"If you're tired, then go back to bed." With her coffee in hand, she walked into her backyard and took a seat in the Adirondack chair.
"Maddie's up, and she doesn't want to sleep. Listen, she's cranky because she's missing her mother. She cried all night for her, and if I don't get some sleep, I'll never be able to record this afternoon."
She was a sucker for someone in need. That's probably why she fell for Randy. Why did she always end up with needy men? Alex wasn't hers, so it shouldn't matter, but it did. All she planned to do today was work in the garden, and Maddie could help with that.
"Can you bring her over, or do I need to come and get her."
His sigh met her ear. "I'll bring her over since I have the booster. Be there in five. And Mercy?"
"Hmm?"
"If I haven't told you lately, I appreciate all you do for Maddie and me."
"You pay me to do those things."
"I know, but you go above and beyond, and that means something."
What was she supposed to do, not feed Maddie when he ran late? Not dish him up a plate when he was hungry. She did what any decent person would do. She took care of them. On some level, they were the family she wanted but never got.
"I'll be waiting." That sounded familiar. It was typical for Randy to text and say he'd be late, and she'd always reply that she'd be waiting. Her whole marriage was spent waiting for a man who wasn't coming home.
Knowing Maddie hadn't eaten, she filled a pot of water and set it on the counter to boil for oatmeal. They could pick fresh berries from the backyard to put on top.
Just as she pulled the Quaker box from the cupboard, a recognizable rap sounded at the door. Could someone's knock be noticeable? Was it as unique as a fingerprint? No, but there was something about Alex's that she recognized instantly. He didn't use a particular rhythm; it was more his firm touch.
When she swung the door wide, she took in the dark shadows below his eyes. Even the green in them looked tired, more like murky pond slime than emeralds. The blue was stormy instead of the color of the clear sky.
"You look like hell." She glanced down at Maddie. "But you look like a princess. Go pick out a book, and I'll read it to you while our oatmeal cooks. I want to talk to your daddy."
Maddie flung herself into Mercy's arms for a hug before she skipped toward a basket in the corner that held books for Maddie's reading level.
Alex was tired. Too tired to give her the look of frustration when she called him Maddie's daddy.
"She never hugs me."
With a roll of her eyes, she said, "Why would she? She knows how you feel. Don't think for a second that she doesn't get that temporary vibe from you." She needed to get her frustration under control. It served no one if she was angry. "What happened last night that was different?"
He leaned against the doorframe like he needed it to hold him up. "Nothing. We went home, and she played with her dolls. I turned on the TV and went into my studio."
"You left her alone all night?" Her temper flared again. If she weren't certain he'd fall over, she'd slap him up the side of the head.
"She had cartoons to watch and toys to play with. What else could she want?"
How long could she stare at him in disbelief and remain speechless? The only word her brain formed was you. "She needs you." Her fisted hands remained firmly at her sides. She had never been prone to violence until she met Alex. "Imagine what she feels like. She's in a strange house with a man she's never met, and you choose music over her." She glanced at Maddie, who sat on the couch, thumbing through a Where's Waldo book. "Be right back, Maddie." She pushed past Alex and marched to the far end of the porch. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"What? It's what I did when I was a kid."
"Let's give your parents an award for being loving and nurturing and creative—not. You need to do better." The last two words pinched out with so much frustration she growled.
"My parents were awful, but it's all I know."
"Then read a damn book. There's probably a million of them out there, and not one will say leave your kid alone. Imagine all the things that could happen." She stopped when she realized she'd done exactly what she was preaching not to do. She left Maddie alone, and there was a pot of boiling water on the stove.
She bolted into the house to turn the flame off and push the water out of reach.
Alex's heavy footsteps sounded behind her, and when she whipped around to face him, he smirked.
"I'm such a hypocrite, and I'm sorry."
"No, you were right. There's a lot that could happen to a kid. It's a wonder so many survive."
