Forget Everestâ¦parenting is a real challenge
There arenât many adventures Aubrey Hanson hasnât tried. But parenthood and domestic duties are definitely not for her. Then her twin nieces are orphaned and suddenly Aubrey needs those skills! Thereâs one problemâtheir gorgeous uncle, Dixon Carter.
Officially, heâs their guardian and he wants Aubrey involved, just not in charge. Unofficiallyâ¦well, the spark that caused their almost night together still simmers. In fact, itâs threatening to get out of control and disrupt raising the twins. Aubrey and Dixon canât keep the attraction a secret forever. So they need to figure out how to be togetherâ¦with kids!
Dixon pulled Aubrey into his arms
âThereâs no point in beating yourself up about the past.â He held her in the dimly lit hallway, wanting to press comfort into her bones. Maybe somehow they could comfort each other enough to wipe away the grief.
She let him hold her for a few seconds, but she didnât relax a muscle. âI dread leaving here, having to say goodbye.â
âI know.â He dreaded seeing her goâfor himself as well as the girls. They wouldnât accept Aubreyâs absence easilyâ¦and he wasnât sure he would, either.
She leaned back to look at him, her eyes piercing even through her tears. âThereâs no way to make this easy, is there?â
âNot that I can see, no.â Words gathered in his throat. Donât go. Stay here. Help me with the girls, especially Sienna. Be with us. Be with me.
He couldnât say that. She had a life far from here. Theyâd made a solid plan. Theyâd both be better off sticking with it. Even though letting her go now might be the hardest thing heâd done in a long time.
Dear Reader,
Before I had my son, I wasnât sure I would make a good mother. Like Aubrey, I didnât think I was that maternal. I was focused on my career, for one thing, but, really, kids seemed so fragile to me. There seemed to be so many things I could screw up. I figured motherhood was better left to those more naturally inclinedâ¦or at least more intrepid than I.
But Aubreyâs sister Briana had it right: Maternal is as maternal does⦠You learn together.
That was certainly true in my case. That didnât make parenthood any less difficult or scary. When we had our son, my husband said the words that Howard says in this book about his baby daughters: Why would we bring into the world someone whose pain weâll feel more strongly than our own? Why indeed?
Out of love and hope. And that was how Aubrey decides to take on parenthood in her ready-made family. Dixonâs already made that decision, but there are things he can learn from Aubrey about handling emotions and trusting his own heart.
The pair of them have quite a journey to their happily ever after. It involves climbing mountains, kayaking rapids, zip-lining canyons and running obstacle courses. They make it, but not without troubles. From their adventure, they learn that beauty can come from tragedy and grief can bring a greater love for those weâve lost. As Aubrey tells her nieces, the person who died lives on in our hearts and in our minds and that is a tremendous comfort, Iâve found.
This story moved me as I wrote it. It touches on so many issues and feelings that I hold dear. I hope it touches your life, too, and offers you insights, a smile and makes you hug your loved ones just a little closer afterward.
All my best,
Dawn Atkins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning author Dawn Atkins has written more than twenty-five romances for Mills & Boon. Known for her funny, sexy, poignant stories, sheâs won a Golden Quill Award for hot romance and has been a several-times RT Reviewersâ Choice Award finalist. Dawn lives in Arizona with her husband and son, who taught her all about the adventure of parenthood. Contact her through her website at www.dawnatkins.com.
To the Now and Then Book Group
You teach me more about what makes a book good every time we meet
CHAPTER ONE
âYOU SAVED MY family.â The grateful client grabbed Dixon Carter into a bear hug. Rattled, Dixon managed a back pat or two, hoping that did the trick. Emotional stuff threw him.
âWe just gave you some advice, Eric. You earned the job.â A laid-off auto tech, with an ill wife and two young boys, Eric had recently secured a job with the city, thanks to the help heâd gotten at Bootstrap Academy.
âYou gave me the guts to apply,â Eric insisted. âYou taught me how to interview, what to say on my résumé. You got me the leads.â
The man had tears in his eyes. Tears.
Dixon blinked back the moisture in his own eyes, pride making his chest burn. We do good work. âThatâs why weâre here.â
Dixon sometimes got so caught up in the business side of the agency he forgot the rewards. Bootstrap Academy was a last-chance job-training and placement agency in Phoenix. The place was his brother Howardâs dream, and Dixon had been privileged to help bring it to life a year ago.