Well. This is it. March 2nd put me into my final year in my forties. Age never bothered me before, and I'm on the fence about my current age feelings. I'm in disbelief that I'll hit another decade milestone next year. Crazy how time flies. It's so cliche and so true. *sigh*

I'm okay with it. I mean, age is just a number, right? It's about how you FEEL. The wrinkles may be deeper, the tinsel (aka gray hair) more pronounced, and the aches more frequent, but the heart and mind are as young as you make it.

Speaking of heart, I'll never outgrow my love of romance. Granted, I'd prefer to live it—my husband of 25 years is the least romantic human being on the planet—but escaping into a world of romance is a close second. Right? Maybe? No? Whether I'm reading it or writing it, I love getting lost in the world of romance.

What's your favorite romance genre? I'm a sucker for interconnected small-town contemporary romance series. Speaking of, here's the first chapter of One Unexpected Gift. Nick, the hero in the book, was my inspiration for my spin-off series, Acadia Falls. It follows his super yummy brothers and his spunky sister.

One Unexpected Gift

CHAPTER ONE

Skylar smiled down at the love of her life and braced herself for the barrage of questions and layers of guilt her best friends were bound to dump on her. She deserved what was coming. She hadn’t been fair to them these past months.

Part shame, part confusion, part jealousy. All of which were unnecessary, she knew. Her friends didn’t judge, wouldn’t judge, yet she had avoided them out of pure selfishness. She avoided their texts, their emails, their calls even though she was happy they found true love with their husbands.

She hadn’t seen them since July when she was eight months pregnant. They asked—begged, really—to come to the military base in Virginia to help her with the final weeks of pregnancy and to see Gabriella when she was born.

Taking the coward’s way, she told them she wasn’t up to visitors. In truth, she needed time to acclimate to being a mother.

Gabriella cooed from her car seat. The lap-sized teal and pink quilt Gina had sent made her daughter look like a little baby princess. She was Sky’s world. Three weeks ago she met her daughter for the first time, and now she couldn’t imagine life without her.

“Ready to meet your aunties, sweet angel?”

Sky unclipped the car seat from the base and lifted it out of the backseat of her Nissan. Brooke and Drew’s lake house was gorgeous. A stunning log cabin with a million-dollar view and only a quick walk through the woods to the summer camp she and her best friends—her sisters—owned together.

Since she was the only one still on active duty in the Army, she contributed from afar by managing their website and doing the behind the scenes work such as online marketing and fundraising.

Brooke served twelve years before leaving, while Gina and Charlie’s service were cut short from injuries.

Gabby stirred and Sky rocked her in the car seat in an attempt to keep her asleep. Pressure mounted in her heavy breasts. Gabby would need to eat soon. But first, she needed to meet her aunties. Hefting the diaper bag over her shoulder, she closed the car door with her hip and carried her daughter to Brooke’s front door.

She rang the doorbell and her heart raced with unnecessary nervous energy. Mostly out of guilt for shutting her sisters out.

“Holy shit. It’s Skylar!” Brooke yelled over her shoulder, to Charlie and Gina, most likely.

Her voice woke Gabby, who started crying.

“Oh, crap. Sky, I’m so sorry.” She opened the door wider and ushered Sky inside. “Why didn’t you tell us you were coming?”

“Skylar!” Gina rushed up and engulfed her in a hug. “And this is the beautiful Gabriella.” She dropped to her knees and straightened the quilt.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” Charlie squeezed her tight, a sniff escaping her before she broke free to join Gina on the floor to soothe Gabby.

“We’ve been waiting for you to FaceTime. You’re such a brat.” Brooke teased and bit her lip, holding back her emotional tears, no doubt. “Come here.” She wrapped her arms around Sky. “We’ve missed you, Sky. So much. I’m glad you’re here.”

“I’m sorry for—”

“No. Absolutely not.” Brooke took a step back but held onto Sky’s shoulders. “You don’t owe us any explanations. We can’t imagine what it’s been like for you these past few months, and we’d be lying if we said we weren’t upset we couldn’t be there to see our niece be born, but we understand.”

“How? Why?” Sky blinked back her tears. She didn’t even understand why she shut them out. They were the only family she had besides Derek. He’d come down with Karen when Gabby was born, and last week Sky came up and stayed with them in their small one-bedroom condo in Bangor.

