Be Mine Forever: A Valentine (Single Father Romance) Read online

  Be Mine Forever

  Lexy Parker

  Contents

  Find Lexy Parker

  Description

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Epilogue

  Insider Group

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Find Lexy Parker

  Find Me HERE!

  Description

  I should have taken off my ring before I asked her out.

  I’m a military man, or was. I should have known better than that.

  It gave her the wrong impression. It would to any woman.

  Being a single father and losing my wife has left me wanting to pull back from love.

  But this new girl at the flower shop, Cupid’s Arrow, has me feeling things I didn’t know I’d ever feel again.

  It’s Valentine’s Day, and I want this girl to be mine.

  Forever.

  Chapter 1

  Philip

  I slid into the booth, my little girl scooching onto the bench across from me as she looked around the old-fashioned diner. I smiled as she carefully moved the napkin-wrapped silverware out of her way in preparation for the coming menu. She was an old pro at eating out. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing for a seven-year-old.

  “All right,” our aging waitress said, putting a menu in front of each of us. “I’m Grace and I’ll be your spry waitress this morning,” she said with a wink.

  Sadie nodded. “I’m Sadie and this is my dad, Philip.”

  Grace chuckled. “Well, Sadie. I’m guessing you are probably about fifteen, am I right?”

  Sadie giggled. “No, I’m only seven.”

  Grace pretended to be shocked. “Oh my! Well, you are a very pretty young lady. I love the curly hair,” she said with a friendly smile.

  I looked at Sadie’s long, naturally curly brown hair that was pushed back on her head by a pink hairband with a sparkly purple bow attached to it. I waited for the waitress to make the comparison. Everyone always did.

  “Thank you,” Sadie replied.

  “You know who you look like?” Grace asked.

  Sadie and I exchanged a look, both of us laughing.

  Sadie looked up at Grace. “Curly Sue?” she asked.

  Grace laughed. “I guess you must get that a lot.”

  Sadie nodded. “I do.”

  “Well, what can I get you two for breakfast?” she asked, holding her pen to her old-fashioned green ticket pad.

  “I would like pancakes and scrambled eggs, please,” Sadie said.

  Grace smiled. “Absolutely and thank you so much for saying please. I think you have the best manners I have ever seen in here.”

  Sadie’s smile brightened. “Thank you.”

  Grace turned to me. “And for you?”

  “The bacon and egg skillet, please,” I said.

  “Coffee?”

  I nodded. “Please and an orange juice for Sadie.”

  “Sounds good,” she replied, picking up our menus and walking away.

  I looked at my daughter, proud of her impeccable manners. She was only seven but acted much older. I suspected it had a lot to do with all that she had dealt with in her seven short years on the planet. She was a bright, funny girl who called it liked she saw it. I loved her more than anything in the world.

  “Dad, you’re looking at me like that again,” she said in an irritated voice.

  I chuckled. “Sorry, sweetie.”

  She shrugged a shoulder. “It’s okay.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “Do I have to go to school? Can’t I just hang out with you all day?” Sadie whined, bringing up the same conversation we’d had several times already.

  “Yes, you have to go to school. You need to go and learn all the things,” I told her.

  “All the things? What does that mean?” she complained.

  “It means, you need someone smarter than me to teach you math, reading, writing, and all the other things a first grader learns.”

  She heaved a heavy sigh. “Dad, I already went to school in Seattle and learned all that stuff.”

  I chuckled. “You learned some of the stuff, but there is still more to learn. I promise, you will have fun and you will make new friends.”

  She slouched her shoulders. “I know I’ll make new friends, but I don’t want to go.”

  “Sadie, you have to go to school, and I have to go to work.”

  She nodded, clearly not happy about the situation but knowing my mind was made up. I’d given her a week since the move from Seattle to Hope, Tennessee, to settle into our new place. I knew it was hard on her, and I kept promising myself we weren’t going to move again. It was a one-time thing and we were going to be starting over. I needed a fresh start. It would help me sort through things. If I was in a better place, it was better for her. Of course, all of that was a little too much for a kid to understand, but I hoped one day she would.

  “Dad, will there be more storms like the one last night?” Sadie asked.

  I shrugged a shoulder. “I’m sure there will be. This spring and summer I bet we’ll get to see some really cool thunderstorms,” I told her, doing my best to make it sound exciting and not scary.

  She wrinkled her nose. “I really don’t like the sound of the thunder.”

  I shrugged again, keeping it cool. “Nothing to be afraid of. What do I always tell you?” I asked.

  “Fear is your choice, and my choice is no fear,” she repeated the words I had told her for years.

