by Roxy Wilson
“All right,” he said, looking a little edgy at the thought of being alone with his child.
Jamie hesitated for a moment before she left the room to start her preparation for dinner. As a norm, she ate with Mellie. And once the little girl was done, it left her with plenty of time to finish her assignments. For dinner, she’d decided on spaghetti and meatballs. She’d already prepared the sauce and the meatballs before she left. Now, Jamie put water on the boil. She added salt and took out the packet of spaghetti.
As she waited for the water to boil, she set the kitchen table. After a slight bit of hesitation, she added a third plate. If Brett didn’t want to join, she would remove the plate. She also took out salad leaves, cucumbers, carrots, and tomatoes and began to peel the vegetables to make a fresh garden salad.
As she made dinner, Jamie marshaled her thoughts. She’d many things to share with Brett, but she also wanted to know as to what his intentions were regarding Mellie. Did he want full custody? Because if that was his intention, they would have a long court battle ahead. She wasn’t going to give up her daughter, no matter what. But if all he wanted was to be a part of her life, then they could work something out.
Jamie added the pasta to the water, stirred it once, and then added dressing to the salad. She put the salad platter on the table. Once the food was ready, she went to summon the duo. Jamie stood at the door. Brett’s back was towards her. Her heart melted at the sight of the grown man sipping a pretend liquid from a dainty, pink tea cup as Mellie watched him.
“Yum, yum. That was delicious. You’re an amazing cook.” He pretended to nibble on the plastic cookie he was holding in one hand. “Do you like cookies?”
“Cookies.” Mellie’s eyes sparkled as she jumped.
Jamie cleared her throat. “Uh Oh! No cookies. We have spaghetti and meatball today.” She strode inside the room. “Come on. Let’s put your toys inside first.”
Mellie pouted. She didn’t like being denied a cookie. “No. Cookie!”
Brett put the teacup down on the table. “Let’s race to see who can clean up faster. You put Sue to sleep while I put everything back.”
The toddler ran with the doll to the bed while Jamie helped Brett put the toys back. “Nice save,” she whispered.
Brett watched the little girl thump Sue with ferocity. She stood back. “Sleep,” she announced.
“Wow! You’re so fast,” said Brett as he followed Mellie. As she entered the kitchen, he hesitated at the door. “I’ll wait for you guys to finish.”
“I’ve set up a place for you. That is, if you wish to join us.” Suddenly Jamie felt flustered, out of breath. There was no denying the fact that he was a handsome man and she was attracted to him. But how could she forget the fact that he was once engaged to her best friend?
“Sure, I would love to join you guys.” He came in, washed his hands at the sink, and joined Mellie at the table.
Jamie considered the sight before her. Her daughter was sitting at the table with her father. If anyone just walked in and took a look at them, they’d think they looked like a happy family. But she couldn’t forget that they were not. Brett wasn’t a part of her life, even if he chose to be a part of Mellie’s.
He had no relationship with her, and neither was he ever going to be inclined to have one. So it was better if she banished such thoughts from her mind before they took root.
****
Brett couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a simple, home cooked meal. The spaghetti and meatballs was delicious, and the salad was crisp and fresh. What he enjoyed most were the antics of his young daughter as she tried, with great concentration and aplomb, to eat the spaghetti by herself. The mess on and under the table was stupendous, but Jamie was patient at the little girl’s effort as she manipulated the fork from the plate to her mouth. She dropped half of what she picked up, but in the end, she’d eaten a good amount of her food.
“She likes spaghetti,” said Jamie as she poured juice in a straw cup for Melissa.
Brett took a few sips of the apple juice. He had to admit he’d taken more delight in this meal than he’d ever had at a five star restaurant. Seeing as he was on the set of a movie for half a year, and spent the rest of his time in studios, he rarely had an opportunity to cook for himself. Not that he was a good cook. He could barely make an omelet or cobble together a sandwich.
