by Rachel Hanna
“Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything,” he said, wiping her sweat filled hair from her forehead.
“You’ve done everything to turn my life around, Clay. I love you.”
“We’re in this together. I love you too.” He wound his pinky finger around hers and together they watched little Anna Grace from across the room.
* * *
“It’s a screaming baby girl!” Clay yelled when he burst through the doors into the waiting room. Adele started crying and clapping, so excited about her brand new grand baby.
“How’s Addison?” Jackson asked, always the protective older brother.
“She did great. They’re just getting her set up in a room now, and Anna Grace is being checked out. They don’t even think she’ll need to stay in the NICU for long. She screamed bloody murder as soon as she came out,” he laughed.
“Oh, that’s wonderful. I know Addison is exhausted,” Adele said. Clay nodded his head.
“Ya’ll can see her soon, though. She can’t wait to show you her new daughter,” he said with a smile.
* * *
“My God, she looks just like you, Addison,” Rebecca said as she finally got her turn to hold little Anna Grace. She was a small baby, just over 5.5 pounds, but she was gorgeous. With a tuft of dark hair, she truly looked like she belonged to Clay and Addison together.
“She looks just like her Mommy which means I’m going to have to beat some guy off with a stick one day,” Clay said without thinking. Everyone looked at him, including Addison who had her mouth hanging open.
“Planning ahead a little there, buddy?” she said.
“Always,” he said.
While everyone was oohing and ahing over the new baby, Jackson waved his hand at Clay and asked him to come out into the hall.
Jackson crossed his arms and looked at his friend intently. “You love my sister?”
“I do,” Clay admitted. “I have for a long time.”
“You gonna love that baby?”
“I already do.”
“Good,” Jackson said with a hint of a smile. “I’m gonna let her make her own choice about you, Clay Hampton, but don’t make me sorry I let this happen.”
Clay wanted to argue about the whole “let this happen” statement - as if Jackson had all that power - but he decided to “let” his friend win on this one. He got the ultimate prize anyway - Addison and Anna Grace.
Clay threw his arm around Jackson as they walked back toward the room. “And who knows, we might just be real brothers one day!”
Jackson put him in a headlock because that’s what “real brothers” do, right?
* * *
Addison stared at her new baby daughter who was sleeping soundly next to her in the hospital crib. She was exhausted from giving birth, but glad it was over. Anna Grace was perfect from head to toe. The doctors couldn’t believe the set of lungs she had on her being born six weeks early, but she was a miracle straight from God in Addison’s mind.
Her other miracle was snoozing peacefully in the chair on the other side of her, still holding her hand as he had most of the day. She couldn’t have asked for a better partner to share her delivery with, or her life for that matter.
As she sat there, looking back and forth at her two miracles, Addison reflected on how her life had changed in the last few months. She’d left her cheating husband, made a mistake with a new man, gotten pregnant, moved back to January Cove, found the love of her life who had always been there in the first place, started a new business adventure and given birth.
And yet she was as peaceful as she’d ever felt in her life. She was home.
Epilogue
Addison watched her boyfriend dancing with their new baby daughter. He swayed back and forth under the big tent while wedding guests milled about, congratulating Kyle and Jenna on their marriage.
Watching her mother dance with Harrison Gibbs cracked her up. Something about seeing her own mom falling in love both warmed her heart and creeped her out. They hadn’t become “serious”, according to Adele, but they definitely spent a lot of time together.
It had been a beautiful wedding, and Addison was so happy for them both. Jenna and Kyle had found each other young, ended up apart and then found each other all over again. They were meant to be. Just like her and Clay.
He loved Anna Grace with all his heart. In the nine weeks since she’d given birth, Clay had fallen completely in love with the baby which only made Addison fall more in love with him.
She was still living at her mother’s house, using the brand new nursery they decorated together. But the Mallory house - renamed Addy’s Inn - was set to open in a few weeks and she would be moving there with her new daughter. The thought both thrilled and terrified her. Being a single mother alone in a big house was a little scary, but she knew Clay would always be there watching over her.
She longed for her own family one day. She wanted to get married again and maybe even have more kids - with an epidural this time! She couldn’t imagine spending her life with anyone else but Clay, and that was something she never could’ve said about Jim.
Addison hadn’t allowed anyone to even keep the baby yet, but tonight was the night. She was letting her mother babysit overnight while she and Clay finally got some time alone. Between all the diaper changing and feeding, they had fallen right into the new parent routine but hadn’t really had a chance to date. Tonight was date night.
Clay was constantly at the Parker house, helping to feed and change the baby. Truth be told, he was better at changing diapers than she was. In the evenings, he would come over just to rock baby Anna Grace to sleep, usually sitting on the front porch with her as they flowed back and forth on the old porch swing.
“We’re heading out,” Kyle said to Addison as he and Jenna prepared to board the ferry and head off on their Honeymoon to St. Augustine, Florida. That also meant that Clay and Addison would board the ferry too.
Addison’s heart ached a little at the thought of leaving her baby on the island with her mother, but she desperately needed some “adult time” with her man.
