Page 14 of The Single Dad Project

That dream hadn’t visited him in a long time. It’d been years. Why now, dammit? Why had his subconscious decided to delight him with it now?

Rubbing the heel of his palm over his chest—directly over his still pounding heart—he sat up, staring at the dark TV screen across from him. He held his breath, then after several seconds, slowly, deliberately exhaled it. The sticky remnants of the dream started to loosen their grim hold, and he lowered his arms to his sides.

Just a dream. Just a fucked-up dream of a fucked-up time. But he was no longer that scared little boy crying for his mother. A mother who hadn’t kept her promise. A mother who hadn’t come back.

“Shit,” he muttered, throwing back the covers that had warded off the early-spring chill.

He was too old for nightmares about his mommy, for God’s sake. After pushing off the bed, he padded across the room, but before he could reach the hallway and the bathroom, his cell phone rang. The jangle ofLabyrinth’s “Magic Dance” filled the room, and a smile lifted a corner of his mouth. Retracing his footsteps, he picked up the cell, not needing the screen to identify the caller. He’d assigned only one person that song.

“Hey, Addie,” he greeted his sister. Technically, half sister since they shared a father, but she would rip him a new asshole if she ever heard thehalfcome out of his mouth. “Are you two almost here?”

Adele laughed, the warm sound infectious, and his own smile grew.

“What you mean is am I almost there with your precious Justine,” she teased, and he shrugged even though she couldn’t see the gesture.

“True.”

Another chuckle, and he could imagine her shaking her head, her signature long ponytail swinging over her shoulder.

“Asshole,” she said, humor lacing her voice. “I’m leaving Hartford Airport now and should be to you in about forty minutes, give or take.”

“Good.” He glanced behind him at the clock on the bedside table. Almost nine o’clock. Damn. He scrubbed a hand down his face again. He usually didn’t sleep this late, especially with a five-year-old daughter. But that dream... He shook his head, refusing to acknowledge it could have that much power over him. “I still wish you would’ve let me meet you at the airport. You’re being as difficult as you’ve always been. I swear, I should’ve taken you off in the woods and left you like I started to when you were ten.”

Adele loosed a bark of laughter. “Please. You would’ve never got rid of me. Breadcrumbs, bruh. I’m always at the ready, messing around with you.”

“They should’ve named your ass barnacle instead of Adele.”

Another cackle. “You lucky I know talking shit is your love language.”

“Hey,” he admonished, fighting a grin. “My baby’s in the car with you. If she comes home cursing, I’m blaming you.”

“Well, let me just say ‘my bad’ in advance.” She chuckled. “Seriously, though, thank you for letting me have Jussy for a couple of weeks. She’s been an absolute angel, as usual. Obviously, she gets that from me.”

“I’m going to let you have that one.” He shook his head and continued toward the bathroom. “But thankyoufor keeping her while I got settled here.”Herebeing Rose Bend, Massachusetts. “I’ve missed my baby girl, but I did manage to unpack and get the house straight.”

And I managed to have a one-night stand with a woman who blew my mind.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he drew to a halt in front of the bathroom sink. But when he opened them and met his reflection, the same wince that had been crossing his face for the past three days lifted his lips and narrowed his eyes. Again.

And, just like he’d been telling himself for the past three days, this wasn’t New York City or Boston where he could walk around for years and never meet the same person twice. No, this was small town, USA, and chances were he could run into “Queen” at any time. Hell, yesterday he’d surveyed the crowded Mimi’s Café in search of that face of arresting angles, heavy-lidded eyes and lascivious curves.

He didn’t know—or didn’t want to acknowledge—if he was relieved or disappointed about not seeing her.

If he didn’t dig too deep then he wouldn’t analyze why in the hell he’d given in to that one-night stand in the first place. It wasn’t like that had been the first time he’d been hit on by a beautiful woman. Or man, for that matter. And it damn sure hadn’t been the first time he’d been instantly attracted to a person.

But he’d promised himself years ago never to mix business with pleasure—even if that pleasure continued to haunt him days later. The first time he’d done it had ultimately ended in a broken marriage. And while the woman he’d met and spent the night with didn’t work for him, she did live in the small town where he would live for a few short months. Just as long as it required him to complete the Victorian house renovation.

He didn’t need any entanglements to distract him from his daughter, Justine, or the job.

“Adam?” Adele asked, voice softening. “You good?”

“Yeah.” He gave his head an abrupt shake. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just can’t wait to see you two. But don’t hurry, take your time on the road. You have special cargo and I want you to get her here safely.”

“Aww, thank you, punkin,” she drawled. “I knew you cared.”

“Now we both know I was referring to Jussy. Talk to you in a few,” he said.

Adele snorted. “Bye. But I’m googling big brother outlets to see where I can trade one in. You suck at this.”

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