"I might have been right, but I was also wrong. Can you imagine what damage boiling water could do?"
"She's okay."
"This time. Maybe we both should read a book. I've never been a parent, even though it was always at the top of my bucket list. I suppose it wasn't in the cards for me."
"Did your husband not want children?"
She hung her head. "It was more that he wanted every woman but me. Sex is generally a prerequisite to procreation."
"He was an idiot."
Her shoulders lifted. "He was a man."
"Not all men are shits."
"I've yet to meet one who isn't that's not related to me." Her daddy was a perfect role model. Too bad he couldn't be bottled and sold.
Alex stumbled back, but it wasn't because of her words. He scrubbed at his eyes, and she knew he was close to collapsing.
"You'll never make it back home." She took his hand and led him through the living room and down the hall to her bedroom. "Why don't you stay here? Maddie and I are going to take a walk to the diner for breakfast." After the scare, she wasn't ready to turn up the heat again in the kitchen. "You can sleep in my bed."
His brow lifted. "You're inviting me into your bed?"
Leave it to a man to turn everything into something tawdry. "To sleep, Alex—alone."
He touched her cheek. "Your husband was a complete idiot. If you were in my bed, there wouldn't be any sleep happening."
She leaned into his touch before her common sense told her to step away. "You're in my bed, and sleep is all that happens there." She walked back to the door. "Sleep well, Alex."
Easing out of her room, she pulled the door closed behind her and clutched her chest.
Alex Cruz was in her bed. What would her mother think now?
Chapter Ten
Yesterday afternoon was the best few hours of sleep Alex had in a long time. Was it because Mercy's bed was so comfortable? Maybe it was her floral scent on the pillow that lulled him into a peaceful slumber.
"I put a couple of cookies in too," Maisey said, handing him a picnic basket. She glanced over the counter to see Maddie, who stood hugging her bear. "I'm sure Maddie will love them."
"I wuv cookies."
"That she does." He ruffled her hair. Hair that he braided poorly but should get an A for effort.
"Is Mercy going with you?" She opened one end of the basket, and the savory scent of fried chicken wafted past him. "There's far too much here for one man and a child."
He peeked inside to see chicken, fries, drinks, and cookies. Maisey added paper plates, cutlery, and napkins too.
He didn't want to start any rumors about Mercy and him. They weren't a thing, but there was no use lying to anyone.
"Yep, it appears I have a lot to learn about kids, and today is tutoring day. What better person to teach me than a teacher?"
"She's a sweet thing and pretty too."
He thought about yesterday when he asked if Mercy was inviting him into her bed. Her cheeks bloomed as red as the roses in her garden. "She seems like a good person." He refused to comment on her disposition or beauty. That would only cement the fact that he liked her, and no one needed to know that.
"Thanks for putting this together."
"No problem. You know the motto in town is 'Aspen Cove takes care of their own,' which means picnic baskets to funeral casseroles.
If you're here, then you're family."
"Happy to be here." He picked up the food. "Are you ready to picnic, Maddie?"
She smiled, and it warmed his heart. Usually, her smiles were saved for Mercy, but she'd been letting them break loose here and there for him too.
They left the diner with ideas for ways to make Maddie happy dancing through his head. After placing her and the basket safely in the SUV, his thoughts then drifted to Aspen Cove.
Weeks ago, apathy was all he could muster toward the town his boss Samantha loved so much. It didn't offer much but scenery, and there weren't any nightclubs, golf courses, or big-name grocery stores. It had the bare necessities like a diner, a bar, and a corner store. Despite his age, Doc seemed competent, and his nurse was pregnant enough to pop, even though she wasn't due for months. Aspen Cove wasn't someplace he would have sought out, but it was a place he'd like to stay—for now. What it didn't offer in amenities, it offered in charm.
