Our Time

Our Time

By Jessica Wilde

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2013 Jessica Wilde

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means without written consent from the author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover design by: Terry Wilde and Jessica F. Wilde

Other titles by Jessica Wilde

Every One of Me

The Brannock Siblings Series

Leverage (The Brannock Siblings, #1)

Conned (The Brannock Siblings, #2)

Missing (The Brannock Siblings, #3)

To the loves of my life.

Including you, Kolo.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Epilogue

About the Author

Acknowledgements

Other Titles

Chapter 1

Jocelyn

I woke to the sound of feet shuffling along the carpet of my room and a small voice saying Mommy?. I smiled but kept my eyes shut. This was one of my favorite types of days. When my little girl, Olivia, would come in to wake me up. How she got out of her crib, I have no idea. She was just over fifteen months old, but apparently, very coordinated.

The little pitter patter of tiny feet and the swish swish of her diaper came closer. I could hear Monty, our dog, panting behind her. He followed her everywhere, slept in her room, and was my best friend. I had a good life. A good family. I didn't about 2 years ago, but I do now. That's what matters.

My head was almost hanging off the bed, a habit for some reason to sleep as far to the edge of the bed as possible. Maybe I developed that habit with Dave, trying to stay as far away as I could. Unfortunately for my neck, I hadn't been able to change it, yet.

Olivia was right in front of me and her little breaths warmed my cheek. Suddenly, I felt her tiny finger on my eye and she lifted my eyelid.

Mommy up?

Good morning, sweetie, I said with a big smile on my face. I reached out, yanked her onto the bed, and started tickling her. Her giggles were the most incredible sound in the world and made me grateful to be alive. Her dark curls hung in her face and bounced around as she laughed and wriggled. She had chubby cheeks, dark eyebrows, and the sweetest little pink lips that could melt your heart when curled into a smile. Her eyes were gray with flecks of brown and green and blue. I have brown eyes and so did her father. How she got the beautiful eyes she did, I have no idea, but I wasn't complaining. She had three big teeth on top and two tiny ones on the bottom and the cheesiest smile.

She was perfect.

Monty jumped up onto the foot of the bed and curled into a ball. He was my nearly three year old husky wolf hybrid. He was big enough for me at no more than sixty pounds, with black, white, and brown fur that gave him very distinct markings. I bought him when I was going through the heart ache of the worst fight of my life. He brought me comfort and never left my side. I had trained him well and he was smarter than the average dog.

Good morning, boy. Did you sleep well? I asked.

He lifted his head, perked his pointy ears, and looked at me with a smirk.

"Okay, okay, I won't bug you this morning. But it wasn't my choice for you to sleep on the floor in her room. You are always welcome to come stay on the bed. You know that."

He let out a humph and curled his head into his legs as if saying 'yeah, well I do it for you'. I never understood how I got the dog that was actually a human with four legs, big ears and covered in fur. I wasn't complaining. He was a good dog and always listened.

I laughed at myself a little and Olivia crawled over to me and kissed my cheek.

Moneen Mommy.

Good morning to you too, my love, I whispered. She was speaking so well and would have conversations with herself all the time. The majority of it was gibberish, but you would occasionally catch clear words here and there such as kitty, meow, Monty, Mommy, sit, and ball to name just a few. They would kind of string together, but it was beautiful.

Did you sleep well, sweetie?

Mommy seep? she chirped.

Yes, Mommy was asleep, but that's okay. I looked at the alarm clock on my tiny night stand, 8:04AM blinked at me in bright neon green. I was still exhausted from the move and my muscles ached from all the lifting I had done.It's time to get up and have breakfast, huh?

She raised her tiny eyebrows and opened her mouth in fascination while gasping, Eat?

Yes, baby girl. Eat. Come on, let's go. I kissed her chubby cheek and climbed out of bed. Monty jumped off the bed and followed as I carried Olivia down the stairs on my hip. She was still small, but heavy enough to leave me winded by the time we got down the stairs. I sat her in her high chair and opened the windows. May was nearly over and the cool spring air gave me the energy I needed to start the day. I started rummaging through the many boxes of food I still hadn't been able to unpack. The fridge consisted of milk, string cheese, a few cups of yogurt, butter, and jam.

