Just one kiss (The Ashcrofts Book 1)

by Anderson, Poppy J.

  “Okay.” Her son sighed heavily and confessed in a low voice, “I’d rather go with you now, Mom.”

  “I know.” She gave him a smile she hoped didn’t feel as sad as it felt. “But Aunt Amy will be really tired today. I’m just going to swing by for a few minutes and say hi. I don’t want to bother her too much. I’m sure we can all go tomorrow. Your dad wanted to do something with you today anyway.”

  Hamilton had never been one to protest a reasonable argument. He was almost frighteningly sensible for his age. He nodded and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Can I take my new drawings tomorrow and show them to Aunt Amy? Dad wanted to see them today, but I want to take them tomorrow too.”

  “I think that sounds like a good plan,” Barbara replied indulgently, and registered with motherly pride that he gave her a charming smile before he got out of the car.

  She took a few deep breaths and then got out as well. After getting the boys’ backpacks from the trunk, she walked up the neatly paved path and joined James and their sons on the porch. Barbara had no eyes for the sprawling, manicured lawn, the gorgeous flowers in bloom, or the pretty, freshly painted façade of the house. Instead, she watched her ex-husband’s expression soften as he pulled Hamilton into an embrace and pressed a kiss to their nine-year-old’s hair.

  She took another deep breath as she stepped closer, smiling mechanically when James raised his head and offered her the kind of smile that, in another life, had made her knees go weak.

  “Hi, Barbara.”

  “James.” She gave a curt nod, grateful when Scott claimed his father’s attention by tugging on his hand and jumping up and down like an excited puppy.

  “Dad? Dad? Guess what? I made three goals yesterday at soccer! Three!”

  James tore his gaze away from Barbara to look down at Scott. “Wow! Three?” he said, impressed. “That calls for celebrating, pal. We could go out for ice cream later.”

  Naturally, Scott’s reply was a whoop of joy that echoed along the driveway.

  Before Scott had finished cheering, James put a hand on Hamilton’s shoulder and asked, “Did you bring some new drawings, champ? I’m still waiting to see the one you were talking about last weekend.”

  A lump formed in Barbara’s throat at the sight of her son leaning against his dad and beaming up at him. That lump was pretty frequent when she saw the three of them together. It was obvious how much the boys loved their dad, and how much James loved his sons.

  “I brought my whole portfolio, Dad,” Hamilton confirmed cheerfully, holding the large folder against his chest.

  “That’s great.” James turned to include Scott as he casually asked, “Do you guys want to head to the backyard? I could use your help mowing the lawn.”

  Though Barbara could see her youngest wanted to run straight through the house to the backyard, he hugged her first, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Bye, Mom.”

  “Bye, honey,” she replied cheerfully, running her hand down his back. “Have fun with your dad, and don’t eat too much ice cream.”

  The mischievous grin he gave her before disappearing into the house said everything.

  She shook her head and rolled her eyes, then said goodbye to Harrison, who hugged her a little tighter than his brother had and then walked inside at a normal pace. For the sensitive Hamilton, the divorce had been a disaster, even with his parents doing everything they could to make it easy on their kids. After James had moved out, Hamilton had suffered from a crushing fear of abandonment, sleeping in Barbara’s room each night. He’d gotten used to the situation by now, having one home with his mom and one with his dad, but Barbara still worried about him.

  For her children’s sake, she’d actually considered staying married at the time. But—

  “You look so elegant today,” James said, breaking into her reverie as he took the boys’ backpacks from her. And with a compliment to boot.

  “Thank you,” she replied primly.

  “Do you have an appointment or something?” His voice was still cordial, unfazed by her stand-offish demeanor. Sometimes she yearned for him to stop answering her abrasive behavior with a smile, to stop pretending there was no problem.

  She sighed. “I’m just going to the hospital to meet my new nephews.”

  It was overly obvious Barbara didn’t want to chat, but, like usual, James acted like her frosty attitude was perfectly normal. It never failed to annoy her.

  Another thing that annoyed her was the way he spoke about the rest of her family.

  “Oh, I called Eleanore this morning,” he said, “and she told me the babies are healthy and perfect. She was beside herself with joy.”

