CHAPTER ONE
“So, are you scared?” Lisa grinned up at Derek. The red-haired man shook his head but the nervous look in his eyes said otherwise. Lisa chuckled and she leaned up and patted his chest. She was quite small at 5’2” next to his 5’11” frame. “Come on, let’s go in. Jackie gets quite restless when I’m out of her sight for too long.”
“Sure…” Derek swallowed hard, still rooted to the spot on the curb in front of the two-story suburban home which had a crowded backyard and a four year old party in full swing at that moment.
“Isn’t this cute? You, a cop are not afraid to run down a dark alley after a suspect wielding a weapon but you’re afraid to meet a four year old kid? Come on, babe, you don’t have to be so worried. Hey, you brought up three boys, you’re a natural.”
“Key word there, boys, she’s a girl,” Derek said softly, his large green eyes fixated on the front door of the house.
Lisa smiled softly, “If you’re not ready, babe, I’ll understand. You don’t have to do this if you aren’t.”
Derek pulled Lisa into his arms and said, “I’m ready for this, babe, believe me. It’s just this is your daughter, I really want her to like me.”
“And she will. You’re amazing,” Lisa winked.
Derek chuckled as he nuzzled her nose with his. “True that. Well, getting you to give me a chance was not an easy feat. I should expect the same from your little one, right?”
Lisa laughed and she pulled out of his hold. She took one of his hands in hers, “Come on.”
They stepped onto the back porch and Derek’s eyes widened as he looked over the backyard, at all the kids running around and the adults who were in clusters, cradling their plastic cups filled with adult ‘punch’. Being a father to two sixteen year olds and an eighteen year old, it had been so long he had been around kids and he felt really nervous. He didn’t even hear Lisa telling him that she was going to go search for Jacqueline, her daughter.
Derek stepped into the backyard, his eyes flitting around when suddenly, he saw a kid who was running towards him fall. He stepped forward to help the girl up when another girl with long chestnut hair jumped out of the bouncy castle and ran to help the girl up. A smile lit up his face as he watched the girl help the other kid up and brushed the dust off her dress. The nice gesture of the kid touched his heart and helped get rid of a little of his unease.
Just then, the kid looked towards him and he found himself staring into large hazel eyes. She suddenly smiled and he found himself smiling back. She ran towards, him, her ponytail bouncing against her back.
“Mommy!” she called. She ran past Derek and he looked after her to find her being pulled into a hug by Lisa.
“Hi baby, having fun?” Lisa asked as she let her go. Derek walked towards them and Lisa’s smile widened when she saw him and she straightened up. “Jackie, I want to introduce you to someone. This is Derek. He’s a friend of mine.”
Jacqueline turned around and tilted her head as she stared up at Derek. “You are tall…” she drawled.
He chuckled and he nodded. “Now, that’s very true. I am tall. It’s really nice to meet you Jackie. Your mom has told me so much about you.”
Jacqueline crossed her arms as she stared at him, tapping one of her little feet. She turned to her mother and then back to him. She stretched out her hands and said, “You’re tall. Please help me into the playhouse.”
“Playhouse?” Derek asked as he turned to Lisa.
Lisa pointed out a tall stilted building at the center of the backyard. There was a slide on one end and a ladder on the other. Judging from the way the wooden steps were set apart, it was obvious it was for the older kids. But at that moment, the little ones were being supervised by their parents.
“Please be careful!” Lisa called after them.
Derek could not reply as Jacqueline was already hurrying through the crowd. When they got there, she turned to him and announced, “Swings next.” She pointed at the swing and then, raised her hands so he could lift her up.
Not capable of suppressing the smile on his face, he lifted her up. As Derek helped her into the playhouse, he could not help thinking that Jacqueline was just like her mother- kind, confident and smart.
It was a little before five pm when the party finally drew to a close. A tired Jacqueline, rubbing her eyes padded over to her mother and Derek. She stretched her hands out as she yawned. Derek picked her up and as he held her in his arms, she wrapped her little hands around his neck and leaned her small head against his chest. And just like earlier in the day, he felt a tightening in his chest, just like the strings of his heart were being pulled together because his heart was bursting.
He looked down at the little girl whose eyes were already blinking close and he knew in that moment exactly what it meant and what he was feeling. It was love for the kid he had just met, the sweet and adorable child who was the daughter of the woman he loved. As he walked towards his car and she stirred in his arms, he knew he was hooked.
*
“So?”
“So what?” Lisa asked, looking up from the inventory she was taking.
“Are you really not going to say anything?” her best friend Julia said, staring pointedly at her.
“I am no mind reader, Julia so I’d appreciate it if you’re a little bit more specific.”
Julia set her mug down with a groan. “Oh for goodness sake, I’m talking about Derek. It’s been over a month since he met Jackie. And you’ve still told me nothing.”
Lisa sighed as she opened the freezer. She scanned the almost empty shelves and scribbled on her notepad. She turned to her friend and said, “That’s not true. I told you it went okay.”
“Yeah, yeah, you said that Derek was taken by Jackie which really is not surprising, she is a sweet little girl. What I want to know is how she feels towards him.”
“She doesn’t not like him. I mean, she talks to him when he talks to her but she doesn’t negotiate conversation and she doesn’t light up when he comes around,” Lisa said softly.
“Like the way she lights up when Hank comes over,” Julia said the words her friend had refused to say.
Lisa looked at her friend and she shook her head of dark chestnut hair that was so like her daughter’s and she said, “I can’t expect her to like Derek as much as she likes Hank, right? I mean, Hank is her father.”
“And he is a good father,” Julia agreed with her friend.
“Yeah he is.”
“Do you think that she is going to be okay with having Derek as a stepfather?”
Lisa jerked. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“What? Don’t look at me like that. You told me you weren’t going to introduce any man to your daughter until you were both really serious. You introduced Derek after five months of dating to Jackie. I think it’s safe to say that you’re serious.”
“But marriage? Oh I don’t know about that, Julia. It’s been just six months, won’t that be rushing things?”
Julia scoffed and she picked up her mug once more and took a sip of her coffee. “You dated Hank all through college and culinary school and on your wedding day, you both decided to call it quits. I think that should tell you something, dear. It’s not necessarily about the length of time but how you feel about each other. If you really care about each other, then you shouldn’t let anything hinder you. You should go for it.”
“Oh I don’t know,” Lisa said and she snapped her notepad shut and headed out of the industrial sized kitchen, her friend fast behind her. “I can’t help but feel a bit scared. I mean, after what happened with Hank, you know I’ve been reluctant to open up. In the past four years, I’ve been in two relationships that didn’t last longer than three weeks.”