Adam hated coming home late. He hated missing dinner with his baby girl, especially since she was sick and needed him more than ever. When he’d taken up the job Glen had offered, he’d told him he would need early shifts, at least until Sophie was a little older, until she was a little more independent. Glen had said it wouldn’t be a problem, that he understood Adam’s struggles, considering Glen himself had a stay-at-home wife but still struggled to keep up with one kid of his own. But when something big happened and all the men were needed, Adam couldn’t just up and leave because his kid was at home waiting for him.
He was lucky Lauren had been available to babysit and he hadn’t had to impose on his neighbor. Ellie had been so nice when he’d been late last time, and he knew she wouldn’t say no if he asked. But there was only so much one could call neighborly assistance before it turned into plain nuisance.
He parked his car, got out and automatically threw a glance next door. Ellie’s house was dark, and he wondered whether she was already in bed, or maybe she’d gone out with someone. Even though she’d told him she wasn’t looking for a relationship, the night he’d made that stupid comment about not planning to replace Hannah, she was a young, good-looking, single woman who could go out and have fun with all the men she wanted, without worrying too much about getting involved in a relationship. Wasn’t that what people did these days? Got as much out of life as possible, with the least amount of commitment?
He cringed at the thought. He’d never been able to do that, not even when he was younger. He’d always had one goal in life: have a family he could come home to every night, a loving wife, a bunch of kids and a dog. He’d nearly had it all. Now that he was unattached and still young enough to hit the town and fool around, he felt so old he bet his grandfather was more active than he was. Adam had seen the old man at the community center, since it was next door to the Sheriff’s office, and there was no denying Eamon Cavanagh still managed to charm the ladies.
He smiled as he unlocked his front door, and when he stepped in and looked into the living room, he froze with his hand on the door handle.
Sophie was asleep on the couch, just like he’d expected she would be, but the woman who was cuddling her in her arms wasn’t his sister-in-law.
It was his neighbor.
His sweet-looking neighbor, who tonight wore that cute polka-dot headband she’d had on the first day of preschool. Sophie’s head rested against Ellie’s chest and was perfectly tucked underneath the woman’s chin. They were both asleep, Ellie’s arms wrapped around Sophie’s tiny body in such a protective and cuddly way his chest tightened.
The image made his heart thud wildly in his chest and up his throat, stopping all air. How many times had he wished to come home to his loving wife and their kids snuggled up on the couch, waiting for him to wake them up with a kiss? How many times since Hannah died had he dreamed he could still have the perfect fairy tale for his daughter and himself? Sophie had all the love she needed and then some, but there was no denying he wished he could give her the perfect family like the one he’d had: a loving mom, a supportive dad, and two or three siblings to be mischievous with while growing up.
That perfect family was only two steps away, gently snoring on his couch. He could deny it all he wanted, but Ellie had made him feel things he never thought he’d feel again. She’d brought back his will to live, to laugh, to experience all the good things life offered. His heart had been numb and broken before she walked into his life, but with each passing day spent living next door to this amazing woman, the little shards had gone back into place, and his heart had started beating again. He felt alive. He felt happy. He felt… ready to love again.
His jaw dropped as the thought formed in his head. He’d known the moment Hannah took her last breath that his ability to love had ended right then and there, that he’d buried that loving man in the grave with his wife. And now… he wasn’t only ready to love again. He wanted to. He wanted to take a leap of faith into the unknown depths of love and see where it would take him. He wanted to see what loving someone who wasn’t Hannah would be like. He wanted to know what loving Ellie would be like.
She doesn’t want you, man.
He shook his head. Maybe he was just a little tired and overthinking things. Seeing fairy-tale happy endings just to remove the crude images of the bodies the firemen had pulled out of that building today. Maybe he should just take a shower.
Would be nice if she joined in.
He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the image away. Maybe he was delirious. That had to be the reason for his subconscious talking to him like Jiminy Cricket. He’d better wake her up and let her go back to her place, before he did or said something he was sure he’d regret.
When he touched her shoulder her eyes fluttered open. The sweet, slightly bewildered look on her face made him smile.
