This is a prologue to a story I have been working on called "Full Circle". I would love to get as much feedback as I can and am really excited to share this story!

Do we stil have to do that thing where we say we don't own anything so we don't get sued?


Courtney's high heels hit the pavement as she got out of her car and she couldn't help but feel that her fresh start wasn't starting out the way she had planned. She was so wound up the night before she didn't get much sleep. Her boss at the law firm she now worked for had hit on her and probably didn't take her seriously enough because she was a woman, and now she was running late. The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint the girl that was waiting for her.

She hurried inside the building that was her destination, ready to apologize to the person in charge for arriving later than she had promised. Courtney had barely gotten out a syllable before she was cut off.

"Mommy!" The four year old threw herself against Courtney, pressing her face into the gray pencil skirt she wore. Courtney kneeled down opening her arms up to the little brunette.

"I'm sorry for being late sweetheart." She whispered as she wrapped her daughter in her arms. Addison, her four year old little girl, the only good thing to come out of her marriage to her ex-husband. It was her first day at a new preschool after Courtney had uprooted their lives and moved them to a town over an hour away from their previous home. The divorce had been drawn out and messy and as far as she was concerned if Addison never saw her father again, she would be better off. They both would be.

"It's okay mommy! I made a friend!" Her sweet smile reached all the way to her hazel eyes.

"You did? That's great honey." Truly, Courtney was glad that the little girl was adjusting so quickly. She was worried taking her away from everything she knew would have taken a toll on her, but like her mother, she was resilient.

"Her name's Vanessa! Can we have a play date?"Addison asked excitedly, her pigtails bouncing as she did so.

"It depends on if it's okay with Vanessa's Mommy-"

"Vanessa doesn't have a Mommy, but she has a Daddy! They waited with me till you got here!"

"Oh, that was very kind of them." Small hands clasped around Courtney's arm as Addison began dragging her through the playroom.

"C'mon Mommy!" Courtney smiled at her daughter's eagerness as they weaved in between crafts tables and cubbies. She noticed that ahead of them was a little girl that had to be around Addison's age standing next to who she assumed was her father and one of the preschool teachers. The preschool teacher conversed with him as his child seemed to be getting impatient as she tugged on his hand.

"Nessa! My Mommy says we can have a playdate!" The other child ran up to them as Courtney once again squatted down so that she was closer to their height.

"Addison I didn't say yes yet."

"But please Mommy!"

"Please Missus Addison's Mommy!" Begged who she assumed to be Vanessa. Her big blue eyes were a stark contrast to her raven hair. Courtney couldn't help but smile, something about those eyes hit a soft spot inside of her.

"You can call me Courtney, it's very nice to meet you." Vanessa held out her smaller hand to Courtney's larger one giving it a firm shake.

"Wow, you have a strong grip there for someone your age."

"Daddy says that you have to show people that you're tough or they'll think you're a pansy." Courtney's mouth dropped open.

"Vanessa stop being a potty mouth." Courtney heard the father call out.

"No fair! You're the biggest potty mouth ever, Daddy!"

"Mommy what's a pansy?" Addison asked innocently.


As the preschool teacher, who he couldn't remember her name for the life of him, went on and on he tried to act like he was interested in what she was saying. Sure, she was pretty enough but he was really trying to not get involved with any of Vanessa's teachers, again. The last time hadn't ended so well and he had to switch preschool's to avoid the chick. Now he had a strict rule of dropping off and picking up his kid with minimal to no conversation. Today had been an exception though as Vanessa had a new friend whom's mom wasn't there yet and she didn't want to leave her all alone. He couldn't say no when he had two little girls pouting at him and though he hated to admit it, he wasn't as tough as he used to be. Raising a daughter had softened him.

He continued to smile and nod at the teacher's attempt at flirting with him, after all, he was a charmer. He heard as Vanessa's new friend and her mom approached and was going to use it as an excuse to leave but the teacher had just put her hand on his tattooed bicep as she said something else that he didn't quite catch. He got pulled in again as she went into talking about something else and sighed to himself. He started to listen to the other conversation going on in the room as he appeared to be engaged in the one he was in.

"Daddy says that you have to show people that you're tough or they'll think you're a pansy." Immediately he turned towards his daughter.

"Vanessa stop being a potty mouth." He reprimanded. He really needed to watch his language more around her.

"No fair! You're the biggest potty mouth ever, Daddy!" He marched over as the other little girl with the caramel colored skin questioned her mother.

"Mommy what's a pansy?" Great, he was sure going to get an earful from this girl's parent about bad behavior rubbing off on their child.

"Addison Elizabeth don't say that word ever again!" He gave Vanessa a stern look as Addison's mom stood up from her crouch.

"You really need to watch what you say in front of children! They repeat every...thing..." He finished giving Vanessa the "you're in trouble" look just as the now standing woman trailed off. He took in her appearance. Tan skin, freckles, chestnut hair.

"Princess?" A long pause filled the air.

"Your Mommy is a princess? That's so cool!" Vanessa exclaimed eagerly.

"I didn't know you were a princess Mommy!"


Author's Note: I apologize if there are any grammar errors! I'm a bit out of practice when it comes to editing.