Taking It All Read online

  Table of Contents

  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

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  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

  Taking It All

  A Single Dad Second Chance Romance

  J.J. Bella

  Copyright © 2018 by J.J. Bella

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Get More J.J. Bella

  Sham: Fake Marriage to the Single Dad

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Preview: Having It All

  Chapters 1 - 3

  Preview: Keeping It All

  Chapters 1 - 3

  Want Even More J.J. Bella?

  About the Author

  J.J. “Jane” Bella has always enjoyed reading since she was a little girl, reading everything she could get her hands on.

  Today she loves to write contemporary steamy romance stories for her favorite readers.

  Plotting sexy and sweet novellas while walking her dogs has always proven to be an exciting experience on a hot summer day.

  Wouldn’t you play with strong Alpha Males, wild Bad boys, and wealthy Billionaires if they provided you with happy endings too?

  J.J. lives in New England with her husband of many happy years, three children and two family Papillons.

  You may just find her writing on the lake, at the ocean, by a brook, in the middle of a NE snow storm, or on the deck in the Fall.

  She also loves to hear from her readers and to share Hot new sweltering stories with everyone.

  Want more J.J. Bella? Sign-up to her mailing list and get the free story, “Sleeping With the Single Dad” emailed to you today!.

  https://forms.aweber.com/form/39/255116139.htm

  Chapter One

  Jade Ingrid's fingers hovered over the keyboard of her laptop. She'd been sitting like this for some time, the word processor screen open in front of her, the blinking cursor on the white blank page taunting her.

  Just write the first sentence, she thought. It all flows from there. You've written enough assignments to know that just getting started is the hardest part.

  Taking a deep breath as rolling her head around on her shoulders, she hunched over the laptop and got herself ready to write. But despite her little warm-up, her mind was just as blank as it was before.

  What was it that Hemingway said? she thought. "Just start with the truest sentence you know?" What the hell does that even mean, anyway? How on earth can an eighteen-year-old college freshman know what is and isn't "true?"

  Jade breathed in through her nostrils in frustration, clenching and unclenching her hands. Glancing off to the side, she looked once again at the sheet her professor had given her with the requirements for the assignment. Jade had already read the paper numerous times, but figured that looking it over one last time might get the gears turning in her head.

  Intro to Creative Non-Fiction, read the paper in bold letters. Write no less than two-thousand words about an interesting or unique place you've been to.

  Jade's eyes blurred as they ran down the rest of the paper, which was filled with the specific requirements of the assignment.

  "Interesting or unique?" she thought. Where have I been that's "interesting or unique?"

  Jade turned her attention back to the blank page, hoping that the muse would zip in through the window, perch upon her shoulder, and dictate to Jade the beautiful prose of which she knew she was capable. But just as before, nothing came.

  OK, thought Jade. I'll just make some coffee and stretch my legs. That'll get the creative juices flowing.

  Getting up from her cheap dorm room chair, Jade strode over to the little kitchen nook in the corner of the room and put on a pot of fresh coffee, dumping down the sink the dregs of the pot she'd already downed this morning. As she waited for the coffee to prepare, she peeked through the shut blinds out of the window at the green stretch of campus just outside of her dorm. It was a beautiful, sunny day in Iowa City- very unseasonable for the early part of fall. Part of her wanted to simply proclaim that no writing was going to be possible today. Then she could shut her laptop, get out of her cramped dorm room, and enjoy the sun while it lasted.

  No, she thought, I can't just give up like that. If I'm going to be a professional writer I can't just sit around and wait to be motivated; I have to write like it's a job. Because one day, hopefully, it will be.

  The coffee maker gurgled and hissed, dark black liquid pouring into the pot. Once the coffee was finished, jade poured herself a big cup and took a seat on the window sill. She watched the students, all seemingly carefree and ready to enjoy their Saturday, stroll around here and there, big smiles on their faces.

  Geez, she thought, don't any of you have assignments to work on? Books to study? Or am I just the only person here lame enough to be spending my Saturday morning doing homework?

  Jade sighed again as she looked down into the ink-black coffee in her hands. Maybe this was a stupid mistake to think I should major in creative writing? Maybe my parents were right when they told me that liberal arts were for girls who wanted to spend their twenties working at Starbucks? I mean, I'm only a freshman- it's not too late to give the whole stupid dream of being a writer and major in pre-med or something.

