Free Her Valentine Family by Renee Andrews Page A

Park for him, Jessica and the kids.
    The image set well in his mind.
    He was planning on another casual coffee date for Thursday night, when the two of them ended their classes at the same time. Then, if all went as planned, he’d take Jessica out for their first real date Friday night. Dinner at Messina’s then maybe a movie.
    He punched in his parent code on the keypad by the day care door, entered the colorful lobby and signed the parent log. That was one of the things that sold him on this particular place for his daughter, the safety measures they took for the children. He didn’t like leaving Lainey,but if he had to, he wanted to know she was in the best possible care. Although it was a bit more pricey than the other child care facilities around, this one was well worth the added expense. Lainey was happy here, and that made Chad happy, too.
    He greeted the office manager and then headed across the open play area, where the three-year-olds were busy with afternoon exercises, jumping up and down in time with the Barney DVD playing on the television and laughing at their teacher, who was also jumping along and singing one of the popular Barney songs.
    The teacher waved at Chad, and he returned the gesture.
    He gently pushed open the door to the toddler room and saw the familiar illumination of stars and planets slowly circling the ceiling and walls from the sleep ma chine the teachers used during nap time. His last class today ended early, and he’d arrived at day care before nap time ended.
    Blinking a few times to let his eyes adjust to the dimness within the room, Chad nearly didn’t notice Angie, Lainey’s teacher, moving toward him. Her whisper broke through the gentle hum of the sleep machine and the precious sounds of children sleeping.
    â€œShe’s still napping,” Angie said softly. “But you can hold her and help her wake up if you’re ready for her to go.”
    Lainey was a fairly sound sleeper, and Chad knew he could scoop her up and take her to the car, put her in her car seat and let her finish out her nap on the ride home. “Thanks,” he said, matching her whisper to keep from disturbing the sleeping children. He took a couple of steps to reach the long line of short cubbies where thechildren’s jackets and backpacks were stored, grabbed Lainey’s backpack and pink hooded jacket and then scanned the room for his little angel.
    The toddlers had colorful cushioned nap mats that they used for sleeping, but some preferred the long pillows in the reading center and still others tended to find their way into a teacher’s arms to slumber. That was Lainey’s favorite spot, and Chad had been a little surprised to see she wasn’t in Angie’s arms. However, Dana, Angie’s assistant, could have pulled cuddle duty this afternoon. He had a feeling her teachers enjoyed holding her while she slept almost as much as he did.
    He searched the darkness for Dana or for a sign that Lainey had changed her usual routine and joined the others to sleep on the mats today.
    â€œDana is out sick today,” Angie whispered. “But I believe Lainey has taken a liking to our new floating teacher.” She indicated the far window, where slim fingers of sunlight filtered through the wooden blinds to outline a woman, sitting in a rocking chair with a child snuggled in her arms. “I think you may know her,” Angie added quietly, then turned back toward her desk and left Chad to find his way through the sleeping palettes to the woman who held his daughter.
    His eyes adjusting more to the dim room as he made his way to the other side, Chad’s pulse quickened when the familiarity of the woman was too distinct to miss. Her shiny chocolate hair was pulled into a ponytail, the honey highlights capturing the sunlight as it fell across one shoulder. Her other shoulder formed a pillow for his daughter. Her mouth was near Lainey’s forehead, and her