An Unexpected Distraction (Judge # 3) by Catherine Bybee

“All the things that had to come into place to make this moment happen.”

He laughed in her ear as the music slowed down. “I can’t believe you thought I was a driver.”

She wrapped her arms around him, leaned back, and looked in his eyes. “You still haven’t paid me back that tip I gave you.”

His smile was contagious. “I’ll pay you back on our honeymoon.”

“I’ll take you up on that.”

Behind them, Jax heard her mother laughing.

Isaac was whispering something in her mum’s ear, his hand on her hip.

Jax started to pull away.

Andrew stopped her. “Your mother deserves an unexpected distraction.”

“Are you ready to have Isaac as your stepdad-in-law if their unexpected matches our unexpected?”

“The best things in life aren’t planned.”

Jax turned back to him. “You’re the best thing in my life.”

I love you. He mouthed the words to her.

“I love you, too.”



“This is your room, Alexandrea. There is a drawer under the bed for your things. I know this is hard, losing your mother and being moved so far from your home.”

“Why?”

“Our home for children has benefactors who make sure your needs are met. And when the time comes, you’ll go to a beautiful, spacious boarding school where you’ll have the finest education money can buy.”

“I don’t care. I want to go home.”

She placed a hand on Alexandrea’s cheek and sat beside her on the bed. “There is no one there to go back to, m’dear. We’re your family now. We’ll take good care of you.”