  And throughout Jade's whole thought process, the blank page on the other side of the room continued to stare at her, that blinking cursor still taunting her.

  Jade sipped at her coffee, her eyes locked onto the screen. But before she could indulge in any further self-defeating thoughts, the front door flung open and in strolled Katie Willard, Jade's roommate, and total opposite in every way.

  "Hey, girl!" she said, a br
ight smile on her flawless, sunny face, her blue eyes somehow just as striking as ever in the dark of the room, her golden hair framing her pert features with perfect symmetry. "Ugh! Why do you always have to have it so dark in here? It's like you're living in a cave or something."

  Katie bounded over to the shut blinds and pulled them open one after another, sunlight pouring into the dorm room with each opened window. Jade raised her arm to cover her eyes against the light.

  "Oh my God," said Katie, "look at you; you're like a vampire or something."

  "It's just…really bright," said Jade, blinking her eyes over and over to try and accustom herself to the glare of the sunlight.

  "I mean, I know you're an artist or whatever, but that doesn't mean you have to live like a troll or something."

  With that, Katie plopped onto the bed and folded her slim hands on her lap.

  "So, you missed a totally fucking amazing party last night," she said, looking away as if already reliving the memories.

  "Oh?" asked Jade.

  "Um, yeah," Katie said. "Like, everyone who you'd want to bang was there. And the beer was free, of course- the upperclassmen wanted to make us freshmen girls feel welcome."

  "That was really nice of them," said Jade. "I'm sure they didn't have any ulterior motives in getting you guys stuffed with free beer."

  "Oh, please," said Katie. "I'm not gonna turn down a free drink. Besides, if some guy wants to do something nice for me, he can go right ahead and do it. Not like he's gonna get anything out of it unless I say so. But anyway, you should've been there. I mean, we're halfway through the semester and I haven't seen you bring a single guy back here. What the fuck's up with that?"

  "I'm just trying to focus on my grades," said Jade. "I've got so many goddamn books to read, and these stories aren't going to write themselves."

  "Oh, that's right," said Katie. "I forget that not everyone's a comms major sometimes. But still, you need to find time to have some fun, girl. You only get to be a freshman once, you know."

  "I know, I know," said Jade, setting her coffee down.

  "And you left your grades up on the computer the other day, so, I know that you're one of those dorks who constantly thinks they're failing when they're actually pulling down straight A's."

  "But you have to keep working, otherwise the A's turn into B's…then C's. Then maybe worse."

  "You're worrying too much," said Katie, waving her hand dismissively. "And plus, don't you actually have to like, do stuff so you can write about it? I mean what's your great American novel going to be about anyway, the epic story of a girl sitting in her dorm room with the blinds closed?"

  Katie's words cut right to the quick.

  "That's actually the exact problem I'm having right now," said Jade, looking away.

  "Oh, really?" asked Katie, intrigued. "Do tell."

  "So, this class that I have an assignment, for now, is creative non-fiction."

  "'Creative non-fiction'?" asked Katie. "I have no idea what that is."

  "It's, um, well, you're writing about stuff that happened, but in a fiction kind of way."

  "You've lost me," said Katie.

  "Like, if I were to write a story about the party last night."

  "You mean the party that you didn't go to?"

  "Um, yeah," said Jade. "That one. So, if I were to write a story about last night, and write it in a story-y way, then that's creative non-fiction."

  "Hmm," said Katie, seeming to understand. "Sounds stupid. If I'm gonna read a story, it should be something someone came up with."

  "Well, yeah," said Jade, "but if someone were writing about a life where they did more interesting things than going to parties-"

  "-or stayed in on Friday nights to work on homework."

  "Or that, then you might find the material a little more engaging."

  "OK, I get it," said Katie. "So, what do you have to write about?"

  "A place that I've been to that's unique or interesting."

  "And you can't think of a single place?"

  "I don't know," said Jade. "I mean, my family lives in suburban Omaha. And I don't want to be the millionth person to write about her trip to the Grand Canyon or something."

  "Hmm," thought Katie. "Then maybe you should go someplace interesting?"

  "What do you mean?" asked Jade.

  "I don't know, maybe go to one of the bad parts of town, like down in the southwest part of the city."

  "Are you kidding?" asked Jade. "All by myself?"