Looks like Mommy needs to get some groceries.

Monty had already taken his position next to Olivia's high chair, ready for anything she dropped for him. Looks like it will be yogurt, toast, and oatmeal, my love.

Olivia giggled and smacked her hands on her tray. I set some bread in my ancient toaster and pushed the lever down. It took several tries for it to stick and engage the heat coils. Piece of crap toaster. Everything else was falling apart, why not the toaster?

I shook my head and willed myself to be positive. Positive. I had my sweet little girl. That was a big positive. My smart, partially human wolf dog. Another positive. My nice little home that was going to keep us safe and warm. My dinky little Honda with one hundred and seventy-five thousand miles on it, but was still going strong, even after the long trip to Banks, Oregon. And my health… well, at least for now. All positives. Right?

Yes. All of them.

I set an open yogurt on Olivia's tray with one of her small plastic spoons. She would use it for a little bit and then end up shoving her hand in the cup and scooping the yogurt out that way. It was messy, but effective, and I loved watching her do it. She was learning so much so fast and she wanted to do it all on her own.

The toast popped up and made me jump.

Olivia giggled, Mommy silwee.

Yes, Mommy is feeling awfully silly today, I said as I applied the butter and jam on her toast. How's that yogurt?

Mmmm, nummy.

I smiled and broke small pieces off the toast and set them on her tray. I pulled out a packet of instant oatmeal and poured it into a bowl. Oatmeal? I asked her, holding up the bowl.

She just smiled and giggled like I was absolutely hilarious.

I know that some people didn't really believe me, but Olivia was smarter than the average kid. She had understood me well for months and had been speaking for just as long. She was a handful and I loved every bit of her.

After she had eaten her breakfast and I had her cleaned up, she started throwing the ball for Monty. He wasn't a big fan of the game of fetch and would give up after two throws, but he humored her for a minute. I started to unpack a few food boxes, but stopped when Olivia came running into the kitchen laughing with Monty hot on her heels. She ran into my arms giggling and saying 'Monnee'.

Oh my goodness, is Monty chasing you? Not good. Let's get him.

I put her down and she took off after him. He slipped over the floor a few times before getting his footing and started running away. This only made her giggle more. I chased both of them up the stairs. Olivia was moving as fast as she could, but was laughing so hard she kept slipping. When we got to the top, Monty was waiting for us and wagging his tail with his butt in the air and his head low to the ground. Yes, this was all positive. And all I needed.

Andrew

I woke with a start. There was barking and giggling and pounding that felt like it was all around me. I looked over at the clock, 8:30 AM.

Seriously?

I covered my head with my pillow and groaned. I had worked all night and didn't get to bed until seven-thirty this morning. I was exhausted and angry. Last night had been one hell of a night. I was running security at one of the clubs and couldn't count the number of fights I had to break up. People these days were absolutely ridiculous. If you don't want some other guy looking at your girl, keep her at home, and don't let her dress in something that closely resembles a skimpy swimming suit. I wouldn't have gotten home so late - or early I guess - if Megan hadn't showed up. She figured out where I was working and decided to bring her crazy with her.

Why I was with her for as long as I was, I'll never know. I keep chalking it up to being horny and just not having the time to find anyone else, but I know that isn't true. I was tired of being alone all the time and she was an easy distraction. That all ended a long time ago and even though I was still lonely, I was glad I didn't have to spend time with her anymore. She was an awful human being. I was very clear about not wanting to see her anymore, but like I said, she's crazy. Or deaf.

I attracted all the crazies, though, so I was used to it. Doesn't mean I liked it at all. Just dealt with it until I found someone worth spending time with, which wasn't too often lately.

More barking, more pounding, more giggling.

That's it!

I flung the covers off of me and flew out of bed. I knew there was someone moving in to the townhouse connected to mine, but I was told that it wouldn't be someone who would disturb the peace of this quiet little subdivision. Apparently, peace has several different definitions.

I hadn't seen anyone around lately and hadn't heard anything on the other side of my wall until now, so I had no idea what exactly was waiting for me over there, but something in my head said it wouldn't be who I expected.

