Papa Bear (Finding Fatherhood Book 1) Read Free

wouldn’t be a good idea.”
    He was clearly frustrated as he ran a hand through his hair. “Why not? Are you involved with someone else?”
    “Like I told you months ago, no, I’m not, and I don’t plan to be. Relationships are more trouble than they’re worth.”
    He shook his head. “Generally, I’d agree with you, but it’s different with us.”
    She let out a small sigh. “No, it’s not. It wouldn’t work between us, so let’s just remain friends.”
    He rolled his eyes. “Give me one good reason why it wouldn’t work between us?”
    It hovered on the tip of her tongue to blurt out exactly why he wouldn’t want her when he learned the truth, but she bit back the urge to confess. Never tell the cops anything revealing. Her mother’s words thundered through her ears, as crisp and fresh as they’d been the first time she’d heard them when she was just eight years old. It had been one of the many life lessons taught to her by her shady mother, and like the others, it was difficult to shed. “It just wouldn’t.”
    With a sigh of his own, he picked up the bag of tea. “I’m not giving up. I’m never giving up.”
    “You’re starting to sound like a stalker.” Despite her snarky words, she couldn’t deny that excitement filled her at the idea of him continuing to pursue her. It was flattering, even though it was difficult to resist him, despite the best reasons to do so. “I guess I’ll see you in two days for more tea.”
    He looked grim as he nodded. “I guess you will.”
    ***
    She was wrong about two days. Her phone rang early the next morning, so early it was practically still the night before. Her eyes were glued together as she fumbled for her phone, barely managing to open them and look at the alarm clock beside the bed. She cursed when she saw it was only a little after three a.m. “They’d better be dying.” As she muttered the words, she finally oriented her phone the right direction and swiped the screen to answer. “Hello?”
    “I’m sorry to bother you, especially this late, but I don’t who else to call.” Lucas’s voice emerged from the speakerphone, sounding tired and frantic all at once.
    Concern swept through her. “What’s wrong?”
    “I can’t get her to stop crying, and I don’t have any friends or family nearby. You’re my only friend in the area.”
    She could hear the baby screaming in the background, and concern filled her. “I don’t know anything about babies.”
    “Join the club,” he said, somewhere between snapping and joking. “Will you please come help me?”
    She could imagine how much it humbled the big man to ask for help, and she wasn’t hard enough to deny his request. “I’ll be over in a few minutes.” After hanging up, she slid out of bed and dressed quickly, throwing a flannel shirt over her fluffy pajama bottoms and camisole tank top that she had worn to bed. She shoved her feet into shoes and slid her phone into the shirt’s pocket before leaving her house.
    Lucas lived behind her in a small house he had purchased a couple of months ago. No, it must have been longer than that now, because he’d been all settled in for at least a month when he’d disappeared. They lived in one of the older neighborhoods in San Diego, which was a mix of commercial and residential, and though it wasn’t an affluent area, it was safe enough to walk from her shop to his house that early in the morning without having to be too safety-conscious.
    As she tapped on the door, he opened it with a screaming baby in one hand. He looked harried, and she could feel another layer of the ice she’d placed around her heart to keep him out crack and start to thaw. That was the last thing she needed, but she didn’t have time to focus on her own weakening resolve as he allowed her to cross the threshold before closing the door behind her. A moment later, her arms were full of baby, and she stared down at the infant with some helplessness of her own. “What am