  "Sure!" said Katie, as chipper and sunny as if she were proposing an afternoon trip to Wal-Mart. "Go down there tonight and check out the area. I bet you'll see some stuff worth writing about."

  "Yeah, or get assaulted by some guy on meth."

  "You can take my mace and Taser," said Katie. "Any asshole gives you trouble, just give him the old cap-and-spray."

  "'The old zap-and-spray?" asked Jade. "Have you ever actually done this before?"

  "I mean, no," said Katie, looking away. "But I totally would if I had to."

  She bounded up from the bed and went through her purse. Jade already could feel the first creeping, chilly touch of anxiety crawl into her belly. Katie then shoved the Taser and mace into Jade's hands.

  "I don't even know if I'm gonna do this," said Jade as she looked the items over.

  "You should," said Katie. "Don't be a baby. Go there and see some interesting stuff. Besides, what're you gonna do otherwise? Stare at your blank Word document for the next our then binge-watch something, maybe leave the house for some take-out?"

  "Sounds like a pretty good evening to me," said Jade. "Aside from the not getting any work done part."

  "It sounds like a boring night, and not one that someone who wants to write about interesting stuff should be having," said Katie. "Just go to the weird part of town, see what you can, and come back. Get out of your comfort zone."

  "But what if I don't see anything worth writing about?"

  "Then make something up!"

  "Kind of goes against the spirit of ‘creative non-fiction'," said Jade.

  "Such a goody-goody," said Katie as she checked her hair in the mirror. "Anyway, I'm going out for lunch with this fucking hot-as-hell guy I met last night. His name's Curt and he rows crew. Nice, huh?"

  Jade mustered up the enthusiasm, despite Katie just describing the exact kind of guy that she wouldn't be interested in.

  "Sounds great," she said.

  "Anyway, I might be back later. Or not," she said, with a wink and a devious smile. "See ya! And don't lose my Taser- that thing cost, like, two-hundred dollars. Bye!"

  With that, Katie was gone. As soon as Katie left, Jade's attention turned back to the blank page on her computer.

  Is Katie right? thought Jade. I mean, she's right that I'm not exactly living the most literary life imaginable right now; I don't think anyone would be chomping at the bit to read a book about my life story. But going to the bad part of town and just wandering around?

  She sipped her coffee and considered the situation. About halfway through her cup, she decided to plop down in front of the computer and give her writing another shot. But after another hour slipped by with nothing to show for it, Jade felt herself a little more open to Katie's suggestion.

  OK, she thought, I'll just drive down there and look around. If it gets too weird and scary then I can just drive back. Easy peasy.

  Once the early evening arrived, Jade gathered her things along with the mace and Taser and prepared to head out. Taking a look in the mirror, she went over her reflection, noting her small, elfin features, her big green eyes, her close-cropped, chocolate brown hair, and her slim frame.

  Probably not a good idea to show off the goods, she thought, not that I have much to show off.

  Putting on a pair of loose-fitting jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, Jade couldn't help but glance down at her slender body and wish that she had the "assets" that Katie seemed to have lucked into.

  Well, she thought, between t
he short hair and the clothes maybe I'll just look like a teenage boy looking to score some weed or something.

  Once everything was in order, Jade grabbed her keys and headed out. She walked through campus, the air a little brisk compared to earlier in the day. Once she reached her car, a recent model sedan that her parents bought for her as a graduation present, she climbed in and started her drive.

  After she made her way away from the few blocks around the campus where she spent most of her time, she arrived in the bad part of town. In a place like Iowa City, the bad part of town wasn't exactly an urban wasteland, but it wasn't any place that a girl like her would want to live. The streets were cracked and unmaintained, abandoned buildings lined the streets, and men in dirty clothes ambled around aimlessly.

  This is a bad idea, she thought. But I've come this far. I'll just park, walk around the block, and come back; not like I have to hang out in a crack den or something.

  Jade pulled her car into a spot right in the middle of a large pool of light from a street lamp above, killed the engine, and took a deep breath. Moments later, she was out of her car and on the street, the sky above brilliant with oranges and deep blues from the setting sun.

  At first, she could barely breathe. Her heart raced, and she found her glance daring around continuously. Her hands were tucked into the pouch of her hooded sweatshirt, her right hand gripping the Taser and the left on the mace. But so far, no one seemed to be out for any malicious intent; just about every person she saw appeared to be a random vagrant wandering around nowhere in particular, some mumbling to themselves.