  Barbara pressed her lips together. She couldn’t say what was worse: the fact that he got along so well with her mother that they talked on the phone, or the fact that he spoke about her brother and his wife’s children as if they were all still one big, happy family.

  But she didn’t want to argue about any of that, so she swallowed her irritation and tried not to notice how cramped and stiff her shoulders felt after only a few minutes in his presence. “I should be on my way,” she said hollowly. “Please remember Scott’s allergic to banana in any form. He always wants a banana split, but he—”

  “I know that, Barbara,” James interrupted patiently, reacting to her overbearing tone with a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

  “Good.” She nodded abruptly. “Enjoy your day with the boys.”

  When she turned to go, his hesitant voice stopped her. “Wait … Barbara.”

  She took a deep breath and turned, his contrite expression like a small stab to her chest. “What is it, James? I really need to get going.”

  He inhaled deeply. “Do you have any plans for the afternoon?” he asked shyly.

  Since she knew what was coming, she nodded dismissively. “I’m meeting Cynthia Mitchell to talk about the next gala.”

  “Oh.” He sounded disappointed.

  Seeing his pout, she stiffened.

  He met her eyes. “Too bad,” he murmured reluctantly. “I just … I thought we might go get ice cream together. All four of us, I mean. The weather’s so nice, and the boys would be thrilled if we all went together—like we used to.”

  The lump in her throat grew bigger and bigger as James’s gaze became more penetrating. He looked downright hopeful.

  Barbara took a deep breath. She didn’t want to start a debate on principle, so she raised both hands defensively and declined calmly. “I really don’t have time, James.”

  “The boys would love an afternoon together, Barbara. As a family.”

  Barbara would do anything for Hamilton and Scott. Well, almost anything. What she would not do is spend the afternoon sitting beside James eating ice cream with fake cheer. She’d been practicing restraint for two years now and had managed to never scream in his face that she couldn’t stand the sight of him, but she could feel righteous anger flaring up within her now. “As a family, James?” she repeated. “We are no longer a family. And I would be so very grateful if you could finally accept that!”

  “Barbara …”

  She took a step backward, a thunderstorm of anger, panic, and grief brewing inside her.

  “Stop it!” she hissed at him. “We are no longer a family. You made sure of that, and now you have to live with the consequences.”

  Acknowledgements

  The story of the Ashcroft family, which began with Amy and Patrick, slept on my hard drive for eight years. It was my first foray into the world of contemporary romance—before that, I had only written historical fiction.

  But, after I’d published books on firemen and cops, I thought it was time to release the Ashcrofts into the world.

  In preparing the story for publication, I was supported by the amazing Annie, who is an expert in ironing out small kinks and bigger mistakes, and who patiently tolerates my chaotic methods.

  Of course, I fell in love with the gorgeous cover the moment I saw it, so I need to thank Catrin, who is
just as adept at keeping her head in the midst of chaos.

  I also want to thank Susan, Mandy, Cathy, Julia, and Conny, my beta readers, for placating my nervousness by writing to me in the middle of the night to ask for the next chapters.

  Thank you, girls, you know how much that means to me!

  If you, dear readers, enjoyed Just One Kiss, I can’t wait to share with you the release of book two, Just One Moment.

  Boston 5

  “The Heat Is On” (Book 1)

  When Hayden's fiancé breaks off their engagement, Hayden’s whole world falls apart. After all, she has loved Heath Fitzpatrick since they were children. Though she can hardly believe he really wants the breakup, she picks up the pieces of her life and tries to accept the new situation.

  But her efforts are thwarted time and again by the rest of the Fitzpatrick clan, who have always been part of her life—and who are notorious for being outspoken, persistent, and downright meddlesome. None of Heath's siblings are above adding their own two cents. Or twenty.

  Even Heath himself, a daring firefighter, seems to be having trouble adjusting to his new single life. So how in the world is Hayden supposed to move on, forget the plans they made for the future, and get Heath off her mind? And even more difficult—she'll need to banish him from her heart, forever.

