Fixer-Upper: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season Three Book Fifteen) Read online

  Fixer-Upper

  A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season Three Book Fifteen)

  EE Silver

  Contents

  Fixer-Upper

  Find EE Online

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Epilogue

  Thank You

  About the Author

  Also by EE Silver

  Coming Soon

  More Vale Valley

  Fixer-Upper

  A Vale Valley Summer Romance

  By EE Silver

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 by EE Silver

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address: [email protected]

  First edition August 2019

  Cover by Fantasia Frog Designs

  ISBN 978-1-6864-3051-0 (paperback)

  ASIN B07T8R1P9Y (ebook)

  www.idkmybff.com

  Blurb

  King is not your typical sweet omega merman. He’s infamous for his explosive temper and his ability to let it ruin his life – which is why he’s in Vale Valley, jobless, homeless, and staying with his cousin and her husband, the sheriff of Vale Valley. He isn’t planning on take a job helping the new single dad in town remodel a house, and he really isn’t counting on the alpha being the one person he’s been waiting his whole life for.

  When baby Anya came into his life, Jonah sold everything he owned in order to move to Vale Valley and open a daycare so he can build a life for the two of them. Anya and a run-down house on the lake are all he has, and wants, in this world. That is, until he meets a prickly omega with more than his fair share of baggage and kisses that melt Jonah’s brain every damn time.

  But both men are hiding secrets that could destroy the fragile trust they’ve been building, and King’s determined not to let fate tell him who his mate should be. Even if Jonah is everything King’s ever wanted.

  Fixer-Upper is the 15th book in season three of the popular Vale Valley series, where summer romance is in the air all year round, families are well-meaning even when you want them to go away, and surprise babies can be just what’s needed to help a couple of lonely souls build a home together

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  Chapter One

  Jonah

  To the untrained observer, the lakeside cottage might have appeared as nothing special. Just another empty building with dusty corners, faded wallpaper, and cabinet doors hanging crookedly on tired hinges. It looked like a vacation home that had been used frequently and taken care of a little less so—which was why it had been so cheap, despite the competitive nature of real estate in Vale Valley, according to the Realtor. The carpet was stained, the linoleum was peeling, and the windows were absolutely filthy.

  And it was the most beautiful building Jonah Leander had ever seen.

  He stood in the doorway, keys dangling from one hand while he pressed the fingers of the other against the frame, like he could bring his dream into reality just like that. Snug in her carrier and her ear pressed to his chest, Jonah’s daughter Anya snuffled in her sleep, oblivious to how her daddy’s world had changed for the second time that year. When he was younger, Jonah had daydreamed about owning a place like this, but had never thought he’d ever see it come to be. He’d always had to scrimp and save for every penny, and it’d been little more than a pipe dream to think he’d be able to own his own daycare, especially in a beautiful little hamlet like this. Then again, he thought as he ran a hand over Anya’s soft curls, a lot of dreams seemed to be coming true lately when he least expected them.

  Despite the dust and signs of neglect making it clear just how long the house had stood empty, Jonah could almost see everything the way it would be, too: the reading nook in that corner, as far from the shelves and bins where he’d keep the blocks and trucks as he could get it; that closet there would be a good place to store blankets and matts for naptime, of course; he’d need locks for the lower cabinets, if only to keep curious hands out of where they didn’t belong. Anya hadn’t gotten past crawling yet, but she’d grow. And there would surely would be older students in the class and it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared for them and for when Anya would get properly mobile. The only part he couldn’t figure was the walls, but he had time yet to decide on what kind of murals would be the best for stimulating young minds.

  “This town has needed a place like this,” a woman said from behind Jonah, breaking the spell he was under.

  He turned around and saw the town founder and former mayor, Rosemary Vale, smiling indulgently at him. “I thought the same thing the first time I heard about Vale Valley,” he said. “Especially with all the babies I’ve seen around here.”

  “It’s like we were waiting for you,” she said.

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” Jonah responded. He glanced back into the dark, dusty interior of the house that would soon be Vale Valley’s own daycare and felt the rightness of it all settle even further into his bones. “But it does feel like I’m meant to do this, doesn’t it?”

  “A lot of people seem to find their destiny here,” Rosemary said. She looked out the far window, and following her gaze, Jonah saw two men in a boat, one taking pictures of the other as he cuddled a baby to his chest. “Even when they think they’ve already found it elsewhere.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Jonah asked, bemused.

  “Nothing. Just thinking out loud.” Rosemary shook her head. “Oh, by the way, my daughter-in-law has a cousin looking for work, so he’ll be dropping by tomorrow. I’d appreciate it if you could help him out.”