“Bye, sweetie,” Addison said as she forced Clay to hand the baby to Adele. He did so reluctantly. Addison whispered in his ear.
“I’ll make it worth your while if you let her go…”
Clay quickly kissed Anna Grace goodbye and grabbed Addison’s hand as they sprinted to the ferry like teenagers.
“Congratulations, you guys,” Addison said to Kyle and Jenna as the ferry docked. Clay handed the reins over to his substitute, Howard Mertry, so he could pick the wedding party up in another hour or so.
“Thanks for everything, man,” Kyle said to Clay as he shook his hand.
“You’re welcome. Anytime.”
They watched Kyle and Jenna drive away in their decorated car, complete with tin cans dangling from the bumper and “Just Hitched” written on the back window.
“So, Miss Addison Parker, are you ready for a real, adult date?” he asked.
“I’m more than ready, Mr. Clay Hampton,” she cooed as they walked arm in arm down the street.
“Do you think we’ll ever get hitched?” he asked.
“Honey, let’s just get through tonight and then we’ll worry about that,” she said with a giggle.
“You still going to make it worth my while?” he asked with an eyebrow cocked.
“I guess you’ll have to be the judge of that,” she said smiling up at him. He scooped her up in his arms.
“All I know is that this has so been worth the wait.”
Foreword
Welcome to book 5 in the January Cove series! I hope you’ve had a chance to read books 1-4 to learn about the whole Parker clan!
This book features the last of the Parker siblings, but they will be making cameo appearances in future January Cove books as well, so don’t despair!
Look for the boxed set as well as other January Cove books on Amazon.
Chapter 1
&nb
sp; Brad Parker was anything but serious, but this morning he was feeling very serious. His bank account was dwindling a little more than he’d like, but such was the life of a contractor, he supposed.
Still, being a single guy running a crew of contractors didn’t leave a lot of time for a life, especially a love life. For the last year, he’d watched all three of his brothers, and now his sister, fall in love with their soul mates. It was like something was in the water, and he was avoiding the water.
Right now, the focus had to be off women and on money or he was going to be living in a homeless shelter. Of course, he was being dramatic as he knew his mother, Adele, would never let that happen. She’d have him a room set up in the Parker house in a heartbeat, but he didn’t want that. He was a grown man, and he needed to support himself accordingly.
Always the funny one in the family, Brad had been finding it increasingly difficult to smile lately. It had been a few weeks since his brother Kyle married his love, Jenna. Just before that, his sister Addison gave birth to beautiful Anna Grace, and she was cozily cuddled up with his long-time friend, Clay Hampton, now.
And then there were Aaron and Tessa, and Jackson and Rebecca too. Even his mother was making strides to move on with her life after rekindling an old friendship with Harrison Gibbs. And then there was Brad. Funny. Outgoing. Never bothered by anything.
Yet he was bothered. Very bothered. Agitated even.
His personality felt like it was changing from fun-loving to jealous of his siblings and even his mother. He felt left behind like some kid who’d lost his mother at the grocery store.
Sure, he dated every now and again, but nothing ever lasted. Either the women didn’t get his sense of humor or they were flat out boring. And boring women made him want to poke his eyes out. He’d had one real love relationship, but he didn’t like to talk about it. He didn’t like to talk about what she’d done to him.
Right now, he was more worried about money than women. He’d lost the Davenport job, a major contracting opportunity, in downtown January Cove. His bid had come in lower than the competition, but that didn’t matter when the competition was related to someone on the board of the corporation buying the plaza Brad had bid on.
He’d been counting on that job, and when it didn’t come through he found himself floundering around, analyzing everything about his life.
He sat at Jolt, staring at his phone. The banking app he used had to be wrong. It was early summer now, and that monetary figure should’ve been higher. A lot higher.
“Hey bro,” Kyle said as he walked into the small coffee shop and slapped Brad on the back. He wasn’t really in the mood for it this morning.
“Hey.”
“Wow. That’s the least I’ve ever heard you speak. You okay?”
“Not in the mood, Kyle,” Brad said. So far, he’d been able to keep his personal issues private, but it wouldn’t be long before his brothers would figure it out. When he stopped talking and cutting up, something was majorly wrong.
“Chill, man. Things can’t be all bad,” Kyle said, waving his hand at Rebecca to bring his regular. Coffee. Black.
“I guess not. You live in a lovesick, puppy dog, permanent honeymoon world. The rest of us don’t,” Brad mumbled, and even he was starting to hate himself.
“You need a date or something?” Kyle asked, smiling wryly until he saw that Brad was serious. And that wasn’t right at all. “Okay, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Brad said, sorry he’d opened his big mouth. Rebecca put Kyle’s coffee on the table and smiled before walking back to the register to wait on a new customer.
“You can’t fool me, man. Either ‘fess up or I’ll tell Mom.”
“Seriously? You’ll tell Mom? What are we, twelve?” Brad said, finally cracking a smile.
“I can totally revert back to twelve anytime,” Kyle said before taking a sip of his coffee.
“Fine. Business just isn’t where it needs to be right now.” Brad couldn’t even make eye contact with his brother. It was embarrassing. The Parker men worked hard, always had. It was the one thing they all had in common. Well, that and good hair.
