathless. Each one was pretty adorable on its own. But together? Whoa. Her heart beat a little harder with that contagious energy Brendan had left behind. Yeah. Brendan’s energy. That totally explained the drums going on in her chest.

  Brynn walked to her car a short time later and had to mentally switch gears from the boisterous afternoon to her evening plans. She blasted the air conditioning and the new Rend Collective song on her favorite local Christian station. She sang along,
making her way out of the quiet neighborhood and on to the busy road that would lead her to the interstate on ramp. Her face scrunched in thought. Had she finished all her homework?

  She’d been attending UNM for a couple years, but the previous year had changed her major from elementary education to nursing. She loved being with the kids, but she also had a passion for science and seeing kids healthy. She wanted to focus her future nursing care specifically in pediatrics, and while her scores were good enough to become a pediatrician, that didn’t hold as much allure as nursing. As an RN, she knew she could find a great job in a clinic where she could eventually work part time when she decided to have a family of her own someday.

  Sure, she was still young and in college—still a few months shy of 23—but she’d always been driven, and a family of her own ranked high on her life to-do list. She smiled at the thought of all the things on that list. Go to college. Become a teacher. Scratch that. Become a pediatric nurse. Get married. Buy a house. Have a few kids. Help a bunch of other people’s kids stay healthy, along with her own. Retire young enough to enjoy it with her husband. Have a ton of grandkids to spoil rotten. Travel. Enter into heaven’s peace an old, old lady in her sleep. She had some vague ages attached to those goals, too, but she knew now that life doesn’t always go according to plan and sometimes things have to be adjusted. Aiden and Caleb had both taught her that.

  As if he could read her thoughts, Caleb’s name flashed on her phone’s screen. She answered her car’s Bluetooth and his deep voice filled the vehicle.

  “Hey, babe. I wanted to catch you before class. The guys and I are meeting up for a late night of studying again if you want to come by later. We’ve got a big exam next week and this week’s homework was brutal. It’s probably the only chance I’ll have to see you for a while.”

  She breathed out a small sigh, aware of the truth in his words. This was getting to be a pretty common problem in their relationship. Her own schooling would soon get more intense, and some day she might be the one calling to cancel plans or squeeze him in, but that didn’t lessen the growing sense of frustration she was feeling. Was she just making excuses for him?