  Jonah looked around the dusty, dirty interior of the house and grinned. “I’m sure I can find something for him to do.”

  Rosemary laughed, looking far more entertained than his joke called for. Still, Jonah wasn’t going to judge the matriarch of a town of oddballs for being weird. Not when he’d deliberately brought his own weird little family here. Almost as if she could follow where his thoughts went, Rosemary fixed her keen gaze on the sleeping baby nestled to his chest.

  “I didn’t know you had a child,” she said. “Will your omega be coming to town soon?”

  “I’m not mated,” Jonah said, and considered leaving it at that. It wasn’t as though he owed a perfect stranger more of an explanation. Still. Small towns could foster big grudges. “Anya’s biological parents were relatives of mine, so after the accident…” He trailed off fo
r a moment, not really sure how much detail he should include in his lie. A fib to maintain a little privacy was one thing, but an elaborate concoction was something else. “We’re all the other has left in the world.”

  “I see.” And Jonah could tell she really did by the shadows in her eyes. “I’m glad she has you for her father now. It’s clear you love her.”

  “Is it?” Jonah couldn’t help teasing. They’d only just met, after all.

  “My baby might be grown now, but he’s still my baby,” Rosemary said with a small smile. “I’ve loved him with everything I have his whole life, and I know my kind when I see you. You might not be the alpha who helped give her life, but that little girl is your world, isn’t she?”

  Jonah looked down at his daughter, at her dusky skin and the silky black curls that hadn’t come from his Irish heritage. “The first time I held her, I knew she’d be mine forever,” he admitted. It was sappy, but he didn’t care. “I’d never planned on a family of my own, I was too busy taking care of everyone else’s, but she completes me.”

  “Like I said,” Rosemary said, “she’s lucky to have you.” She dusted off her hands on her thighs, even though she hadn’t actually been inside the dirty house. “I’ll be off. Katarina’s cousin, Kingston, will be by in the morning, after breakfast.”

  “Thanks,” Jonah said. Hopefully this Kingston person knew his way around a paint roller and a broom. He’d hate to piss off the town equivalent of royalty because the random deadbeat cousin was useless in a reno.

  Rosemary grinned like she could read his mind. Jonah wouldn’t have put it past her. “I think you’ll fit in just fine,” was all she said, and then she left, climbing in the driver’s side of her little hybrid car and driving away.

  “Well, baby girl,” Jonah said, looking down at Anya, who still had yet to wake enough to see their new home. “Looks like it’s just you and me.”

  Anya shifted, blinking up at him. Then she yawned hugely, slapped her hands against Jonah’s chest once before snuggling back against him and dropping back off to sleep like she’d never moved.

  Chapter Two

  King

  “Really, Auntie, I’m not looking for a job,” King said for what felt like the dozenth time since he’d taken Cousin Katarina up on her open-ended offer to visit her in Vale Valley. “I haven’t had a summer vacation in years. I was thinking about spending the whole time by the lake, actually.”

  “That’s perfect!” Rosemary looked, if anything, happier at that. “The new daycare is going to be right there, so it’ll be easy to go for all the swims you want when you’re not working. Jonah’s a lovely young alpha, and his adopted daughter is the most precious little one since my own grandbabies. I’m sure the three of you will get along wonderfully, and certainly Jonah won’t run you so ragged you can’t enjoy a little vacation after all. It’ll be the best of both worlds!” She paused, looking at him shrewdly. “Unless you’d rather ask your cousin Scott if he knows of any jobs for you?”

  King made eye contact with his cousin over Rosemary’s shoulder. Katarina grimaced and shook her head, mouthing Just accept it as she set a plate of eggs and sausage in front of him. She’d warned King that her mother-in-law was a little at loose ends since stepping down as mayor, so this really wasn’t that much of a surprise. Rosemary Vale struck King as a project person, and clearly her daughter-in-law’s distant cousin, a temporarily homeless omega recently let go from his graphic design job and without a school of other merfolk to take him in, fit the bill. And if it kept her from calling Scott, it’d be worth it to waste a little of his newfound free time.

  “Scott’s got enough on his plate, he doesn’t need me bothering him,” he finally said. It couldn’t hurt to humor her, and it wasn’t like King had a lot of experience remodeling houses. Most likely he’d spend a couple days sweeping up and then he’d have the rest of his summer back again. “I’ll go talk to this alpha.”