I yanked my shorts on and a t-shirt and stomped down the hall and down the stairs with a tight frown on my face. I stopped at my front door and took a few deep breaths.

Okay, Andrew. No need to get too upset. They probably don't realize that you were up all night trying to save your job because your psycho ex-girlfriend decided to take the opportunity to describe how worthless you are yet still try to convince you that she needs you. Another deep breath. These people don't realize that you are trying to sleep that off. So calm down.

I felt better by the time I opened my door and walked the twenty feet to the front door of my new neighbor. The screen was shut, but the main door was wide open and I could tell that no progress had been made on the 'moving in'.

I knocked on the flimsy screen door a couple times and waited. The pounding sounded again, but was getting closer. That's when I saw the wolf bounding toward the door. I took a step back, but caught my breath when he came closer. He was a pretty cool looking dog. Black covered most of his body, but his face and legs had white and brown markings. His chest was marked with white fur that shaped into a cross or dagger and disappeared under his belly.

Hey there… dog. God, that sounded pathetic.

The dog sat down by the door and started howling? Singing? I wasn't sure, but it really sounded like he was speaking real words in a high pitched voice.

"Monty, tst tst."

I whipped my head up and saw her. She snapped her fingers and the dog - who apparently was named Monty - laid down at her feet when she approached the door. She was holding a little girl with dark brown curly hair on her hip and was breathing heavily as if she had just run a mile.

Can I help you? she asked. Her voice was hoarse and tired.

She was beautiful. Long brown hair hung just below her shoulders and her dark brown eyes, framed by long black lashes, focused on me like she was watching for any sudden movements. She had a slight flush to her skin and I could tell that she was probably part of the pounding around I had heard. She was slender and a little on the short side at no more than five feet four inches, but had curves that my hands suddenly itched to latch onto.

I shook my head attempting to remove those thoughts and tried to speak.

Um… my voice cracked. Wow, come on, man. Get it together. I cleared my throat and opened my mouth to try again.

Hi.

My eyes darted over to where the sweet little voice came from. The girl was turned my way now and I could see her gray eyes brighten as a smile stretched across her lips. Something about it made me smile, too.

Hi, I replied uncertainly. Uncertain because I had no idea why this little girl made me feel a little calmer.

I looked over to the woman and sighed, Look, I'm sorry to bug you and I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I just got back from a late night of work and I'm trying to catch up on some sleep.

Oh, I'm so sorry. We have been pretty loud, I guess, she smiled, but flushed a little redder. She was genuinely embarrassed. We aren't normally that loud. Monty usually doesn't bark, he just got a little excited chasing us around. She moved a hand through her hair and looked down at the dog, who was still eyeing me curiously.

I must admit, it was freaking me out a little. It seemed like he was trying to tell me something with the markings above his eyes twitching up and down.

It's no problem. I don't usually work that late so you won't have to worry about it too much in the future. I just uh… I had a rough night, I said.

I decided then that maybe I shouldn't have come over. I reacted before really thinking it through and now I felt horrible. She probably thought I was a jerk, but I couldn't peel my eyes away from her and I scrambled for a way to redeem myself.

We are leaving in a few minutes, but I promise we will be quiet until we go. I'm sorry again. She seemed flustered, but ready to end the conversation and shut the door.

The little girl turned and touched the woman's face, Mommy? Hoo dat? She pointed a chubby little finger my way and looked back over at me with a serious face.

Oh, that's… she looked over at me and waited for me to introduce myself.

Andrew. I'm Andrew Carter. Nice to meet you. I was never any good at talking to kids. My sister, Madison, is only a couple years younger than me and hasn't had any kids yet, so I had nothing to go off of.

Adoo? the little girl said and beamed a smile right at me.

I think my heart skipped a beat when she said my name and all my thoughts jumbled together. This little girl was something special.

Yes, that's right, love. Andrew is our neighbor. He is trying to sleep so we need to be quiet, okay?

"Adoo, shhh," she said and put her finger to her lips and giggled.

I think I fell in love with that little girl right then and there. My heart was tight in my chest and I had to catch my breath. She was the sweetest little thing I had ever seen. She smiled shyly at me with her hands curled under her neck and her teeth showing.

