Stopping Traffic (A Back to School Romance) (Love at The Crossroads) (8 page)

“No, you just love your daughter.” Invading her private space, Royce moved closer and removed the gift from her arm that she had forgotten she was holding. Candace was surprised Royce hadn’t caused her to forget her name.

“You don’t have to rush off. Stay.”

Although Royce’s words were soft, his good looks couldn’t mask the tiredness in his eyes. She suddenly felt the urge to pamper him. Blame it on her nurturing instincts, but she refrained herself from acting impulsively with a stranger.

There was this unexplainable connection that made her want to stay and not just to watch over Lindsay. “I can’t. My friend is waiting for me in the car. I’m sorry.”

Making no attempts to rein in his disappointment, Royce rubbed his jaw—the clean shaven one. “I see. Well, your friend—he—is invited to stay, too. There is plenty of food and room.”

Laughing to cover her nervousness, Candace may have been out of the game since Daniel, but she knew the game Royce was playing. “Believe me, one look at Solae and you’ll bite your tongue. She could never be mistaken for a he.”

“I don’t need to look. I don’t believe in window shopping if my attention is elsewhere.”

Whew
. Now her palms were sweaty. The man was unstoppable. Instead of putting out a fire, he was kindling her emotions. She had to exhale to keep from fainting. “How flattering, but my friend and I have planned an afternoon to eat and shop—”

“Candace, we have plenty of food, excellent company…” He gave her a lopsided smile. “If your daughter’s father is not in your life or you’re not seeing anybody, I would love for us to get to know each other over dinner, the movies, skating.”

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out right away.

“Please stay.”

“Either he was moving too fast or she too slow, but she couldn’t process the unexpected conversation. “My friend and Lindsay’s godmother will come looking for me. She has no problem making a scene and repenting later.”

“I ain’t scared.” Royce shivered and coaxed a smile out of her. “Come on, let’s see if I can convince her to let you stay and play.”

“Right.” She chuckled at how ironic it was that Solae was the one always pushing her to get out and meet someone, and the one man who she found to be confident, charming and fascinating—did she say fine—happened to be at  a child’s birthday party.

Candace was curious how this man could be so sure of his infatuation when they really hadn’t spent much time together.  Craning her neck, she spied her daughter who was in a line, waiting for a clown to paint color art on her face.

“Well…ok—”

“Great!” Adjusting the gift to the other arm, Royce touched her elbow and unhurriedly escorted her down the pathway, retracing her steps. Candace expected Solae to be outside her car, marching in her heels to meet her halfway. Candace squinted. Evidently, she was the last thing on Solae’s agenda.

“Is that your friend next to that silver car? If so, then it appears my older brother has detained her. “That’s Brandon’s father, Captain Hershel Kavanaugh,” Royce said with pride in his voice.

No wonder she hasn’t come looking for me.
Candace smiled, recognizing the admiration the man had for his brother. As an only child, she had wished for more children for Lindsay, but that hope was dashed.

As they approached, neither Hershel nor Solae looked their way. As a matter of fact, Solae seemed startled when Candace called her name. Jumping, Solae stood at attention as if she had been caught buying Victoria’s Secret underwear and the pastor snuck up on her.

“Huh? Oh. Hey, Candace.”

Royce’s brother never looked their way, instead he continued to watch Solae.

What was it with these Kavanaugh me, holding women captive and with such intensity until a woman lost her mind? Their testosterone level definitely needed to be checked and serviced.

“This is Brandon’s father and he’s invited us to stay,” Solae said as if Candace hadn’t figured out the reason she had not yet dragged her away from there. Her coy smile meant they would talk later. Definitely, because her friend very seldom changed her mind when it came to shopping.

Now who was going to babysit whom? And she didn’t mean Lindsay. Solae didn’t date outside their faith and neither of them knew anything about these brothers, including their commitments to God. “Really?”

“I guess it’s settled, ladies. It looks like the party is just getting started,” Hershel said as he led Solae away from her car.

For some reason, Candace had a suspicion that the party he referred to had nothing to do with a five-year-old’s birthday party.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“I guess you never can have too many chaperones,” Candace
said, accepting the invitation.

Chaperones were not what Royce had in mind, not after pining for Candace for weeks. He was definitely thinking in terms of
something more private as Royce did a quick sweep of her attire. Whereas Solae was pretty, Candace was a knockout. Her legs elevated her to another level—gorgeous—because every woman didn’t have legs that would catch a man’s eye. The outfit she wore showcased them perfectly—a denim form-fitting dress with matching jacket and flats that reminded him of a ballerina.

They strolled past the front door of the ranch house that belonged to his cousin, Terrence, to the back lawn where the activity was nonstop. More than thirty children, including most of the children
in Brandon’s class, formed lines to be next for their turn to ride on the pony.

Staying
close by her side, Royce watched as Candace acknowledged the other parents she knew. “It’s good to see so many fathers with their children. At least I’m not the only single parent in the bunch.”

“Oh no, you’re not. Whether you know it or not, my brother is divorced and is rearing my nephews alone.”

It was noteworthy that Hershel had become so instantly smitten with Candace’s friend.  It took more than an attractive face to get his attention as Hershel always reminded him and Trent.
“Me and my kids are the ones who got burned by a trifling woman. And I’m praying every night to keep me from becoming bitter. I mean, what type of woman leaves her children? Pretty women are nothing but trouble.”
would spill out from the depths of Hershel’s soul from time to time.

After ditching Candace’s gift on the table w
here others were displayed, he guided her to a pair of lawn loungers off to the side for some privacy.

