Secret Baby at Camp by Alexa Riley
Chapter 1
Honey
Iwatch as the young girl pulls on her oversized shirt, trying to hide the fact that she has a small baby bump. She looks young, with freckles across her nose and cheeks, but I saw on her job application she’s about the same age as my son.
“Can I ask you something personal?” Her bright green eyes go wide for a moment. “Not about the baby, Piper.” Her face turns a few shades pinker when she realizes that I know. I’m guessing she thought it might hurt her chances at getting the job. “There’s no need to hide that from me. I was about your age when Ford knocked me up.” I end it with a small laugh, trying to put her at ease. I want her to relax and feel welcome because stress can be hard on a pregnant woman.
“You can ask.” She finally smiles and this time it’s not forced like the others. She’s been extra nice, but this is a job interview and I can tell she’s trying to put her best foot forward.
“I know everyone in town. That’s just how it is around here.” She nods and her long dark ponytail bounces with the action. The only people I don’t know are the ones passing through. “You’re not from around here so I’m wondering where you’re staying.” I knew that the moment I laid eyes on the girl I was hiring her. She’s lost and it pulled at everything inside of me to help her. My husband always says the strongest and weakest thing about me is my heart and that he’s been put on this earth to protect it. Young Piper here is tugging at all my strings and I know my husband is already digging into her background the best he can. It’s not just for my protection either.
We always do a full rundown on new hires since they work with kids. I know hers will come back clean. She just needs a place to lay some roots and I’m going to help her with that. I can spot a girl in need and I would never turn my back on that.
“I’m staying at the motel in town.” She shrugs while keeping her hands in her lap and fidgets with them. “Sometimes in my car.” That part is whispered and I hate that she’s feeling embarrassed as she drops her gaze to her hands.
“Then it should be easy for you to move right into one of the cabins.”
Her head jerks up in surprise. “You’re hiring me?” Hope lights up in her eyes. “Even knowing about—” Her hand goes to her stomach.
“Yeah, sweetheart, I’m hiring you.” I stand up from my desk and she does the same, getting to her feet quickly. “Welcome to Camp Hardwood.”
I pull her into a hug and she’s stiff for a moment before she relents and hugs me back hard. Piper holds on for a moment in a silent thank you and I give her all the time she needs.
“Van.” I call out to my son as we pull back from the hug and he opens my office door.
“Mom?” He looks at Piper and I swear each day he looks more and more like his father. We were only blessed with one child, although running a camp makes it feel like we have hundreds at times.
“Will you show Piper to her cabin?” I toss him the keys and he snatches them in midair.
“Sure thing.”
I watch them go, feeling better now that I know the girl is safe. No one in her situation should be alone. I was all by myself until Ford came along. I met him at this very camp when I fell off the dock and into the lake and he swam out to save me. I’ve been his ever since. We came from two different worlds but that didn’t stop us. It also didn’t stop my now husband from punching Jimmy Mason right in the face and breaking his nose for pushing me off the dock that day. Back then I didn't know how to swim, but by the time camp was over that year Ford made sure I could swim like a fish. It’s always been his life mission to make sure I’m safe.
I step out of my office, unsurprised to see Moose leaning up against the counter. I’m sure he’s who my husband called to run a deeper check on Piper. Ford might have more money than God, but Moose knows people that don't even exist to the rest of the world. I never pushed but I’m pretty sure he was some kind of government secret agent before he settled into an early retirement back here. The man is a giant, with dark hair and eyes. He has to duck to get into most of the buildings, but he doesn't seem to mind. Everyone calls him Moose but he looks more like a bear to me. I don’t know how he did anything super secret for anyone because the man is unmissable. If he’s in the room, you know it.
“Not much to tell.” He pushes off the front counter answering my unspoken question.
“Coffee.” I point to the pot sitting next to him and he shakes his head. I know he doesn’t drink it but it feels weird not offering it.
“She’s got a little bit of a past like yours.” That makes my heart hurt more for her. I grew up in the system and bounced from one foster home to the next. The one thing that was always consistent for me was Camp Hardwood. It’s where I met my husband as a young girl. Even though we came from two different worlds, here we were the same.
He had a family and a name for himself. His mom Betty sent him to Camp Hardwood because in her words, he was being a little prick and needed to be humbled. He claimed after he found me I took care of bringing him down a few pegs.
He was my first everything and I was his up until they pulled me out of the system. I still went to camp every year because it became a part of Ford and me, and then about ten years ago Ford went and bought it. He heard it was going to be closed and he called it our retirement plan. But we had no idea how much work went into running a camp. Sure, we could hire people to handle some of the things we do around here, but we are hands-on and we do this together. We work side by side every day and my heart always hopes we are helping others find their soulmates like we did.
“She’s drifting, but from what I found it’s in her blood to do it. I tracked her parents to a traveling circus. Sometimes she would travel with them, but when it was time for school or they grew tired of her she’d end up back in the system. It’s all a clusterfuck.” Moose shakes his head in disgust.
Who does that to their child? I think it might have been more painful to have known my parents and to actually see them come and go from my life. I can’t imagine what it was like for that poor girl each time they left. She probably doesn’t know what love is. Everyone should know that, and now she has a baby on the way.
“She seems sweet.” I let out a sigh. It says a lot about someone who can go through those things and still have an innocence to them. Moose nods again in agreement. He’s not a man of many words. “Have you seen my husband?”
He points out back and I know without seeing him he’s drinking his coffee sitting on the porch. He hung a swing on it just for us and he always sits there when he’s waiting for me to come out of my office. I’m sure he and Moose already had a talk about the new girl. I told Ford I was going to hire her since I had a feeling. I know it’s silly but when I get a feeling it’s always right.
I tell Moose goodbye before I walk on the porch and find Ford. He opens his arms for me to come and sit next to him and I go.
“Hey, Mrs. Honey,” one of the new kids yells from across the way.
Ford tenses and I roll my eyes, knowing what’s coming. Some things never change.
“Mrs. Cyprus!” he yells back at the boy, who takes off, muttering a half-assed apology behind him.
I don’t know if they do it to poke at my husband or because they truly forget. My name is Honey after all, but my caveman of a husband doesn’t like hearing anyone else call me that. I’m only his Honey, and he makes sure they know it.
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