It was good to sit at the table and watch his child gobble and babble at the same time. If someone had told him that he would enjoy the display of domesticity this much, Brett would have laughed. He was footloose and free and that’s the way he’d liked it.
Up until now.
Now, it seemed that his preferences were changing.
He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the strange thoughts that he hadn’t known he’d been harboring. “What’s her routine like?” he asked Jamie to change the direction of his own thoughts.
“Ummm…Mellie’s routine?” She looked startled by his question, as if she hadn’t expected him to make conversation.
“I’m interested in everything about my daughter.” Brett looked directly in her eyes, willing her to see that he had no ulterior motives. "Don’t tell me that surprises you.”
Jamie studied him for a moment, even as she chewed on her lips. Perhaps, she was weighing the veracity of his statement. Then she shook her head as if clearing away her doubts.
“Hmm…she gets up at 7 a.m. and then after breakfast, we play for a couple of hours in her room. She watches thirty minutes of a baby video, and then putters about with me in the kitchen while I make lunch. She eats at noon and sleeps for two hours.”
“You don’t work anymore?”
Jamie had a thriving and lucrative job as far as he could remember. He was surprised that she’d left it.
“I’ve taken a sabbatical for a year, maybe two.” Jamie tucked some strands of hair behind her ears. “I’ll see how it goes. Mellie will be starting pre-play at three, and maybe then I can go back to the office for half a day.” She cleared her throat, and then took sip of her drink. “I’m still considering it, although my clients don’t seem to mind that I’m working from home.”
He was astounded that she would leave her career aside to look after Melissa. “Don’t you miss the office routine?”
“Yes.” Jamie chuckled. “But then I think it’s important to make sure Mellie feels a sense of security. She just lost her mother, and it’s crucial she bonds with me.” Jamie snatched the cup from Melissa’s hand just as the little girl was about to pour it on the floor. “She’s done,” Jamie announced as she put the cup on the table. “Will you excuse me for a moment while I wash her?”
“Sure.”
Jamie scooped up the toddler and marched towards the sink. She washed Melissa’s hands and put her down. The toddler waddled out of the door. Jamie laughed, and the sound was like a beautiful symphony in Brett’s ear. “She’s going to take out a book. It’s reading time.”
“I’ll do it.” Brett thought he might enjoy the process of reading to his child.
“You’re sure?” Jamie wrung her hands.
He raised an eyebrow. “I think I can manage.” He gestured towards Jamie’s half-eaten plate of food. “You can come in and say goodnight after you’re finished.”
“She loves to hear the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”
“The Three Little Pigs.”Brett snapped his fingers playfully. “Got it.
Jamie rolled her eyes amidst her laughter at his humor. “Don’t you dare. Mellie’s afraid of big bad wolves.”
“What about the Three Billy Goats Gruff?” Brett wiggled his eyebrows.
Jamie reached for the kitchen towel and swatted him playfully on the shoulder. “When you’re done reading to her, help her brush her teeth. She’s Little Miss Independent, so you’ve got to make her think she’s doing it on her own.” Jamie folded the kitchen towel and placed it on the counter.
“Is there anything else?”
“ And t
hen she’ll need to be tucked into bed.”
“Got it.” Brett went back to Melissa’s room and found her squatting by the side of the bookshelf, furiously trying to take out a book. “What is it, honey?” He took out the book for her. “Is this what you want to read?” He glanced at the cover and was amused to find three pigs, dressed in jaunty hats.
“Would you like me to read it to you?”
“Wof.”
“Wolf?” Brett couldn’t belief he heard correctly. “You like the big, bad wolf?”
“Wof.” And then, in an act of unbridled trust, the toddler raised her arms.
Brett picked her up as his heart welled with love.
Damn it! I’m a goner. If only he’d known it would be this easy, he would’ve forced Brandi to let him see his daughter. Brett carried the child over to the bed, plopped her down, and sat by her side. He read her the story, and then took her to the bathroom to brush her teeth. After he was done, he brought her back to her room. Jamie was waiting there.
