Bachelor Dad: A Single Dad Romance

She looked at her watch and then at her son. “We should probably be on our way. I still have a full shift to work tonight.”

Garrett moved away from the booth as Libby gathered her things. “I’m glad we ran into you,” he said. “And, Noah, the next time we see each other, I want to hear a little about that football team you play on.”

Noah, who was scooting out of his seat, looked up, a wide smile on his face. “You bet!”

Libby was surprised he had remembered about her son’s football team. She’d only mentioned it once, so it was especially nice of him to say something. “Enjoy your meal,” she told them, as she turned toward the cash register.

“Bye, Mr. Miles,” Noah said, following her. “Bye, Sophie.”

Garrett waved, and so did Sophie, and Libby imagined the hard time he was probably having. She wished him well. Being a single parent wasn’t easy. Being a parent of a child who might have undergone some kind of trauma was even harder. He definitely had his work cut out for him.

After paying for their dinner, Libby and Noah stepped outside and walked to their car. Driving toward Noah’s day care provider’s house, she rolled down her window and inhaled deeply, breathing in the warm, early September evening.

“I like it a lot here, don’t you, Mom?” Noah asked from the backseat.

“It’s a nice town, yes.”

“Mr. Miles is a nice man.”

Libby glanced in her rearview mirror, wondering what Noah might be up to. But the sun had already set and shadows kept her from seeing his face. “Yes, he’s nice. He comes into Lou’s two or three times a week.”

“Are you good friends with him?”

She nearly laughed. “No, not good friends,” she answered, as honestly as she could. She wasn’t quite sure what to call her odd relationship with Garrett. “Just friends, I guess.”

Silence settled over the car, and she thought about how well they were doing in Desperation. Noah liked school and had made several new friends. She didn’t mind her job at the tavern. It didn’t pay badly, and the tips were often more than satisfying. They did all right.

But she knew it might not be a forever thing. Anything could happen, and she had to be careful. Thanks to an underground group, she’d managed to get Noah and herself out of Phoenix without being followed by her ex-husband. They had new names, new identities, new everything, and she hoped it would all continue to work out well. But in the back of her mind, there were always the memories of the abuse she’d endured from her ex-husband and the fear she’d had that he might do the same to their son. And maybe, just maybe he had.

GARRETT UNLOCKED THE FRONT DOOR, nudged it open with his shoulder and stepped inside to flip on the light switch. “Did you like your dinner?” he asked, as Sophie followed closely behind him. He looked back to see her nodding, a small, shy smile turning up the corners of her mouth.

He walked to the TV and turned it on, remembering that there were a few channels that broadcast nothing but cartoons all day and night. Maybe that would keep Sophie entertained until he could get his head together and figure out what he needed to do next.

“How’s this?” he asked, as a big gray cat chased a little mouse under a table on the screen. She nodded, and he pointed to the sofa, while grabbing a small pillow for her. “You can sit there, if you want to.”

She took the pillow he handed her, then climbed onto the sofa and curled up in the corner, her attention glued on the cat-and-mouse chase on TV. Before he had a chance to wonder what he needed to do next, the phone rang.

“I should have invited you over for supper,” Paige said with an accompanying sigh, when he answered it. “Is everything going okay?”

“I realized I didn’t really have anything here for us to eat, so we went to the café. I think she enjoyed it.” He could see her from his spot near the kitchen doorway. “She’s watching TV right now.”

“She’s probably exhausted,” Paige answered, “considering everything that she’s gone through today. Maybe she’d like to go to bed?”

Garrett hadn’t even thought about how everything might look from Sophie’s point of view. What kind of father was he? “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll get her into bed, and then make a list of the things I need to do tomorrow.”

“Maybe a warm bath would help.”

His first thought was to answer that she knew he preferred showers, but then he realized she was referring to a bath for Sophie. “Yeah, good idea.”

“Give her a kiss for me,” Paige said, before wishing him luck and saying goodbye.

After hanging up the phone, he walked to the living room, where Sophie was still focused on the antics of the cat and the mouse that wouldn’t be caught. “Sophie?”

She turned her attention to him slowly.

“Would you like to take a bath?”