  I bobbed my head proudly. “Exactly.”

  “I don’t understand,” she mumbled.

  I laughed, knowing it was a big concept for a little kid. “When I was in the Marines, my commander always told me it was my choice to be afraid or not to be afraid. I could look at a mission, or think about something that could be scary, and decide if I wanted to be afraid or no. You can choose to be afraid or not to be afraid.”

  “But sometimes I can’t help it,” she argued.

  “I think you’re a lot stronger than you know. You have to tell your brain you are not afraid,” I told her, hoping to keep it simple enough for her to understand.

  Thankfully, Grace brought our food and I didn’t have to say anything else. We dug in, eating our breakfast in a hurry. School started in twenty minutes. She couldn’t be late for her first day.

  Once we finished, I loaded her into my old, used Chevy truck that had barely made the trip from the Northwest to the Deep South. I pulled onto the main street that ran through the town of about ten thousand. It was small enough to be comfortable, but not so small you knew everyone. There were plenty
of stores, restaurants, and the schools were great. The job prospects were limited, but I had a job.

  “Do you like our new city?” Sadie asked.

  I smiled, looking in the rearview mirror to where she was sitting in the extended cab of my truck. “I do.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  “I like the friendly people. I like the scenery and I think I’m going to really like exploring the lakes and rivers around here. I think we’re going to do a lot of fishing this summer,” I told her.

  She grinned and nodded. “Me too.”

  I had to stay positive. Her attitude reflected mine. I was hoping the move was a good one. I was apprehensive about moving so far from home. I had to believe it was the right move for me and my daughter. I was going to miss the Emerald City, but Seattle was not where I wanted to raise my little girl. I wanted that country upbringing where I could teach her how to be tough and feminine at the same time. I wanted to get out in nature and not be surrounded by pavement and tall buildings.

  I pulled up to the school, parking nearby so I could take the time to walk her in. We’d do the tuck and roll drop-off once she was a little more familiar with the routine and the teachers who were waiting to open the doors like valets at a fancy restaurant.

  “I’ll pick you up after school, okay?” I told her, dropping down to my knees to take my six feet and three inches down to her eye level.

  “Okay.”

  “You’re going to have fun,” I told her.

  She nodded. “Fine. I’m going to have fun,” she repeated the words but lacked conviction.

  I watched her go in, waving goodbye before heading back for my truck. It was time to start my first day at my new job as well. My job, working as a delivery driver, was about ten minutes from Sadie’s school. Almost everything was ten minutes from her school, but, unlike Seattle, you could actually get five miles in ten minutes and not spend hours on the freeway locked in traffic only to move two miles.

  I parked my truck in back and headed inside. My friend Clay was sitting behind the tall desk of the delivery service business.

  “Hey!” he greeted when I walked through the door, standing and shaking my hand. “So happy to have you on board.”

  “Thanks for giving me the job and inviting me to this nice little corner of the world you’ve got here,” I told him.

  He nodded. “I’m happy I finally got you down here. Hell, I think I’ve asked you at least twenty times.”

  “I’m here now and ready to get to work.”

  “Good. We are about to head into our busy season. I’ve got full-time work for you if you want it,” he offered.

  I cringed. “I don’t have a babysitter for Sadie just yet. There is an after-hours program at the school, but until she gets settled, I have to stick to being off at three.”

  Clay laughed. “Hell, maybe I’ll hire her too.”

  “As?” I asked dryly.

  He winked. “I know a guy. Hell, I know all the guys around here. I will hook her up with a driver’s license. Lord knows that girl is smart enough to learn to drive. I have a feeling she’d probably be a better driver than some of my last employees.”

  I chuckled. “I’ll let her know. I’m sure she’d love to take you up on the offer.”

  “Good. All right, I’ve got your route sheet here. The truck has GPS. Some of the outlying places are a little tricky and don’t always have street signs,” he explained.

  I took the sheet and nodded. I wasn’t exactly thrilled at being a delivery driver, but the pay was decent, and it would keep food on the table and a roof over Sadie’s head. It was about all I could ask for.

  “Got it,” I mumbled.

  “We don’t wear uniforms, but I do have badges you can wear if you want.”

  “Why would I want to wear a badge?” I asked.

  Clay grinned. “You’re in the south. Everyone is suspicious by nature and almost everyone is packing heat. You don’t want to come up on the wrong guy if you know what I mean.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “You never said this job was dangerous.”

  “It’s not, but some folks get a little jumpy. You’ll be fine. A big guy like you will blend right in,” he joked.

  “Oh great.” I groaned.

  “Here’s the keys, you get the Ford out front. Call me if you have any trouble,” Clay said, handing me the keys.