While she loved Derek like a father, he was a newlywed and recently retired. Having the girl he took under his wing after her parents died nearly fifteen years ago and her newborn crash at their small place wasn’t fair to them.

“Because we love you,” Charlie said, still kneeling. “Can we unbuckle her? A war is going to break out in Brooke’s living room if we don’t get to hold her soon.”

“Sure. It’s almost time for her to feed again anyway.”

“How long are you here for?” Gina asked, her attention on Charlie as she took Gabby out of the car seat.

“I have eight weeks left on my maternity leave.”

“You’ll stay here. You can have the entire downstairs.”

“That’s kind of you but babies cry all the time. I wouldn’t want to disturb Drew.”

“Please. When he’s writing he tunes the world out. He’ll be leaving for a book tour in a few weeks anyway so it’s not a problem. Really.”

Brooke would be gone during the day teaching. Sky didn’t feel right staying home alone with Drew. He was amazing and the sweetest man she’d ever met, but she didn’t want to infringe on his privacy.

The last thing Sky wanted to be was a burden, but unless she went back to her military housing in Virginia, she had nowhere to stay. It was either spend her maternity leave on base alone or be an inconvenience to her friends.

“You can stay with us,” Gina said, stroking Gabby’s cheeks. “Especially if Charlie keeps hogging the baby. The only way I’ll get to hold her is if she’s with Bryce and me. He’s gone all the time for work and I’m home alone sewing and teaching classes online. You’d be welcomed company.”

“I don’t think so.” Charlie cuddled Gabby closer. “First, I’ve only been holding my niece for four seconds. Second, you and Bryce are newlyweds and doing it every four seconds. That would be uncomfortable for Sky. She should live with Owen, Olivia, and me. Owen and I are gone at work all day and Olivia’s in school. She’d have the house to herself, and she’d have an instant babysitter when Olivia gets home from school.”

“Like you’d share.” Gina held out her arms for Gabby.

Sky’s heart warmed at the bickering among her friends. They hadn’t questioned her about why she ghosted them the past two months. They hadn’t demanded to know the name of the father. Not since she told them she was pregnant and blew it off like she hadn’t a clue.

Gabby stirred, stretched, and opened her mouth letting out a loud scream.

“Obviously I’m her favorite.” Charlie grinned.

“She’s hungry. Is it okay if I nurse her here?” Sky pointed to the couch.

“You go wherever you need to go. Is it okay if we stay with you or would you prefer privacy?” Brooke asked.

“Unless you’re weirded out by my engorged boobs.”

Drew took that moment to step into the living room. “Um, I was going to give you a welcome home hug, but maybe I’ll wait. Good to see you, Skylar.” He spun on his heels and left.

They all laughed as she settled into the couch. Gina handed her a pillow while Charlie brought the quilt and laid it over Gabby. Brooke sat next to her and played with Gabby’s feet.

“They’re so tiny. I can’t imagine my size tens ever being this small.”

“She’s a peanut until you think about what she had to come out of to get here.”

They all cringed.

“Did it hurt?” Charlie asked.

“Well, it didn’t feel good, but when the doctor told me I had a little girl and laid her on my chest, the pain went away.” Sky stroked Gabby’s cheeks as she sucked. “It sounds cliche, I know, but it’s true. And I know I’m biased, but she’s perfect, isn’t she?”

“She is.” Charlie sat on the coffee table across from her and stared. “Does it weird you out with us all staring at your boobs?”

“Speak for yourself. I’m staring at my niece.” Gina stroked Gabby’s head.

Why she was so nervous about seeing her sisters, she didn’t know. Through thick and thin, they’d always been there for each other. They’d have questions and she’d have limited answers, but for now, she was home.

The next eight weeks would fly and then she’d have to figure out her new normal. Being a single mom in the Army would be a challenge. Others have done it, so Sky knew she could too. It had been her dream since she stepped on base and endured bootcamp to be a lifer in the Army. It was her calling. The rush of being a medic on the battlefield, of saving soldiers’ lives in the emergency tent gave her purpose.

The lives lost left a lasting impression in her heart, and it never got easier, but she learned to focus on the good. The lives she did save. The difference she made. She embraced the rush and stress of the job.

Living a civilian life wouldn’t satisfy her like it did her friends, but she had no one to care for Gabriella when she was deployed. She had at least six months to worry about that, thankfully.

