English professor Gavin Dozier hasn’t had much luck when it comes to love. When his last boyfriend cheated on him, he was driven to experiment with women. Sex with Marian, though, had its own dangers, and before he knew it, he was a father. Now estranged, the only thing Gavin and Marian have in common is their daughter Evie, a precocious seven-year-old who stays with Gavin every other weekend. While out with her daddy, Evie meets the heavily-tattooed Brody Phelps, a sketch artist with serious talent who still dresses like a brooding punk rocker, even though he’s in his thirties. Brody is instantly attracted to the sexy college professor, but knows Gavin is out of his league -- the man has a kid, which probably means he isn’t gay, and besides, Brody never even graduated from high school. Guys like Gavin don’t go for guys like him. But when Evie leaves Gavin’s cell phone behind, Brody has the perfect excuse to meet up with them again. To his surprise they hit it off, and when he asks Gavin out, the professor accepts. Even though Evie brought them together, will her demanding personality pull them apart? Is Gavin ready to trust his heart to someone else again? Can Brody overcome his own fears of inadequacy and let Gavin in? And what will Marian have to say when the father of her child starts dating again?

Never Met a Stranger

So he goes with the old standby. “We’ll see, honey.” It isn’t exactly no, so she can’t get mad about it yet, but it isn’t yes, either, so if things don’t work out, she won’t be able to be too upset.


But she’s caught onto him, and with a dramatic sigh, she moans, “You alwayssay that!”


“Lunch first,” he promises her. This much of their agenda is already set in stone. “Then the movie. You still want to see it, right?”


She beams up at him and gives a little skip, tugging on his hand. “Yeees, of course! You promised!”


“Then we’ll have to see about swinging after that,” Gavin says.


Evie clasps his hand in both of hers and hugs it under her chin. “Okay, but I really reallywant to, and if we go, I’ll love you forever.”


“You already love me forever,” Gavin jokes. 


“Then I’ll love you more,” Evie promises.


Seriously, where does she come up with this stuff? 5


Chapter 6