  “Blast from the past” (Book 2)

  Shane Fitzpatrick is irresistible and he knows it. Tall, dark, and handsome, the detective with the Boston police has women swoon over him left and right. So far, the stubborn Irish Romeo hasn't complained about it, but recently he feels increasingly ready to skip the many dates, and look for the one woman to settle down with.

  Too bad that the only woman he's ever had real feelings for doesn't even know his real name. To make matters worse, she also has every reason to wish he were roasting in the deepest recess of hell...

  “More than a feeling” (Book 3)

  As the only girl in a family with five children, Kayleigh Fitzpatrick learned to assert herself at a young age, since she didn't want to end up tied to the stake. It’s paid off for her, as these days, she stands her ground as a physician in a chaotic emergency room, dealing with all kinds of emergencies—like rioting patients trying to attack helpless nurses.

  However, as the unmarried only daughter of a very Catholic mother, she is sick of listening to the constant admonition to start looking for a husband and make babies. The problem is, Kayleigh knows that her take-charge, tomboyish attitude and her hot temper tend to frighten off most men, and she doesn't want to change for anyone because she simply likes herself the way she is.

  The only thing she really needs right now is a date for her brother Shane's wedding, having bragged in front of all her brothers that she wouldn't have a problem finding a companion for the special occasion. When her plan doesn't quite work out, and she could already hear the jeers and mockery of her merciless siblings, help arrives from someone she did not have on her radar at all.

  “All tied up” (Book 4)

  Ryan Fitzpatrick may come from a family in which he’d feel his mother’s wooden spoon if he declared that a woman’s place is in the kitchen, or that she should defer to her man, but he still goes for the type of girl that wouldn’t think of curbing his freedom, telling him what to do, or making demands. If he were to commit to any woman, she wouldn’t be complicated, let alone pigheaded or irascible—he doesn’t want to end up with a woman like his sister, whose loudmouthed temper is enough to drive a man crazy.

  But by some embarrassing twist of fate, he meets Jordan Esposito, a woman even more domineering and hotheaded than his sister. And Jordan is responsible for Ryan’s absolute and total humiliation.

  Luckily, he has sworn never to go out with obstinate, complicated, maddening women. But would it really be so bad if he made an exception just this once?

  “A matter of trust” (Book 5)

  Kyle Fitzpatrick is married to his job. As an emergency physician, he expends all his energy on the welfare of his patients. He’s especially good with small children, going far beyond his duties to make sure his small patients aren’t scared. Of course, that fact constantly rouses the interest of the nurses Kyle works with. Scores of them have their sights set on the handsome doctor, who isn’t wearing a ring on his finger ... yet.

  But Kyle has his own problems, and they all revolve around an implacable woman named Morgan, who’s standing in the way of happiness in his private life.

  Or is it possible Morgan is actually the key to that happiness?

  The Ashcroft Saga

  “Just One Kiss” (Book 1)

  Amy and Patrick live in different worlds, but that doesn’t stop them from falling head over heels for each other. At first, everything seems perfect. But shortly after their hasty wedding, their happy love affair turns sour. Amy realizes she just doesn’t fit into Patrick’s world, and she can’t see any way out but to leave him, even if their separation breaks his heart.

  Years later, they meet again. While Amy still has feelings for Patrick, he appears to have settled into a life without her, and he makes it quite clear he can hardly stand to have her around.

  But what is really going on behind the angry façade of the man who feels betrayed and deserted by her? Is there really no second chance?

  “Just One Moment” (Book 2)

  Seen from the outside, Barbara has a perfect life. She has two small sons she adores, and she’s a popular part of Connecticut high society. But up close, her life is anything but perfect.

  Deep down, Barbara is heartbroken over the failure of her marriage. Two years ago, she divorced her husband James. Though she still suffers with the separation, she simply can’t forgive him. The wounds he caused run too deep for that.

  James suffers, too. He’s loved Barbara ever since they met her first week at college. As Barbara goes on with her life after their divorce and begins seeing another man, James starts to think about making a fresh start, too.

  But what happens when those things hushed up for far too long are finally brought to the table? Is it possible to forgive a person’s mistakes and give love a second chance?