There was always the option of telling Gabriella’s father about her, but it wasn’t like they even knew each other. Two quick hookups and never even a date. She didn’t know anything about him except where he worked. For all she knew, he could be a total ass, and she didn’t want her daughter to grow up in an unloving home.

Being fatherless was better than having one who didn’t want you. Fair or not, she had her daughter to worry about. Gabriella would always be her number one priority. 

“Okay, so seriously, Sky, where are you staying tonight?” Brooke asked an hour later as she scooped up a load of guacamole on her chip and pointed it at her. “You have options, and while there will definitely be some serious bragging about being chosen the winner, where will you feel most comfortable?”

Three pairs of eyes stared at her from around the table. Gabby lay sleeping in Gina’s arms. They all took turns holding her and even set a timer to make it fair. The love in the room was enough to make up for lost time.

“I don’t want to be an incon—”

“Yeah, yeah. Enough of that bullshit already. You can tell we all want you. Besides, it doesn’t matter where you go, we’re all going to follow.”

“Gee, when did you all turn into stalkers?”

“Since you gave us a niece,” Gina said, kissing Gabby’s cheeks.

Brooke’s timer buzzed. “My turn.” She held out her arms and wiggled them at Gina. They made the baby exchange with ease. It amazed her how quickly they adapted to being with an infant.

“Derek and Karen are leaving for their timeshare in Florida next week. They said I could stay at their condo in Bangor.”

The three of them gave her the death stare. Brooke held Gabby protectively against her chest as if she feared Sky would steal her from her.

Truthfully, Sky was hoping one of them wouldn’t mind her staying for a few days but seeing how much they cared for both her and the baby, maybe she could spend her entire maternity leave in Angel Springs.

“I guess I could stay here longer.”

“When do you have to go back to Virginia?” Gina asked.

“In two months.”

“That’s so soon.”

Two months was a long time for a houseguest. She could always take turns, spending a few weeks with one, and then a few weeks with another so she wouldn’t overstay her welcome.

As if reading her thoughts, Charlie said, “You could spend a few weeks with each of us so we won’t fight as much over you.”

“You guys.” Sky sniffed and wiped her nose with her napkin. “I love you all so much. I never thought,” she hiccuped her tears back, “that you’d be so… so…”

“Oh, honey.” Gina scooted her chair back and came around the table to hug her. “We love you too.”

After more hugs and tears, she drank down a glass of water and composed herself. “I guess I’ll start by staying with Charlie since it will be less of an inconvenience with them all gone during the day.”

“Yes.” Charlie fist-pumped the air. “I won.”

“Shut up, bitch,” Brooke growled.

Charlie stuck her tongue out and made grabby hands for the baby.

“Not so fast. Since you’ll be living with her it means Gina and I get to hold Gabriella when we’re together.”

“That’s fair.” Gina held out her hands for the baby.

“The timer hasn’t gone off yet.” Brooke nodded to her phone.

“You didn’t even reset it.” Gina swiped it and turned it on.

Again, Sky found herself laughing. Not something she expected to do facing her sisters after blowing them off for months.

For the next hour, they talked about the summer camp they ran and the community clean-up day coming up. Sky had organized it from afar. This would be the first year she could participate. Closing up at the start of fall didn’t take nearly as much work as opening in the spring.

Local teenagers and other community members volunteered the last weekend of September to rake any fallen leaves, close up the cabins, and get the camp ready for winter.

She’d thought of the idea two years ago as a way to raise awareness of the camp. In a short amount of time, they’d had nearly a hundred volunteers throughout the weekend. Having a newborn strapped to her meant her work would be limited, but Sky was anxious to get her hands literally dirty.

Camp Illumination had been their way of giving back, of helping to ensure every child had at least one positive experience to last them a lifetime.

“You ready, roomie?” Charlie slipped Gabby into the car seat and fought with the buckles.

“It takes a few times to figure out all the contraptions that come with a baby.” Sky fixed Gabby’s arm and untwisted the strap.

“This will be a good test run for Owen. I mean, he’s practically raised his sister but not when Olivia was this small.”

Sky really loved Owen. All her friends’ husbands, really. They were selfless and doted on their wives, treating them like princesses. She didn’t have anyone to care for her, but she had her own princess who took up all the space in her heart.

Keep reading for free in KU here!

Have a fabulous weekend, friends!

~Marianne xoxo