Dad in Training by Cynthia Thomason

Author:Cynthia Thomason
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-03-07T14:36:25+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

KAYLA CAME OUT of the cottage a few minutes later and sat beside Jace on the bench. “He’ll be okay,” she said. “He’s watching TV and just told me a bit about what happened. Something about a dead fish being somebody’s mother.”

“I didn’t mean to screw this up, Kayla,” Jace said.

“I know that. It’s just that his mother’s death is fresh on his mind. It still hurts and will for some time.”

“Who would have thought a simple trip to the trout farm could have ended up like this, with Nathan reliving his mother’s death?”

She laid her hand over Jace’s wrist. “Everything in his life right now reminds him of his mother’s death,” she said. “Or the fact that she’s no longer with him. He needs to relearn how to live without her in his life.”

“I guess it’s obvious now that I’m not the one to help him do that.”

She smiled. “It’s one setback, Jace. Your heart was in the right place. You only meant to show Nathan a good time. After all is said and done, having a heart in the right place is the most important aspect of raising a child.”

Her words cut deep into his chest, and he sucked in a painful breath. “I’m not going to raise him! Don’t you see that, Kayla? I’m only going to ruin him, make him hate me. If you don’t even tell him he has a father, that’s fine with me. Let him go back to his grandparents and have a normal life.”

Jace stood, walked away from the bench and stared over the manicured lawn of the mountain inn. Each breath was an effort. For heaven’s sake, he wasn’t going to cry, was he? It was sad, sure, but he was right. He had no business raising a kid, especially one with these delicate problems. He hadn’t asked for this. He didn’t want it. Hell, he had enough problems raising a dog, and he prayed often enough for guidance in that arena.

“Who can say what a normal life is, anyway?” Kayla said, coming to stand beside him. “Susan didn’t think a life with her parents would be normal for her son.” Soft hands came to rest on his upper arms, and suddenly his breathing eased. “Jace...” Her voice was calm and comforting. “This was a bad experience. I wish it hadn’t been, but no one said this would be easy. You’ve lived your life as an independent man, and suddenly you’re faced with a needy child, your son. We’ve got another full week. Let this play out.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. Her hands massaged his tense muscles, running up and down his arms until he relaxed. The tension melted from his body until he suddenly leaned back against her.

She turned him, looked into his eyes. All at once, it was as if the problems of the world, and especially of this little corner of it, could be solved by trusting in the wondrous blue of those eyes. Jace wrapped his arms around her and drew her to his chest.

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