What's your name, beautiful? I asked, not daring to take my eyes off of her yet in fear that my heart would shatter into a million pieces.

Olivia, the woman said.

Olivia. What a pretty name. And what is your mommy's name?

Olivia looked up at her mother and said, Mommy! She smiled and kissed her mother's cheek with a loud smack.

Jocelyn. Jocelyn White. She smiled and held Olivia tightly against her chest in a hug.

I met her gaze and gave her my best smile and nodded.

Gorgeous.

Monty started to get a little restless and stood. Jocelyn made some kind of signal with her fingers and said "tst tst" and he immediately laid down with his ears perked.

Good dog you have there, I said and gestured to him.

Yeah, that's Monty. Um, like I said, we are leaving in a few minutes so we promise to be quiet. Just finishing cleaning up the kitchen. I need to go buy some supplies and groceries, so we will be out for a while. She put Olivia down at her feet and the little girl immediately walked over to Monty and sat down on his back, straddling him.

Don't worry about it. Like I said, I rarely work very late. I hesitated to leave and looked into her home again. Looks like you still have a lot to do.

She glanced back into her living room and nodded. Yeah, we do. I would have had most of it done yesterday, but we decided to build a fort instead.

I couldn't stop the chuckle, A fort?

Yeah. We stacked a bunch of boxes and… you know what? We better finish getting ready. I have a lot to do still. She started to close the main door.

I gave a pathetic little wave and said, Sorry to keep you. Then something stopped me from turning away. Did she have someone to help her? How did she even get all of that stuff in there? I couldn't just let her do it on her own. Could I?

Hey, wait! I said without thinking any longer.

Jocelyn paused but didn't open the door any wider, Yes?

Um, well, I'm sure your husband will take care of it, but if you need my help with any of the furniture or heavy boxes, don't be afraid to ask. Did that sound like I was fishing for information? Yeah, it did. I mentally smacked myself on the forehead and waited for her response.

Oh, ummm… she looked over her shoulder and then back at me. I'm not married. It's just the three of us. I'm sure I can manage, but thank you anyway.

What? You don't have anybody helping you? You can't move this stuff on your own. I was surprised by the sudden flare of temper that shot through me. In some way, I was hoping that she did have a husband so she wouldn't be alone. Where was Olivia's father? Why was no one here to help her?

Jocelyn fidgeted with the door handle and looked extremely uncomfortable. Crap, way to go and make her feel bad about it.

Why don't you come knock when you are ready to move things? I'll help you. I don' t have to work tonight or tomorrow so it will give me something to do… if that's alright with you, I said. Nothing to do with anything else but being a good neighbor, right? Why do I talk before I think. You can't get involved with a woman who already has a kid. That's too much.

She bit her bottom lip and looked at me skeptically. Olivia lifted her hand and patted Jocelyn's leg. Mommy.

Thanks, Andrew. I appreciate that. The sound of my name on her voice did something to my stomach and made my heart thump against my chest a little harder than what I thought was normal. She moved to shut the front door, my cue to leave.

Great, I'll see you later then. I turned and started back to my front door.

Bye, I heard a little voice say just before her door clicked shut.

I climbed the stairs slowly, my exhaustion taking over me again. I flopped on the bed without removing any of my clothes. She probably thinks I'm a creep now. I shouldn't have come on so strong, but how could I not? That little girl was so adorable and Jocelyn. There was something about her. I don't know how a single mother can move somewhere new all by herself with a child and a dog.

My thoughts stayed on the three of them until the fog of sleep settled in. Finally, I thought before everything faded.

Chapter 2

Jocelyn

I walked down the toilet paper aisle slowly while Olivia tried to open a package of cheese I had put in the cart. I thought about Andrew and dreaded asking him for help. I should have just told him to get lost. But how? He had the bluest eyes I had ever seen and they looked like they were going to pierce me through the heart.

I didn't like asking for help. After everything that I had gone through, I had learned that the only adults I could really trust were few and far between. I didn't want to get involved with anyone. Olivia means too much to me and I wouldn't do