They drove to Mercy's cottage and found her sitting on the steps in front. She looked downright delectable in her shorts and tank top. Why was it that he found her attractive? She was nothing like the women he took to his bed. Her hair color was natural. Her small breasts were undoubtedly nature made. The corners of her eyes crinkled when she smiled. Maybe that's what drew him to her. She was real, and if he was honest with himself, she didn't care that he was famous and didn't seem to give a damn about his money, even though she fleeced him when it came to childcare. Most importantly, she wasn't afraid to challenge him.
Then again, they weren't romantically involved. While this seemed like a date because he invited her and she accepted, it wasn't.
He climbed out of the car and looked over the hood. "Are you ready?"
She popped up like a spring-loaded toy. A toy he'd love to play with.
"Yep." She picked up a canvas bag and slung it over her shoulder. "I packed up some toys for Maddie to play with."
She always thought ahead. He hadn't considered toys. They were going to a park where there was grass and a swing set. Who needed toys?
He walked around and opened her door so she could sit. Lavender filled his nostrils, and he immediately felt at ease. Nope, this wasn't a date.
At the park, they spread out a blanket and served the meal. Maddie held a chicken leg in one hand and a cookie in the other. Food was the only reason she'd willingly let go of her bear.
She was thin but healthy. Had she ever gone without a meal? He knew what that was like. He learned to cook at an early age because his mom could hardly take care of herself; she didn't have the mind to pay attention to him.
"You look deep in thought." Mercy touched his arm with her fingers. "Anything I can help with?"
He shook his head. "Just remembering my childhood."
Mercy perked up. "Did you have picnics with your parents?"
"Noooo," he drew out. "My father was absent, and my mother was a drunk. There weren't family anythings." He looked at Maddie. "That's why I'm so bad at all of this. The best way to learn is through emulation. My role models were poorly suited for parenthood."
She stared at him for a moment. "Oprah once said when you know better, then you do better. At least you recognize what you had wasn't acceptable. That makes you well suited for the parenting job because what you don't know, you'll figure out." She reached into the bag and took out a book on raising a child in the twenty-first century. "Knowledge is key."
"Is this yours?" He thumbed through the book.
"No, I bought it for you. Maddie and I went to the bookstore while you slept. We picked up more books for her." She smiled at Maddie. "She's a smart one. She recognizes new words. By the time the summer ends, if you keep me as her babysitter, she'll be reading at a first-grade level." She stuck her hand back inside the bag and pulled out The Hungry Caterpillar. "Hey, Maddie, when you finish eating, do you want to show your daddy how well you read?"
Maddie dropped the bone and tucked the cookie into the pocket of her sundress. "I read now."
Watching Mercy wipe Maddie's hands and face like a mother gave him a feeling he didn't understand. It was contentment. How had a woman and child changed his life so drastically in such a short period?
He glanced at Mercy, who motioned for him to pick Maddie up and put her in his lap, and he did.
She opened the book and read. Pride swelled his heart to near bursting. When she finished, she stared at him. "That was amazing, Maddie." He looked at Mercy. "She could read before she came?"
She nodded. "Some. We're working on letter sounds, but it's hard to break habits like w to l or wuv to love. You'll have to work with her too."
Maddie climbed off his lap and ran toward the nearby slide. Watching her enjoy herself and hearing her laughter when another child slid down behind her was the simple stuff that made life enjoyable. He never thought he could sit and enjoy anything so domesticated. In Los Angeles or on the road, he was a go-go-go guy and never stopped for anything because there was never anything to enjoy. The truth hit him like a brick over the head. Fear mixed with the lies he told himself had stolen possible moments like this.
"Have you heard from Doc yet?"
Once he pushed his empty plate aside, he leaned back on his elbows. "No. I thought the results would be in, but I guess it's taking longer."
"Are you worried?"
He rolled to his side to face her. "About Maddie being my daughter? Yes, I'm terrified, but for different reasons now."
She bit into a cookie. "Go on."
She was the only woman he'd talked to like this. Most of the women he spent time with weren't interested in his words.
