Chasing Destiny (22 page)

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Carson asked as he sat down and pulled me into his arms.

“She is.” I stared down at her chubby little face. “I love her so much, Carson.”

“Me, too, babe. Me, too.”

Carson and I sat for what seemed like hours watching Lilly sleep until my parents knocked on the door.

After my mom breezed into the apartment with my dad following her, she ordered Carson and I to nap. I hated—
hated
—leaving Lilly in the living room, but everyone assured me she would be okay for a couple hours without me.

With Carson’s help, I lay down on the bed and had to admit it felt like heaven compared to the hospital bed I’d slept on.

“You good?” Carson asked as he lay down beside me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Mmmhmm,” I mumbled.

“You know I’ve always thought you were beautiful, but seeing you hold Lilly? I’ve never seen anything like it. You’re breathtaking.”

“Suck up.”

“Truthful. And completely in love with you.” He kissed my cheek, and with those words and his touch, I drifted off into a very peaceful sleep knowing I’d never love any man as much as I loved him.

Carson

The last sixteen years had been pretty great. Of course, Kristin and I had had our ups and downs, but we had a lot of great times.

Like our wedding day. That had been one of the best days of my life. We got married on a beach, surrounded by our families and close friends. Kristin had looked amazing in her white silk dress and her hair up in a messy bun. I had no idea how I had gotten so lucky, but fortunately, God had found mercy with me.

Two years after our wedding, we had been blessed with another baby girl, Sage. Raising two girls had been fun and challenging, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to experience.

“Babe,” Kristin said, rubbing my shoulders from her spot beside me on the couch. “It’s okay. Eli is a good kid.”

“He’s Hayes Morgan’s kid. I know all that little shit wants. I was sixteen once, and I’ll be damned if he is getting it from Lilly.”

“I don’t think that’s all he wants. He actually seems like a good kid. And besides, he’s had a great mother to teach him not to be like his dad or you.”

“I think I’ll just go sit out on the porch and wait for him.”

“Oh, Carson, I promise it will be okay. It’s one little date.”

Yeah, and I knew exactly what could happen on one little date. It didn’t take very long for a sixteen-year-old boy to get what he wanted in a short amount of time.

God, I wanted to go over to Hayes’ house and strangle the little shit for even looking at my little girl.

I had noticed last weekend at our barbeque how his eyes hadn’t left her, and he had chatted her up a lot. At first, I didn’t think anything of it, our kids had grown up together, but after looking closer, I saw how he was looking at her. It was not friendly in any way, shape, or form.

I had warned Hayes to keep his little shit of a son away from her, but he’d just shrugged and laughed. Yeah, well fuck him. He wouldn’t be laughing when I was strangling his kid.

“You really need to calm down, Carson.” Kristin leaned over and kissed my cheek before getting up and walking into the kitchen. A couple minutes later, she returned, holding a small glass filled with what I assumed was whiskey.

“Drink this before you have a stroke.”

I eyed her then took the glass from her hand, downing the contents. It burned, but did nothing to help my anger.

A knock sounded on the door.

“That’s either Eli or Miranda and Brad dropping Ava off.” I’d forgotten they were bringing their daughter over for a sleepover with Sage. They also had a baby, but I wasn’t watching him. I was done with the baby watching part of my life.

Kristin walked over to the door and opened it. “Hi,” Miranda said before they walked inside. Ava ran up the stairs toward Sage’s room and a couple seconds later, loud squealing filled the air.

“Hey, Carson,” Miranda told me before she sat down on the couch opposite me. Brad nodded before plopping down next to her.

“Hi.”

“Oh, are you sulking because your little girl is about to go on a date with Eli Morgan?” Miranda smirked at me, and then broke out into a giggle.

“You just wait,” I shot back at her.

Brad shook his head. “I don’t blame you. I’ll be a mess when that day comes. Hell, I’d be a lot more freaked out than you seem to be just knowing what that kid’s gene pool looks like.”

“Hey now,” Miranda piped up. “Mackenzie is his mom.”

