Unexpected Gifts & Cured Hearts. Front Lines to Home Fronts

A tiny toddler made her a guardian. He plans to make her a family. Chef Pippa McKnight has always kept her life simple: work in a restaurant until she can start her own, perfect her recipes, and pretend her ridiculously handsome next-door neighbor doesn't star in every one of her midnight fantasies. But when tragedy strikes and her best friend's will names her guardian of their eighteen-month-old daughter, Pippa's world tilts.
Overnight, she becomes parent, provider, protector-and completely overwhelmed. Enter Quincy Salas. Former military, now an IT specialist who can fix anything-from firewalls to fussy toddlers-and the man who's been half in love with Pippa since the day she moved in. She's never noticed the way he watches out for her. But he's noticed everything. And he's done staying on the sidelines. With gentle hands and a fiercely devoted heart, Evan steps in-babysitting, cooking, and soothing tears both toddler and adult.
Every day, he proves he's not just a neighbor offering help. He's a man offering a future. He's there when her grandparents come and try to take her. But Pippa is terrified to lean on anyone. Too much has changed. Too fast. And trusting her heart feels like one risk she can't take. Quincy disagrees. He's waited long enough. He wants Pippa-her curves, her fire, her softness. And he wants the little girl who's stolen both their hearts. He's all in. For the long nights. The early mornings. The messy, beautiful forever. Now he just needs her to believe it.  This short read is MF with a guaranteed HEA.