"I was so certain she wasn't mine, but Doc Parker reminded me of the CDC information on condoms. The percentage of failure is really high. I thought it was about four percent, which is still high when you consider that's four out of every hundred that fail. But he said something like thirteen percent. I never worried much because most groupies were on birth control. At least the smart ones were."
"Sounds like you're getting lessons from everyone."
"No kidding. Anyway, because of my upbringing and my career, parenthood was never on my radar. I'm a fish out of water."
"Fill your tank."
She made it all sound so good—so easy.
"Don't forget, I'm a musician, and I'm on the road for months out of every year. How am I supposed to raise a little girl when I'm not around? It pretty much makes me a clone of my father, who was the lead guitarist for Drive Shaft."
"Oh. My. God. Really?"
"That's my daddy." Sarcasm dripped from the last word like honey from a dipper.
"Wow. I had no idea."
"Any fan worth their salt would know my whole bio. Not the parts about my mother because that's been kept hidden, but that I'm the love child of Bastian Cruz."
"Don't forget. You are not your father. You can learn from his mistakes and choose to be better." She sipped her cola. "What does Maddie call you when you're home?"
He chuckled. "She has a smorgasbord of names for me from 'hey you' to 'mister Awex.' I don't think she knows what to call me."
"Have you ever told her to call you anything specific?"
"Yes, I told her to call me Alex."
"Hmm, okay, we'll work on that. I've probably confused her by referring to you as Daddy."
"I told you that would be a problem."
"Yes, you did. Lesson learned."
"Otis," someone screamed from the edge of the park. "You get back here."
Alex saw the dog making a beeline straight toward the kids on the playground, and his heart flipped. He hadn't met Sage's dog. Though he never had a pet, he knew they could be unpredictable.
Adrenaline surged through him, and he stood and took off toward Maddie. He got to her a second before the dog.
She clung to him like he'd saved her life. That could have been the case if Otis wasn't licking at her leg. She giggled and wiggled out of Alex's arms.
"Look, Daddy, he's a nice dog."
She hugged the hound who licked whatever chicken and cookie were left on her face.
"Sorry about that." A winded Sage waddled up to him. "He's harmless."
Alex stared at Maddie, then the dog. She'd called him Daddy, and that felt strangely right.
He shook those thoughts free and shifted his eyes to Sage. "It's okay. I was worried about her for a second, but I can see Otis is harmless."
A hand settled at his back, and a sharp sense of awareness that it was Mercy rushed through him. Every time she touched him, he filled with warmth—sometimes plain old heat. The kind that got men like him in trouble—the kind that made cute little girls like Maddie.
"Any news on the test Doc did for Maddie and me?"
Sage shook her head. "You're on mountain time, and I swear slow, stubborn mules carry the mail. It'll get here in its own sweet time."
"Are you hungry, Sage?" Mercy asked. "Alex brought enough chicken and fixings to feed an army."
She rubbed her rounded belly. "I could use a bite of something."
"You two enjoy while I push Maddie on the swings." He held out his hand, and she slipped hers into his. "You want to swing?" While they moved away, Otis abandoned them for chicken and cold fries.
For the next hour, he and Maddie played on the swings, chased each other, and tossed a ball Mercy brought. When they returned to the blanket, Mercy was grinning ear to ear.
"You're a natural."
Something had changed. She no longer looked at him like he was a buffoon, but grinned at him like he was a white knight.
Chapter Eleven
Mercy hadn't smiled that much in a long time. After yesterday's picnic, she couldn't stop.
Seeing Alex embrace his relationship with Maddie was like seeing a triple rainbow. The way he bolted from his place on the blanket to rescue his daughter from Otis, who wouldn't hurt a thing, made her heart warm.
Today she had some extra time, so she made cookies. Maddie would be upset that she didn't get to help, but eating them would ease her agitation.
One Hundred Lessons (An Aspen Cove Small Town Romance Book 15) Page 7