Once Candace made her choice, Royce took the other. His body sunk into the uncomfortable lounger as he stretched
out his long legs. A yawn escaped as he thought about the sleep he was sacrificing to be there with her.

“Sorry.” He covered his mouth.

“Did you fight fires last night?”

“Yes, and
there were other calls, too.” Royce did his best not to yawn again. Maybe sitting still wasn’t a good idea.

“Then why are you here instead of sleeping? You look tired.” Her concern, frown, and slight scolding were endearing. “Whether I’m a firefighter or not, I’m expected to be at my nephew’s party. Orders from my sister-in-law and brother.”

“With so many children, I doubt if you would be missed for the couple of hours it would take for you to get some rest.” She scrutinized him.

Yes, Royce could see himself as the beneficiary of her pampering.  “I had to come to see you again. Sometimes a person only gets one last chance, especially in my line of work.
”

She took on an unreadable expression. “You don’t have to have a dangerous job to live each day as if it’s your last chance to say or do things,” she whispered, amazing him with her understanding.

“I guess this is a little late, but to clear my conscience I have to ask…is Lindsay’s father out of the picture, or is there a chance for reconciliation where I need to step aside?” He willed her to say that there were no obstacles. Royce watched her body language for his answer before she even uttered a sound.

Although he was very attracted to her physically, family was important and he believed every man should do the right thing. If only Hershel had let him use Brandon to sco
ut around for information.

As he waited, Candace’s eyes teared up. Immediately, Royce’s slump
ed body went on alert. Maybe Lindsay’s father had put her through some kind of drama and it was painful for her to talk about it.

Gritting his teeth, Royce felt guilty for stirring up those emotions. It took all his will power not to reach out and comfort her.

Sniffing, Candace mustered a weak smile. “Lindsay never met her father. Daniel was a good man, husband and would have made a great father, but he was killed crossing the street three months before she was born,” Candace quietly explained, bowing her head. “Jesus gave me comfort. Prayer and counseling gave me strength. Without question, Solae and her mother have been my support system.”

“I’m sorry to hear that about your late husband. I can’t imagine how you
must feel. That child’s accident must have caused the memories of your own personal loss to resurface.”

There was so much he wanted to know about her. Royce documented her every movement and expression. From the rapid batting of her lashes, Royce guessed she was fighting back the pain. This was not what he envisioned
for their first real meeting.

As the silence stretched between them, Royce battled his brain on how to recover the light conversation
they shared before her revelation.

Candace smiled again. This time it was genuine. “You made a lasting impression on Lindsay. I’ve learned more fire prevention tips
listening to her than I have watching crime shows.”

“Good for her.” Royce winked. “So what’s your favorite show?”

“Law & Order.”

“Good choice.”

“But you were the hero on career day. Lindsay said all the girls liked the lady dancer, but everybody liked Mr. Firefighter because you brought them stickers, coloring books and other goodies.”

As if she heard her name, Lindsay skipped up to them. The neat little girl who arrived to the party had vanished, replaced by this one with dirt on previously pristine white top and strands of thick black hair that had escaped a hairband.

After hugging her mother, she hesitated, looking at Royce. “Hi, Mr. Fireman.” She waved, but didn’t leave Candace’s side.

“Hi Lindsay, don’t you look cute today,” Royce said, making the girl bashful.

“What do you say?” Her mother prompted while gently tugging on her daughter’s ponytail.

Giggling, Lindsay thanked him, then took off as if she was merely checking in or checking up on her mother. Candace watched as she rejoined a group of girls.

Royce observed the tenderness between them, wondering if there would be room for him to squeeze in as a third wheel. He had an edict never to get involved with another woman who had a child. It was easier to end a relationship if children weren’t a factor. But that was before Candace. If it wasn’t for her sweet little girl, Royce would have never met her.

He got caught staring when she faced him again. A ray of sunshine captured and highlighted her pretty brown eyes. “Have you ever been married or do you have any children?” She switched the tables on him.

Linking his hands together, Royce shook his head. “No, I’ve never been a husband or father, but I’m told I’m a great uncle.”

He grinned; she chuckled, then
she began to toy with him. “Let me guess. You haven’t found the right one or you’re not ready or…”

“The right one…hmm.” He stroked the rough hairs on his chin. “That’s a
n easy one. God could put me in a room full of dozens of beautiful Christian women, but the one I would seek would not only be pleasing to the eye, but also a sweet praying woman.”

“Christ is my backbone. He has provided for me and
scolded me. I try to practice what my pastor preaches about how without holiness no one can see God. I didn’t understand that until I received the baptism in water in Jesus’ name and His Holy Ghost. That’s who I am,” she sounded defensive. “Besides, there are plenty of women in every church. I’m sure yours is no exception.”

“True.”
But I’m not sitting here talking to them
. “Every Christian doesn’t know how to fast and pray. She also has to be comfortable with my absences because of my long shifts and rejoice when I come home. Not every woman wants that type of sacrifice.”

A youngster’s squeal pulled Candace’s attention away from him. She fumbled with her fingers before meeting his stare. “Why me?”

“You got my attention. Forgive me if I’m coming off as overbearing, but I’ve wanted to get to know you for almost a month. Today was my chance and I took it.” 

Candace sucked in her breath, following his honest admission. She seemed to give what he was saying some thought. “I’m flattered, but I don’t know if I am the one. I went from being a bride to becoming a wife to being a widow and then a mother. I’ve lived a lifetime before I reached twenty-four years old.”