Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“You can volunteer at a shelter, the church, or the town festival. Paying it forward doesn’t have to be monetary.”
“You can’t.”
“I already did. Declan is finishing up. He’ll call me when he’s done. I’ll call you and take you to pick up your car.”
I hear her sniff. “I don’t know what to say. I want to keep fighting you, but I know this makes my car safer for Ada, and because of my daughter, I will let this go. For now. I will repay you in some way. Even if it takes me fifty years, I will repay you.”
“You just did. I know what this means to you, and the fact that you are adamant that you need to repay me when I’ve said you don’t, tells me how much you appreciate this.”
“You are one of a kind, Maverick Kincaid.” Her voice is raspy with her emotion and dripping with sincerity.
“Nope, I’m a twin, and I have seven other brothers outside of Merrick who would do the same thing. I’ll call you soon. Maybe we can grab dinner while we’re out.”
“No. You’ve done too much.”
“You know, I’m the baby, well, the other half of a pair of babies of the Kincaid family. We’re spoiled and stubborn, and I’ve never done well with the word no. Merrick and I were Blakely.” I laugh.
“She’s adorable.”
“Are you saying I’m adorable?”
“Thank you, Maverick,” she says, avoiding my question.
“You’re welcome, Stel. I’ll see you soon.” I end the call before she can decline. It feels good to do something nice for someone in need. That’s why I’m smiling, not because I get to see her again in a few hours.
Definitely not that.
CHAPTER
FOUR
Stella
I’ve been a nervous wreck since Maverick called this morning. I’m still stunned at what he’s doing for me and Ada. We’re strangers to him. I’ve never met a man like him, willing to give so much of himself and his hard-earned money to help someone in need. Part of me still feels like this is a dream. Maybe I’ll wake up and realize the handsome stranger and his incredible family were all just a figment of my imagination.
It’s too much like a fairy tale.
The last couple of years, my life has been more of a bad afterschool special than a happily ever after. This is not how I thought my life would turn out, but here I am, trying to make the best of the hand that I was dealt. Sure, I had an unplanned pregnancy at the end of my sophomore year of college, but never in my wildest dream did I think that my parents would disown me because of it.
I fought for my daughter.
I’m still fighting for her. For us. I smile down at her, where she’s sleeping peacefully in my arms. It’s comforting to know that there are still good men out there. I hope that when the time comes—many, many years from now—Ada will find a good man to love her unconditionally. Something she’s never going to get from her father. Sadness and anger wash over me when I think about Derrick. He was able to cast us aside without a care in the world.
Honestly, I don’t know why I bother. That’s not true. I keep hoping he’ll realize that he’s missing his baby girl growing up. I keep holding out, thinking he's going to change his mind. I know that makes me a fool, but I want that for my little girl. I want her to have her father in her life.
With one hand, I scroll through the online job listings for today. I hope that I can find work soon. I hate the thought of Grandma and Grandpa adding a position for me at the hardware store just to get me back into the workforce. They’ve done enough for us as it is.
My phone rings in my hand, startling me and causing me to jump. Ada whines, but I’m able to answer before the ringing wakes her up. “Hello.”
“How’s your day, Stel?”
Maverick. “You mean other than a stranger paying to fix my car and make it safe, same old,” I say with a sigh.
He chuckles, and the sound is deep and sexy. “Sounds like a damn fine day to me. Declan called, and your car is ready. I thought I’d swing by and pick you girls up and take you to dinner before we go and get your car.”
“Maverick, you’ve already done so much. You really don’t have to take us to dinner too.” My heart warms because, without question, he automatically assumes that Ada will be with me. I could have Grandma watch her, but I don’t want to lean on her any more than I already am. Besides, when I find employment, she volunteered to watch Ada for me. I’m going to pay her what I can, but the guilt of that situation still weighs heavily on my shoulders.