  I nodded. “Thanks again and I’ll see you later,” I told him, taking the sheet and heading back out into the cool day.

  I got in the truck and quickly started it. It was a newer rig, much newer than mine. The side was emblazoned with the “Clay’s Delivery Service” logo, which helped identify me as a delivery driver. I hoped it was enough to keep me from being shot.

  I looked down at the sheet and quickly inputted the address into the GPS. My destination was ten minutes away, of course. I put on my seat belt, slid on my sunglasses, and placed the truck in reverse. This was not my idea of a dream job and I truly hoped it wasn’t my future. I couldn’t imagine doing the same route day in and day out for the rest of my days.

  I pushed the thought to the side. I couldn’t dwell on it. I had to do what was good for my daughter, and I was really banking on the move to Hope being the right choice. I had flexible hours and could be there for her every night to tuck her into bed. That was more important than a good paying job that made me feel more important. Sadie was happy. Sadie was my priority. My bruised ego would get over it.

  Chapter 2

  Jamie

  I sipped the strong, dark coffee as I went about turning on my tablet, getting the credit card system up and running as I tidied up the front counter area. I glanced up at the clock and realized I only had a few minutes before I needed to flip over the sign on the door announcing I was open for business. Mondays were always interesting. A lot of my business consisted of guys ordering flowers to apologize for some sin they had committed against their girlfriend or wife over the weekend. I walked to the mirrored display and used it to pull my long blond hair into a ponytail, using the tip of my pinky finger to wipe away the smudge of mascara under my blue eyes. With my appearance good enough, I went back to getting ready to open for business.

  I turned on the lights inside the flower shop, moving around and flipping the switches for the bright LED displays that showcased my best arrangements before moving to the front door. I unlocked and flipped the sign over, ready to begin another week.

  I moved behind the counter, loading my email for the store and checking on orders that had come in via the website. I started the process of printing them off when I heard the bell over the door ring. I looked up and smiled brightly at my first customer of the day.

  “Hello, Mr. Reynolds,” I said.

  “Hello, Miss Yates,” he greeted in return, taking off his wool cap to reveal a remarkably thick shock of white hair atop his head.

  “Mr. Reynolds, I’ve told you a hundred times to call me Jamie. Miss Yates sounds like my mother,” I told him.

  He chuckled. “I’m sorry, I always forget.”

  I knew he didn’t forget. It was our Monday morning routine. “How are you doing this morning?” I asked moving to my little POS system.

  “I’m doing just great. It’s very warm out today, don’t you think?” he asked.

  I laughed. “I suppose if you think fifty degrees is warm, then yes, it is.”

  “I remember the winter of seventy-eight. We dang near froze to death. This is a nice, warm winter. Just the way I like it,” he said.

  I giggled. “I wasn’t alive in seventy-eight, but I will take your word for it.”

  Mr. Reynolds burst into laughter. It was a running joke about how old I was. He always told me I didn’t look a day over eighteen, when, in fact, I was twenty-six but often felt much older. Life had a funny way of making you feel far older than you truly were. All the hiccups and hurdles that were put in the way aged us a little more. I’d recently overcome the biggest hurdle of my life and knew I had aged years in a matte
r of days.

  “That’s right, I forget you were born around the turn of the century,” he said, his eyes dancing with laughter.

  “Pretty darn close to it. What kind of pretty bouquet are you looking for today?” I asked him.

  He sighed, looking around the shop. “Since it’s unseasonably warm, how about something bright and springy? I want to get her in the mood for spring.”

  I nodded. “I have just the thing. How about some pretty pink tulips and purple irises?” I asked him.

  His face lit up. “Purple is her favorite color.”

  I nodded, already knowing that fact from the many bouquets we had chosen together for his lovely wife. “What do you think Mrs. Reynolds would do if you didn’t deliver flowers every Monday?” I asked.

  He chuckled, a fond smile spreading over his face. “Oh, I think she would be mighty disappointed. She’d think I’d given up or died,” he said with a wink. “And I think the latter is about the only way I would ever disappoint my wife.”

  “I imagine she would be. I think Mondays must be much brighter for her with fresh flowers. I know my Mondays are brighter getting to see you every week.”

  He nodded. “I promised her fifty years ago I would bring her flowers every day if she would be my wife. In the beginning, I used to pluck flowers out of the gardens in our neighborhood,” he said with a giggle. “While I haven’t honored my promise completely, I think my Monday flowers are a good compromise. At least that’s what she says. She said she got tired of the neighborhood wives complaining to her about her husband picking their flowers all the time.”