Falling for His Best Friend: Halcyon Falls, #1

By Faye Morgan

She just wants a baby; he wants to marry her—is happily ever after an option?

 

Harmony Patton wants a baby without all those other strings attached. She's convinced no one can ever love her unconditionally except a child. Foster homes taught her that people only love when there's something in it for them.

At thirty-five, she's worried she's running out of time. But who can she ask? Her best friend, Seth Gardner.

Seth has been in love with Harmony for as long as he can remember. Harmony's never let him close enough to give herself a chance to fall in love with him. So when she asks him to help make her dreams of becoming a mother come true, he agrees… with one condition. He wants her to have his baby as his wife. If after a year she wants out, she's free to divorce him. But Seth's not certain he can let her go. Is a year enough time to change her mind? Will she fall for him before it's too late? Can he let her walk out of his life—with his child—if she decides to go?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Faye Morgan
• Release date: Nov 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781386944195

Book preview

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION. All characters, places, businesses and incidents are from the author’s imagination or they are used fictitiously and are definitely fictionalized. Any trademarks or pictures herein are not authorized by the trademark owners and do not in any way mean the work is sponsored by or associated with the trademark owners. Any trademarks or pictures used are specifically in a descriptive capacity. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2020 by Faye Morgan

BOOK DESCRIPTION

She just wants a baby; he wants to marry her—is happily ever after an option?

Harmony Patton wants a baby without all those other strings attached. She’s convinced no one can ever love her unconditionally except a child. Foster homes taught her that people only love when there's something in it for them. 

At thirty-five, she's worried she's running out of time. But who can she ask? Her best friend, Seth Gardner. 

Seth has been in love with Harmony for as long as he can remember. Harmony’s never let him close enough to give herself a chance to fall in love with him. So when she asks him to help make her dreams of becoming a mother come true, he agrees... with one condition. He wants her to have his baby as his wife. If after a year she wants out, she's free to divorce him. But Seth’s not certain he can let her go. Is a year enough time to change her mind? Will she fall for him before it's too late? Can he let her walk out of his life—with his child—if she decides to go?

Chapter One 

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Harmony fidgeted on the coffee shop’s seat and twisted the paper band on her coffee cup, while some of the patrons studied the paintings and photographs that hung on the walls, and others moved around her with their full to-go cups. Beside her, a mom jostled a toddler on her hip and Harmony's heart squeezed. She wanted to be that mom so badly. In her head, her biological clock gonged by the hour. Time was slipping away so fast. At thirty-four years, seven months and five days old, there was no time to lose, which was why today was so critically important. 

The front door buzzed and she glanced up, nervously expectant that it would finally be Seth coming through the entrance, nope, an older gentleman with a Yorkie in his arms. She leaned closer to the window beside her table and glanced up and down the bustling sidewalk, but she didn’t see Seth’s dark head anywhere. She checked her watch again. He was never anywhere on time, but she’d hoped that today she wouldn't have to wait the full fifteen minutes of Seth Standard Time. 

The coffee thrummed through her veins and her heel tapped the linoleum. She should have ordered a small, but now she was tempted to order another, or maybe a scone to soak up some of the caffeine. She still had at least another five minutes before Seth showed. She lifted her purse off the back of the chair and dug around for a five-dollar bill. As she twisted to stand, she caught Seth staring at her from just outside the door. She waved and a bright smile flashed across his face. He held the door open for two loud women talking about a shoe sale down at Macys. He came over and enfolded her in a huge warm hug. He was such a great hugger. She pressed her cheek into his neck and smiled at the comforting smell of his spicy aftershave. His wide hand pressed against the small of her back, and their bellies melded together. He wasn't the kind of guy to keep her at a friendly distance when they hugged—almost like he used their body contact to sustain him during the rest of his week. 

He leaned away and smiled. You okay? 

She nodded and let her arms fall to her sides. Want a coffee? He glanced at the counter, six deep in customers, then back at her. I was kind of hoping we could grab a bite to eat. Have you had lunch? 

She shook her head. Ever since she'd come up with this crazed idea, her appetite had fled, and she'd barely eaten anything in the last two days. Now that she was so close to getting a resolution, her stomach growled. 

Seth grinned and tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. I'll take that as a yes. 

She grabbed her purse and tossed her nearly empty cup into the trash by the door as she let him lead her out of the coffee shop and down the block. Putinos okay? 

Mmm. Yes. I've been dying for his ravioli. 

They strolled down the sidewalk and she tossed around the perfect way to dive into this conversation. He was her last chance and she had to get it right. 

An older couple passed them as they reached the restaurant. The woman was nagging the man and his bickering reply pecked at Harmony like a horrid little magpie. She winced at how their behavior perfectly mimicked that of her first foster parents. Before the memory could overtake her, she hurried inside, soothed by the soft music coming from the speakers and drowning out the outside chatter. She took a breath and refused to dive backward into her past. That life was gone now, she told herself. Today was a brand new start of something wonderful. 

Seth settled his hand on the small of her back, as if he sensed her tension. His touch grounded her into this reality, and she drew a deep breath while they waited for the host to seat them. 

It was early enough that they'd beat the lunch rush, so the host took them right back to a table. Seth held her seat and hundreds of butterflies erupted in her stomach. She just needed to get this over with. Seth hung up his coat and sat. So what’s up? 

Her stomach flipped and flopped and she clutched