  “Great!” Rosemary’s relieved smile almost made King hope it’d work out after all. “Now eat up; I told Jonah you’d be by this morning, and we want to make sure you make a good impression.”

  King sighed and made a mental note to look into getting a real job soon. He was going to have to do that if he had any hope of getting a place of his own without too many questions. There was plenty of money in his accounts, but sometimes it wasn’t worth the hassle of explaining where it had all come from. Especially since King wasn’t sure how long he’d be staying here, anyway. Or at least that’s what he’d been telling Katarina when she’d ask about his plans.

  Somehow, he managed to get through the rest of breakfast without Rosemary deciding he needed to be signed up for a dating service or given a make over, or whatever else well-meaning mothers did for lost causes like King. Although, to be honest, King didn’t mind nearly as much as he grumbled about it. It was nice to feel like he was part of a family again after so long of being on his own.

  He wondered, too, if that wasn’t exactly why Rosemary was doing all this. But he didn’t let himself think on it too long. Instead, he let himself enjoy the strange sensation of being loved on. That was much more enjoyable then thinking about how pathetic he must be for her to be focusing on him so much. Grown men his age shouldn’t need mothering as much as he seemed to, but that was King for you. Always letting that temper get you in trouble and needing the family to bail you out, his sister used to say. At least, until she stopped helping him out, that was.

  The rest of breakfast passed relatively quietly, until all the dishes were washed and King had no choice but to kiss his well-meaning auntie-in-law on the cheek, grab the keys to his SUV, and head out across town to the lake. His stomach churned at the thought of putting himself alone with a strange alpha, no matter how sweet Rosemary said he was. In King’s experience, most alphas were of the “fuck first, chat later” sort when they met an unmated omega. That was never a fun time for any omega, but especially for someone like King that could be disastrous.

  The previous family seer had foretold that King would mate once, and mate for life. He would be tied for a very, very long time with one alpha and that was not something he wanted to risk with just anyone. Add to that the ridiculous amount of power wielded by King’s family, and King had spent most of his adult life avoiding anyone who might want to tie him down either because he was an unmated omega or because of the connections he could offer. No matter how good looking or “sweet” the stranger might be, King’s unique heritage and his foretold fate meant he had every right to be choosy—even if everyone else seemed to think he was being unnecessarily difficult for some reason.

  It was also, interestingly enough, pretty much why he was here in Vale Valley instead of enjoying what had been a promising career in the city, or even back home with his school in Jamaica. Alphas tended to take offence when their intended demonstrated his right hook on their noses. Go figure.

  The GPS in his phone directed him on the last turn to the lakeside street with only a few aged houses nestled in the trees, despite the prime location. He could feel the pull of the water, a soothing tug like the ebbing tide, and King rubbed absently at the cowry shell pendant he always wore. The town of Vale Valley hadn’t quite felt like home since he’d arrived, but this place resonated along his scales like a whale call across open water. Hopefully one of the houses here would be available for rent once he had a real job, because King already didn’t want to ever leave this lakeshore.

  “You have arrived at your destination,” the GPS chirped. King pulled to a stop in front of a sprawling two-story house, his nose wrinkling at the sparse lawn and the faded and peeling shingle siding. No wonder this alpha was willing to hire King sight unseen, if he had this much work to do to get the daycare running by the end of the summer. Just from looking at this much, King was suddenly highly suspicious of how certain Rosemary had been that he’d have any free time at all. Not that it really mattered, not when King knew darn well he was going to have to prove himself to the locals if he had
any hopes in getting a job so much as a shop boy. And helping to get a much-needed ankle-biter farm off the ground was probably the best shot he had at that.

  Sighing at the whole situation, King turned off the car, unbuckled his seatbelt, and headed to the house. There was a huge yellow Dumpster in middle of the paved driveway running up the side of the house and all the way to a small dock out back, the driveway cracked under the weight of the big metal monstrosity. King supposed whoever had dropped it off had been trying to save the lawn in favor of the already messed up driveway, not that there wasn’t much grass to worry about. In fact, there seemed to be more green growth in the cracks of the ancient asphalt than on the actual lawn.

  He was far from an expert on home improvement, but King was beginning to suspect that this place was going to be far more than the two of them could handle.

  The front door was wide open, letting the cool lake breeze blow through the darkened house. Suddenly anxious, King paused on the threshold and gave serious thought to just turning around and going back to town. There was a radio playing some kind of sugary pop music somewhere inside, the sound of a small child babbling tunelessly along almost completely muffled by a man’s grunts, followed by the sound of splintering wood and a creative stream of curse words.