A Child Changes Everything
What do you do when you find out your whole life has been a lie? First the birth mother you believed was dead is, in fact, alive. Then you discover you have a three-year-old niece who needs you.For Lisa Clarke it means making herself into a new woman. A woman who's willing to turn her life upside down to take in a child–even though she has limited skills in the parenting department. Fortunately, she knows someone who is a natural with kids: Mason Stephens. Unfortunately, he's also her ex-fiancé.Bonding over her niece has given Lisa and Mason a chance to resume their relationship–a chance she never expected to have. More importantly, being together has given her hope….
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âMy sister has a daughter, a little girl named Katie.â
âA little girl. How do you feel about that?â Mason asked, thinking he could predict Lisaâs response all too well. No wonder she was chewing her lip. The dream of finding her birth family had not included a niece.
âIâm an aunt, and itâsâ¦I guess itâs different. I never expected to be an aunt.â
Given that sheâd babysat only once in her entire lifeâan upsetting experience, as he recalledâhe doubted sheâd be willing to have much to do with the child. âI assume you plan to meet Katie,â he said.
Lisa looked him straight in the eye, making it impossible for him to miss the hope in her expression. âNo, itâs a lot more than that. Katie needs me. Iâm bringing her home.â
Dear Reader,
There are few experiences in life as special as reading letters from those of you who have benefited from my books. So many of you wrote to say you identified with Emily Martin and her very personal loss in Baby in Her Arms. Your praise and appreciation made me realize that being able to write a story is a gift that reaches out to so many people in a very personal way.
This next book, A Child Changes Everything, was inspired by the idea that at some point in our lives as parents we experience a moment when weâre unsure whether or not weâre good parents.
Lisa Clarkeâs journey from being a fearful, hesitant parent to her discovery of what joy there is in being a mother forms the basis of A Child Changes Everything. Equally important to Lisaâs story is Mason Stephens, the man she once loved, a man who comes to understand what it took for Lisa to bring Katie into her life. Their shared love for children rekindles their love for each other.
It is my hope that A Child Changes Everything will enrich your reading experience.
I welcome any feedback you might like to offer on this book, or any of my books. Please contact me on my Web site, www.stellamaclean.com, or e-mail me at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Stella MacLean
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stella MacLean has spent her life collecting story ideas, waiting for the day someone would want to read about the characters who have lurked in her heart and mind for many years. Stellaâs love of reading and writing began in grade school and has continued to play a major role in her life. A longtime member of Romance Writers of America and a Golden Heart Award finalist, Stella enjoys the hours she spends tucked away in her office with her Maine coon cat, Emma Jean, and her imaginary friends while writing stories about love, life and happiness.
Books by Stella MacLean
HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE
1487âHEART OF MY HEART
1553âBABY IN HER ARMS
This book is dedicated to single parents everywhere, for the love and courage they show their children as they go about their daily lives.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To Paula Eykelhof and Adrienne Macintosh, my editors, whose generous editorial support enriched this book in so many ways.
To Megan Long, editorial assistant, for all her thoughtfulness.
To my husband, Garry, whose unstinting encouragement made writing this book a wonderful process.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER ONE
LISA CLARKEâS LIFE as sheâd known it had ended.
She missed her mother; she especially missed the quiet evenings theyâd shared these past few months, when they talked about her dad and her motherâs early years in the family home in Durham, North Carolina. Her mother had kept that house because she loved it, the house Lisa still lived in today. It was during those evenings that her mom had confided her dream of playing professional tennis, a dream sheâd left behind when she married Lisaâs father. It was so like her mother to put her marriage first.
Theyâd been closer in those last months than at any time before, and Lisa was so thankful for all of it.
Todayâs meeting with Sherman Tweedsdale, the family lawyer, about her motherâs will should be short and to the point. Other than a couple of bequests, she was the sole beneficiary.
Having given her name to his secretary, Lisa sat alone in the reception area. She didnât mind waiting for Tank, as her parents had always called him. She had only an empty house to go back to, and pressure from a real-estate agent to sell the property.
Sheâd spent an hour this morning making a list of things she needed to have done should she decide to put the property up for sale. Sheâd learned the list-making habit from her mom. She sighed. It all felt too soon. There were so many good memories of her life in that house, memories she wasnât prepared to abandon so quickly. True, her mom and dad had often been overprotective, but Lisa had realized long ago that their protection came from their love for her.