“Thank God. Otherwise that kid wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Kristin sighed as she settled in beside me. “I think y’all are being a little too hard on Hayes. He’s a very successful prosecutor and has raised his kids to be well-mannered. I think he’s a great dad.”

Miranda nodded and I glared at her. “His kid is taking my daughter on a date! A fuckin’ date.”

At that moment, another knock sounded at the door. Kristin placed her arm in front of me, blocking me from getting up. “I’ll answer the door. You stay right here.”

I could hear Miranda and Brad snickering, but I didn’t look at them. My eyes were fixed on the door that little shit was about to walk through.

“Oh, hey. We weren’t expecting all of you.” Kristin moved over, holding the door open wider. A moment later, Hayes, Mackenzie, and Eli walked inside.

I glared at all three of them.

“Oh, stop it,” Mackenzie said as she settled in a chair. “I sat Eli down and he knows how to be respectful of Lilly.”

“Yeah, he better be.” I turned my attention toward him. “You mess with my daughter, try to touch her or kiss her, I’ll know and I’ll kill you.”

“Hey, now,” Brad stated. “I can’t be tolerating threats.”

“Oh, shut up, Detective.” He wasn’t a detective anymore, he’d moved up in the ranks over the years, but I still called him that.

“Look, Mr. Janson,” Eli finally said. “I promise I won’t do anything you wouldn’t like. I’m just taking Lilly out to dinner and a movie, nothing else.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Kristin stated just as Lilly stepped into the room. She looked grown up and I hated it. How was she sixteen already? It seemed like yesterday she was born and my life had changed for the better. I was still so thankful that douchebag painter had signed his rights over after she was born. If he hadn’t, I would have never been able to adopt Lilly after I married Kristin. I would have still treated Lilly the same and been a great stepdad to her, but I loved that she was legally my little girl. I loved even more that she knew the truth about her biological father but still claimed me as her one and only dad. I owed that doodling shithead more than he’d ever know.

“Hi,” Eli said, walking over to Lilly. I wanted to get up and stand between them, but knew I couldn’t. For as big of a fit as I was throwing, I had to let her grow up. And if I was being honest, I liked Eli. I liked him a lot. I was just using the excuse of Hayes being his dad because I couldn’t handle the fact that my little girl was going out on a date.

He said something to her I couldn’t hear and she smiled. They both turned toward the rest of us in the room and her eyes landed on me. “We’re going to take off now.”

I sighed and stood up. I didn’t care that I looked like a sap, I needed to hug her. And that was exactly what I did. I hugged her tight and gave her a kiss on the temple. “You have fun. I’ll be here if you need me.”

“I will, Dad. I love you.” I loved hearing her call me that.

“Love you, too, kiddo.”

I watched Eli take her hand and they walked out the door. Lilly might not have been my biological daughter, but she, along with her mom and sister, were my life—my heart.

“It’ll be okay,” Kristin said, wrapping her arms around me.

I nodded. She was right. It would be okay. Because no matter what, I’d always have her and our two daughters, and they’d always have me.

The End

First I want to say thank you to all of you readers! I can’t say thank you enough for picking up my work. It means everything to me.

To Carlos and our two boys: I love you so much! Thank you for supporting me and letting me live my dream.

A big, huge thank you to Monica Black, my editor. You are amazing! You take my words and make them so much better. And your comments are hilarious!

I also need to thank my amazing beta readers, Raj Billa, Lisa Kane, and Jessi Gibson. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your input and the fact that you were willing to read through my first draft. I seriously owe y’all a medal!

And of course a huge thank you for all of the bloggers, readers, and fellow authors that shared Chasing Destiny and the entire series! Your support means the world to me!

J.D. Rivera lives in Oklahoma with her husband and two boys. Her life consists of school projects, homework, cartoon shows, and little league sports. She loves Diet Mountain Dew, the OKC Thunder, costume jewelry, the beach, and reading.

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Other Books by J.D. Rivera

Chasing the Stars

(Hayes and Mackenzie)

Chasing Each Other

(Miranda and Brad)

Chasing Forevermore

(Hayes and Mackenzie)

Defensive (with the novella Guarded)

Always Friends

Always Us