With a wounded body and a broken spirit
He needs his best friend more than ever
Former soldier John Mitchell has come home after being
discharged and asks his best friend, Natalie, to help him decompress. They're
both in for a shock when a precious baby girl is dropped on Natalie's doorstep
-- and John is the father! Now John needs Natalie's help more than ever. But
Natalie has been in love with John forever. How can she help him find his way
to being a family man if she's not part of that family?
This was a difficult book to rate. I just wanted John to
get a clue for the first half of the story. He was whiny, selfish, and I felt
little sympathy for him. We learn that his father's death hit him hard and that
his stepfather was no good. His older brother, Hayden, tried to step in to guide
him, but John wouldn't accept it. He spent most of high school fighting,
skipping classes, and getting into trouble, then decided to join the military.
Rather than straightening him out, he continued misbehaving until he was
finally kicked out. Unfortunately, during his last stay in the brig, he was
injured when it was bombed. He spent the first months afterward in rehab and
then driving aimlessly around the country because he didn't know what to do
with himself.
He finally shows up in his hometown, but he goes to his
best friend Natalie's house instead of going home. They've been best friends
since childhood, and John has no idea that she is also in love with him. He
stays the night with her before going home and immediately having a blowup with
his older brother and stalking off back to Nat's. He spends the next couple of
weeks hiding out there, doing nothing but watching tv and drinking beer, with
an occasional repair around her house—some friend.
Nat is dealing with problems of her own. After her
grandfather's death, she discovered that their accountant hadn't paid taxes on
the house or the bar in five years, and the government will take it if she can't
produce the money. She's at a loss, and having John around distracting her
isn't helping anything.
Then comes the shocker. A woman John hooked up with a
year earlier shows up with a newborn baby and a bunch of papers. The little
girl is John's, and it's up to him whether he keeps her or puts her up for
adoption. John is ready to give her up, but Nat is enchanted and believes John
will regret it if he follows through. Their adventures in baby care are pretty
funny at times, as in John's nickname of Banshee Baby. But the longer they try
to deal with the baby and John's apathy, the harder it is on Nat. I was
thrilled when she finally had enough. I cheered when she kicked him to the curb
and told him to take the baby and go home to his family. He needed to take a
hard look at himself and grow up.
I ached for Nat. She loves John, but she can no longer
watch him destroy himself. I loved seeing her practice tough love and make him
face the truth. Nat's actions floored John. She'd never not stood behind him
before, and he doesn't know how to handle it. He's also trying to deal with the
other feelings that have popped up. Before, she was just a friend, but he now
sees her as a woman, freaking him out. When the light bulb finally goes on, he
realizes he loves her but has a long way to go to get back in her good graces.
The second half of the book was good, with John finally
making peace with his past and family. I liked the support he got from his
family when he stopped being a jerk. When he stopped feeling sorry for himself
and started to think about his future, he came up with a doable plan. There
were some sweet scenes with Banshee Baby, and I loved seeing him take to the daddy
role. Best of all, he found ways to help Nat with her problems, and as they
spent time together, their relationship strengthened. I liked the ending and
seeing John's big moment with Nat.
He needs his best friend more than ever
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