A man was supposed to support himself, take care of his family. How would he ever have a family if he couldn’t take care of himself?
“Contracting is hard. I know, trust me.”
“Yeah, but you have steady work. You buy a foreclosure, fix it up, sell it. I have to bid on jobs, and there just aren’t many jobs in January Cove lately. I’ve been considering…”
“What? Leaving?” Kyle asked.
“Yeah. Maybe. I don’t want to but…”
“You can’t leave. It would crush Mom.”
“Kyle, I can’t live my life for everyone else. I’ve got to do what needs to be done.”
“I agree, but I came here to deliver some good news to you, and it looks like I was just in time,” Kyle said, a smile spreading across his face.
“Is Jenna pregnant?” Brad asked, immediately jumping back into his nosy personality.
“No. Not that kind of news,” Kyle laughed. “But we practice nightly,” he remarked with a wink.
“Gross. So what’s this wonderful news? You won the lottery?”
“I wish, but no. Actually, it’s about you.”
“Me?”
“Yep. My pal, Jordan Gates, called me last night. He said the Drake Corporation bought the Lamont Theater.”
“Lamont Theater? Man, we had some memories there, didn’t we?” Brad said smiling as he traveled back in time in his mind to the old movie theater across town where they’d kissed a lot of girls and sneaked into a lot of R rated movies.
“Oh yes we did. Remember their popcorn?”
“Man, it literally melted in your mouth. And their arcade was my home away from home,” Brad said, smiling at the memories of the only time in his life where responsibilities seemed a million miles away.
“Yeah. I think I still have high score on that Pac-Man machine…”
“Pac-Man? Okay, you’re showing your age.”
“Shut up. Do you want to hear the news or not?” Kyle said, taking another sip of his now chilled coffee.
“Yeah, but what does any of this have to do with me?”
“The job is yours if you want it.” Kyle grinned and waited for Brad to let the words sink in.
“Wait. What?”
“Jordan’s uncle is on the board at Drake. The company is based in California. Anyway, they needed a local contractor who had good ties to the community because they want to do some big tourist stuff here. The Lamont is just the beginning apparently.”
“Tourist stuff in January Cove? Not sure how that’ll go over around here.”
“Well, the Lamont has been closed for at least five years now. The economy could use a boost, plus it would open jobs. Gotta sell the bigger picture to the old timers.”
“Um, Mom would be included in the old-timers, you know,” Brad said.
“We’ll deal with her later,” Kyle said chuckling at the thought of his stubborn mother. “Anyway, the job would be overseeing the whole thing. You’d have to hire a crew and work with their manager who’s flying in from California as we speak. And here’s what your income would be…” Kyle said, sliding a piece of paper across the table. Brad’s eyes almost bugged out of his head.
“Seriously? That’s what they want to pay me?”
“Yep. Not too shabby, brother. I might need to borrow some money soon,” Kyle joked. “The manager will meet with you tomorrow on site. They’re sending the contract paperwork for you to sign, so you’ll need to handle that when you meet at eight sharp in the morning. The manager’s name is on the paper too. Some guy named Ronnie.”
Brad sat stunned across from his brother, shocked at how quickly life could change. He’d been lamenting his life all morning, honestly considering a career change, and then a miracle had happened.
“I don’t even know what to say,” Brad said with a grin pasted on his face. He hadn’t felt
this hopeful in weeks, and now a weight felt as if it’d been lifted from his shoulders.
“Well, first you can say what a fantastic specimen of a man I am, and then you can get that goofy grin off your face before someone sees you,” Kyle said as he stood and smacked his brother on the shoulder. “I’m always here for you. You know that, right?”
“I know that,” Brad assured him as he stood to meet his brother’s gaze.
“You’ll find her,” Kyle said with a knowing smile on his face.
“Who?”
“Her. The one for you. She’s out there, Brad. You’ve just got to find her.”
“What makes you think I want a woman in my life right now?” Brad said, trying to play off the fact that his brother was totally right. They walked outside onto the sidewalk, the warmth of the summer sun beating down on Brad’s neck.
“Because I know you’ve got to feel unsettled with all these couples around you now.” How did his brothers always know everything? It was irritating.
“Whatever. I’m too busy right now, and life’s about to get even busier apparently. Thanks for everything, Kyle. Really. You saved me this time.”
“Always do… Have a good day…” Kyle called back as he headed down the sidewalk to his truck. Brad looked down at the paper in his hand, and felt his stomach churn as he looked at the number again.
He couldn’t screw this opportunity up.
* * *
It was 7:50AM, and Brad had been sitting in the parking lot of the Lamont Theater for almost twenty minutes trying to psyche himself up to go inside. Normally self assured, this was new ground for him to actually be nervous. He’d always been the Parker kid who made everyone laugh, always creating havoc wherever he went with pranks and jokes that made his mother cringe.
But today he couldn’t summon any courage at all. This was big money. This was a big corporation. His entire career was on the line, and he had to make a good impression on the manager flying in from California. If he didn’t like Brad, there was a good chance the job would be given to someone else.