When best friends Jamie Eckert and Derek Duran realized they were in love, they took their relationship to the next level. But then Derek's budding music career took off, and so did Derek. Twenty years later, Jamie still lives in the small town of Ashbury, Virginia, where he grew up. He's grown up and moved on -- now he owns the family funeral home business and is raising Riley, his precocious six-year-old adopted daughter. But emotions Jamie thought long buried are stirred up again when he gets an early morning removal call. The deceased is Derek's mother and Riley's babysitter, Mrs. Duran. Now Derek's back in town for the funeral, and he turns to Jamie for support ... in more ways than one. Angry at Derek for not keeping in touch, and angrier at himself for still loving the man who left him behind, Jamie is torn between his professional duty and his feelings for Derek. Will he be able to put aside his past with Derek to carry out Mrs. Duran's final wishes? Or is Derek interested in rekindling their relationship after all this time?

Not Another One Hit Wonder

“Yeah, Daddy,” Derek echoes, “you’re no fun.”


But he gives me a wink as he sits down opposite me across the table, letting me know he’s only kidding. In this instant, I don’t ever want him to leave.


Throughout dinner, Riley focuses intently on her pizza, smacking her lips and making little mm-mmm!sounds after every bite to let us know how much she’s enjoying it. Normally when she does that at the table, I tell her to knock it off and just eat, but it’s obvious she’s putting on a show for Derek. “I love pizza so much,” she announces, diving into her second piece.


Derek holds out his slice, which threatens to buckle beneath the amount of toppings on it. “Want to try ours?” he asks. “It’s yummy.”


“You like pineapples,” I point out.


“Not on pizza, Daddy!” she cries. “That’s just gross!”


Derek looks over at me, grinning. “Someone else once thought so, too, but I managed to change his mind.”


Chapter 28