“You’re home,” she said, her voice still thick with sleep. Her arms were still wrapped around Sophie, and the way she said those simple words gave him a sense of peace and familiarity he never thought he’d feel again. “Sorry, I think I fell asleep sometime between Frozen and The Little Mermaid.”
He chuckled. “Disney marathon?”
She nodded and sat up straighter. He reached for his daughter and pulled her up into his arms, cradling her against his chest. He needed a shower, and he was starving, but he’d missed his little girl, and after the day he’d had, he needed a reason to remind himself that the world wasn’t full of evil, that there were still good things worth living for. His daughter was one of them. She was the most precious of them all. He inhaled her sweet, baby scent, listened to her soft breathing, and everything felt right again. He felt right.
“You must be wondering why I’m here.” Ellie brushed her hands down the front of her pink pullover and straightened the scatter cushions on the couch. “Lauren had a yoga class and asked me if I could look after Sophie until you came home. She said she tried to call you but couldn’t get through.”
“Yeah, my phone died sometime between the fire and the explosion.”
Ellie frowned. “Explosion?”
“We went out to help the fire squad evacuate people from a building that was on fire. As it turned out, someone had deliberately started the fire in the restaurant on the ground floor, so most of the people living in the apartments upstairs were trapped inside. Some of the guys were still inside rescuing residents when the stoves in the restaurant exploded.”
Ellie let out a gasp. “Was Cayden there, too? Nate?” When Adam nodded, Ellie’s hand flew to her heart.
“They’re okay. The two of them were outside, but the following twenty minutes were a living hell. Until everyone came out on their own two feet or was pulled out, we couldn’t fully breathe, and even when they did, there was so much blood…” He placed a soft kiss on Sophie’s head, squeezed her a little closer to his chest, drawing strength from his sweet, innocent angel. “Thank God nobody died, and those who’ve been rushed to the hospital should be okay. At least according to the paramedics.”
“You must be wrecked. Are you hungry? I could cook something for you.”
He shook his head. “I’ll take a shower and pull something out of the freezer. How’s Sophie been doing?”
Adam looked at Ellie, standing in front of him with her green eyes round with worry and compassion. She was adorable, with a smile that softened the knot that had formed in his gut after being surrounded by chaos, blood, and desperation.
“She threw up a couple of times when she was with Lauren, and once after I came here. I made her some chicken broth for dinner, and I managed to get her to eat a little, with a few crackers.” The loving stare she gave his daughter went all the way to his heart. “I think her stomach has settled now. She didn’t throw up after dinner, and she was quiet while we watched the movies. I’m sorry, maybe she’s not supposed to be watching so much TV, but she could barely stand on her feet and—”
“As long as she watches Disney, it’s okay. I know she can be a handful when she’s sick, and movies are the best way to make her settle down.” He smiled, hoping it would be enough to reassure her. “I’d better put her to bed now and let you go back to your life. Sorry for monopolizing your night. I hope we didn’t spoil any plans.”
For some stupid reason he didn’t want to make too much of, he hoped she hadn’t had any plans that included a man. Not that it mattered, anyway.
“Other than writing the next article for Jared’s column, I had no other plans.”
Her stare was soft and her smile so sweet he wanted to kiss her right then and there. He blinked, gave himself a mental head slap for even thinking that and focused on what she was saying about some food Lauren had brought over from his mother-in-law and left in the fridge. He wasn’t even sure that was what she’d said. As grateful as he was, she needed to go, before he did something really stupid.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done tonight. You’ve been a real godsend.”
She nodded and reached for the door handle. “That’s what neighbors are for, right?”
“I thought they were for borrowing sugar and flour, stuff like that?”
Ellie chuckled, and he wanted to keep saying stupid things just to hear her laugh again and again, until the screams, the explosion, and the sirens that still echoed in his ears were drowned out by her lilting laughter. A sound that made him feel all warm and fuzzy and… just plain weird.
“Good night, Adam. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He nodded like a bobblehead, unable to utter a sensible word after the adorable smile she gave him before walking away. He closed the door after her and squeezed his little girl to his chest, trying to remind himself why he couldn’t fall for another woman, why he couldn’t fall for Ellie—and was suddenly unable to come up with a reason.