About Decisions of the Heart

by Kiernan Kelly
20 pages / 8800 words
Available file types - html, lit, pdf, prc

In this prequel to Kiernan Kelly's A Forever Family, Josh Langram is an ex-Marine with a heavy responsibility. He's a single dad with a six-year old son named Seth. On Seth's first day at Sacred Heart Academy, Josh meets Brett, another single dad with a handful of his own, his six-year old daughter, Amanda.

Feeling strength in numbers, the two lonely men band together for play dates for the kids, but things soon heat up between the adults. Will Josh and Brett be able to handle juggling their kids and their sex life?

Sample

At one time, Josh thought he would be a career man, put in his twenty years as a Marine and retire with his pension, but when Melanie died and Seth became his responsibility, everything changed. Josh's second tour was finished shortly afterwards, and he didn't re-up. He needed to be home for Seth, and he'd never regretted his decision, not once in the past five years, even though he'd put everything, including his personal life, on hold. No friends, no dating, no sex. There was only room in his life and heart for Seth.

He barely remembered what it was like to have sex. The one thing Josh did have was a good supply of slick in his dresser drawer, and a healthy relationship with his right hand. Josh wrote off his love life the moment the nurse placed Seth in his arms. He was content to be a daddy. There would be plenty of time to date later on, after Seth was grown.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

Sometimes, late at night after Seth had been bathed, read to, tickled, and tucked in, Josh wondered if keeping himself off the market was such a good idea. It would be nice to have someone to talk to about grown-up things, somebody who didn't live for Saturday morning cartoons, or believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

Not to mention sex. Sex would be good, too.

Then he'd peek into Seth's bedroom, with its Power Rangers sheets and scattering of toys and plush animals, and see Seth's small blond head resting on his pillow, Mr. Bossy tucked tightly under his arm, and Josh's resolve would renew itself.

No, Seth was all he needed, and vice-versa. Anyone else would only complicate their lives.

His mind returned to Seth, standing in the living room with his backpack on, Mr. Bossy clutched tightly in his hands. Big blue eyes blinked up at him, frightened and trusting at the same time. He looked just like Melanie at that age, Josh thought with a melancholic twinge.

"It's going to be okay, kiddo," Josh said for the umpteenth time that morning. "You'll see. Come on, now. We don't want to be late for our first day." He took Seth's hand, his own large paw swallowing Seth's small, pudgy one, and led him outside to the car.