Happily This Christmas (Happily Inc #6) - Susan Mallery Page 0,9
Joylyn was little, we always made a big deal out of Thanksgiving. We would put together those funny paper turkeys and pilgrim paper dolls a few days before. The morning of, I made her blueberry pancakes. Then we’d head over to her mom’s for a big dinner.”
“That sounds nice. You were still in high school when she was born?”
The server appeared. Wynn ordered her salad and a diet soda while Garrick got a burger and iced tea. When they were alone, he looked at her.
“I’m a really great guy.”
She did her best not to smile. “Okay, sure.”
One corner of his mouth turned up. “I only say that to state the obvious before telling you about how Joylyn came to be.”
“You’re not the hero of the story?” she asked, not concerned about what he was going to say. However things had started for him and his daughter, his affection for her was clear.
“I tried to be.” He leaned back in the booth. “Alisha and I were both juniors in high school. I had a thing for her best friend and foolishly asked Alisha’s advice on how to win her.”
Wynn winced. “No girl likes that.”
“I know that now, but at the time I was an idiot. I also didn’t know that Alisha had a thing for me.”
Wynn would guess Garrick had been one popular guy back in high school. No doubt he’d been just as handsome, with a little teenage edginess for extra appeal.
“Which made your request doubly painful for her.”
“It did.” He smiled. “She said she couldn’t recommend me to her friend unless she went out with me first. To see how I was as a boyfriend.”
Wynn raised her eyebrows. “Impressive. Go Alisha.”
“We agreed to date for a month. At the end of that time, I was totally into her and she had come to see I was not all that.”
Wynn smiled. “You got your comeuppance.”
“You could sound a little more broken up about it.”
“I could, but I won’t.”
He flashed her a smile that nearly made her swoon. She told herself it was because she hadn’t eaten much for breakfast, but knew she was lying.
“While I was still trying to convince her I was worthy boyfriend material, she turned up pregnant.” He glanced down at the table, then back at her. “Neither of us saw that coming. The parents were unamused.”
“I can imagine. Did you get married?”
“No. Neither of us wanted that. By the time Joylyn was born, we were happy to be good friends, and that’s the way it stayed. Alisha’s a great mom, and I did my best to be a hands-on dad.”
“So you had a baby while you were a senior in high school.”
He nodded. “It was harder for Alisha than me, of course. She was the one who was pregnant. Once Joylyn was born, we worked out a schedule. Our moms did the lion’s share of the work. We didn’t realize it at the time, but they were there for us. After high school Alisha and her family moved to Phoenix. I didn’t want to lose touch with my daughter, so I applied to ASU and got in. Joylyn and I kind of grew up together.”
She liked how he’d been involved with his daughter from the start. A lot of guys his age would have done the least they could or walked away completely.
“You became a police officer in Phoenix?” she asked.
“I did. Alisha got married and had three boys, one after the other. It was a lot for her to deal with. I saw Joylyn as much as I could.”
Their server brought their drinks.
“We did everything together,” he said, reaching for his iced tea. “Hung out after I got home from work, went camping, horseback riding.”
His tone was wistful. There was lots of love there, but also the fact that he missed what he’d had.
“You were a good dad,” she said.
“I hope so.” He sipped his tea. “What about you? Is Hunter’s father around?”
“No. He died right around the time Hunter was born. He had an insurance policy and I was the beneficiary. The money allowed me to go to trade school and learn graphic design, then move here and buy the business I have now.”
There was a lot more to the story, but this was the version she told people.
“Where did you grow up?” he asked.
“Oakland. So a fair distance from Happily Inc.” She smiled. “I’m liking small town living very much.”
“There is a different rhythm here. It’s a good place to raise a family.