Read Online Accidental Lovers (The Accidental Series, Book 3) by Tina Martin - Free Book Online Page A

introductions, do you
want me to stick around?”
    “No. You don’t have to,” Shayla took a sip
of coffee. “I suppose I could get my long lost father to drop me
off at the hotel.”
    “I tell you what…I’ll take you to meet him,
leave to give y’all some time to play catch up and then I’ll call
you to see when you need me to pick you up. That way, I can see to
it that you arrive back safely to your hotel.”
    “That’s too much.”
    “It’s fine. Really.”
    “Okay, Donovan. If you say so.”
     
    At six, Donovan drove Shayla to the park
where they had agreed to meet Jack. She was fidgety and anxious
when they arrived, her palms sweaty as she scanned the area,
looking for who she thought Jack might be.
    “Okay…um…he said they would be at the picnic
spot number five, near the water. And I think that might be them
over…there, so let me park.”
    Shayla quietly stared in their direction
while at the same time taking in the beauty of this place. The
trees were beautiful, covered in bright orange, yellow, reddish and
brown leaves. The sun stayed hidden behind the clouds on the
overcast day. It looked like it would rain any minute.
    Donovan shifted the car in park and shut off
the engine. He looked at Shayla and said, “You ready?”
    Shayla nodded. “As ready as I’m ever going
to be.”
    “All right,” he said, sounding more excited
than she did.
    Shayla opened the door to get out. Donovan
followed, and they took the sidewalk, heading straight for the
picnic area where her father and his family were sitting.
    “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this,”
she whispered to Donovan.
    “Believe it. It’s seconds from
happening.”
    As they got closer, she got a good look at
Jack. He was a tall, thin man, around the same height as Donovan
and he had gray hair but still looked young and distinguished. He
wore some khakis and a polo, had his hands snuggled comfortably in
the pocket of his pants.
    “Shayla?” he said as she stood in front of
him now.
    “Hi,” Shayla said to him.
    “Hi there, Jack,” Donovan told him, reaching
to shake his hand, then waved at the rest of the family. He leaned
down and whispered in Shayla’s ear, “I’m gonna go. I won’t be far,
so if you feel uncomfortable or ready to go, call me. Okay?”
    “Okay.”
    Donovan walked away, heading for his
car.
    Shayla then returned her attention back to
Jack.
    “You grew up to be such a beautiful, young
woman,” Jack said.
    “Thanks,” she said, staring at him. “I’m
sorry for staring. I’m trying to remember you but I don’t.”
    “You probably wouldn’t. I moved to Virginia
a long time ago, when things didn’t work out with your Mother.”
    Shayla glanced at the two young men and the
woman standing behind him.
    “This is my wife, Gail and those are my
boys, Jack, Jr. and Jeremy.”
    “Nice to meet you, Gail,” Shayla said
shaking her hand because a hug seemed inappropriate. Gail was a
pretty, brown-toned woman with short, auburn hair. She looked to be
much younger than Jack and she seemed pleasant. Moving on to the
boys, she said, “Wow. I can’t believe I have brothers. Hi guys,”
she told them and both Jack and Jeremy hugged her, which brought
Shayla to tears.
    “Come sit down,” Jack suggested. Then he
told his wife to take the boys and walk around for a while to give
him and Shayla some privacy.
    Shayla sat next to her father, looking at
him up close now – noticing the grayness of his hair with a few
strands of brown mixed in with it. He also had some facial hair,
crow’s feet at the corner of his eyes and hard lines on his
face.
    Jack met her stares and said, “You turned
out to be such a beautiful woman, just like your mother.”
    “Thanks,” Shayla responded, twiddling her
thumbs and interlocking the rest of her fingers.
    “You remind me so much of her, you
know.”
    “Why’d you leave my mom, Jack?”
    Jack sighed, blew a breath. “I didn’t want
to leave her, baby girl. I was with