It was several seconds before she nodded, and she didn’t move from the corner of the sofa.

“I’ll go fill the tub for you, okay?” When she nodded again, this time without hesitation, he felt better. “Okay, you can watch the cartoon while I do that, and I’ll let you know when it’s ready.”

After receiving another nod, he started for the bathroom, but changed course and walked across the hall to retrieve the one suitcase she’d brought with her. He placed it on the bed and quickly went through the few things that were in it, finally pulling out a pair of well-worn pajamas. It definitely appeared that in addition to needing to do some grocery shopping, he also needed to do some clothes shopping. She’d come with so very little, and he didn’t even know where to start. He’d never given any thought to being a father or to how difficult it might be.

Pushing the pity thoughts away, he moved on to the bathroom, where he ran a warm bath, then went into the living room to let her know it was ready. “Sophie?” he said, taking care to speak softly so he wouldn’t scare her. She looked up at him, and he smiled. “Your bath is ready.”

He followed her down the hall to the bathroom, where she went inside and shut the door, leaving him standing outside. He wished he’d had some bubble bath to add, but Paige must have taken any she had with her when she moved out a few months earlier. One more item to add to his list of things to get.

Leaning against the wall, he waited, and it wasn’t as long as he’d thought it would be before Sophie emerged from the bathroom, dressed in the pajamas he’d left for her.

Without saying a word, she walked to the bedroom that had been Paige’s and peeked inside. “It’s yours,” he told her. “I know it doesn’t look anything like a little girl’s room, but we’ll fix that real soon. It was my sister’s room when she lived here.”

Sophie’s hazel eyes were wide and unreadable, but she nodded slowly. Her head turned toward the big bed, and then back again.

It was his turn to nod. “Go ahead, climb into bed and I’ll tuck you in.” He suddenly smiled at the memory of his mother saying the same to him. Feeling a little easier, not to mention nostalgic, he waited until she’d crawled onto the bed and scooted under the covers before approaching. “Up to your chin?” he asked, taking the top edge of the blanket in his fingers.

But Sophie wasn’t paying attention. Her gaze darted around the room, as if she were looking for something. At first, he wasn’t sure what it might be, and he suspected Sophie wouldn’t suddenly speak up and tell him what the problem was, so he looked around, too. And then it dawned on him.

“Your teddy bear?” When she nodded, he felt a knot in his chest ease. “You left it on the sofa. I’ll get it and will be right back.” He barely waited for her nod before he turned for the door and hurried to the living room, where he scooped up the tattered teddy bear and returned to her room.

She hadn’t moved an inch. The big bed seemed to swallow her, and he made another mental note, along with the others, to find a smaller bed for her. When he handed her the teddy bear, he noticed that the relief on her face turned to joy. Apparently something was right. Finally.

After making sure she was comfortable, he brushed his lips lightly on her cheek. He felt her still, and when he moved away, she was watching him closely. He wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“I’ll be down the hall in my office,” he told her, switching on a small bedside lamp. “If you need anything, just come get me, okay?”

She nodded, her face solemn. Unsure if he should leave her alone, he finally moved toward the door. “Good night, Sophie.”

He hadn’t been in his office for five minutes when he thought he heard crying. Stepping carefully out into the hall, he listened closely. His heart ached at the sound of whimpers and soft sobs coming from her room, but he wasn’t sure what to do. Should he go in and assure her that everything would be all right? It might be a promise he couldn’t keep.

Instead of going in to try to soothe her—something he was certain he would fail at—he returned to his office and put away his things. A few minutes later, he listened at her door. The crying had stopped, and he suspected she might have fallen asleep. Opening the door as quietly as possible, he looked inside.

The soft glow of the lamp lit her small features, and he was again immediately reminded of his sister. Was it wishful thinking? Did he really want to do this? Did he want to be a father?

The thought of raising a small child terrified him. He’d seen what parents could do to their children. He’d chosen long ago not to father a child. And yet it had happened.

He’d have the paternity test done. He needed proof that she was his. Not only for himself, but for the future and whatever it might bring.

But most of all, he wondered if he was going to screw this up. The thought chased everything else from his mind. He searched, but he couldn’t find an answer.