“I’ll tuck her in.” Jamie reached for his daughter he still held in his arms.
Brett’s first instinct was to grip Melissa tighter, but good sense prevailed. It made no sense to provoke Jamie’s ire. She’d allowed him to do this much with his daughter, the least he could do to show his gratitude was to honor her wishes. He deposited a kiss on Melissa’s forehead. “Good night, baby girl.”
As he handed Jamie his now sleeping child, his hands brushed against hers and a frisson of excitement slithered up his arms. What the hell? He backed off and watched quietly as she tucked the child in. After she switched on the night lamp, they both slipped out of the room. Jamie left the door slightly ajar.
For a moment, they both didn’t know what to do.
“Maybe I should…”
“I was thinking…”
They spoke at the same time.
Brett chuckled. Although he hadn’t gotten over his anger at being duped so completely, Melissa’s lively company in the past few hours had softened him. “Ladies first.”
“I was wondering if you would like a cup of coffee.”
“Yes, I would. In fact, I think it would be a good idea for me to stay a while. I’m sure you’ve a lot of questions.”
Jamie nodded. “Yes, I guess I do.”
He followed her into the kitchen. If there was one thing Brett was sure of, it was that now he’d found his daughter, he was never going to let her go. And if Jamie had a problem with it, she would have to find a way to deal with it.
Chapter Six
Jamie brewed the coffee as she marshaled her thoughts together. Seeing Brett with Mellie today had made her realize that he was good with kids. It wasn’t something she’d thought he had in him, but Mellie had taken to him immediately.
“So I take it that she didn’t contract chicken pox, and you were never out of town for a wedding?”
She sighed. It was time to come clean. “Yes. And I never forgot the appointment. I just didn’t want you to see Melissa.”
“I see.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I can sort of try to understand why you did that.”
She was surprised that he wasn’t angry. In his place, she would’ve been fuming mad. His calm and reasonable reaction raised him in her estimation. “I’m sorry. I realize that I shouldn’t have done it…but I was scared and well…mistrustful of your motives.”
“First of all, I want to assure you that I’ve no intention of taking her away from you. I can see already that she’s in good hands. You’re devoted her,” he said as he took a seat at the kitchen table. “I appreciate the fact that you’ve taken time off from your work to offer her the comfort and security she needs.”
“Thank you.” Jamie couldn’t deny that she was relieved to hear him say that. She’d been scared that he was going to try to use his money to take Mellie into his custody. Now that she’d given her heart to the young child, she couldn’t imagine living without her. She poured the coffee in a cup and carried it over to him.
Jamie picked up her own cup of coffee and took a seat opposite him. “Maybe I shouldn’t…I don’t know if it’s my right to ask these questions, but I feel we need to trust each other if we’re both going to be involved in Mellie’s life. I need to know why you broke up with Brandi and why you made no attempt to meet Mellie before this.”
“Brandi and I…well, we were in love, or at least, I thought we were…it’s hard to explain. Brett cleared his throat. “I think we were both in love with the idea of being in love.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “In retrospect, I realize that I was into her because she was a beautiful woman…” He raised his hands in self-defense when he saw how Jamie bristled. “…not that I’m saying she wasn’t a good person, but by the same token, I think Brandi loved Brett, the film producer, more than she loved Brett, the man.”
Jamie was startled to hear him utter the same thoughts that Heather had said. “She really looked up to you. Your work, your job, everything fascinated her.” She felt it was her duty to defend her friend.
“Pardon me for saying so, but if a woman takes me on, I would prefer she loves me for who I am and not for what I do. Not that I blame Brandi. Maybe I was taken in by her charm and beauty. I should have realized sooner…but once I did, I’d no choice but to break the engagement.”
In all fairness, Jamie couldn’t blame him anymore. In his position, she might have done the same. But then what about Mellie? Why hadn’t he bothered to see the girl before this?
Almost as if he read her mind, he began to explain. “About your other question. When Brandi told me she was pregnant, I thought she was lying but when she sent me the pregnancy report, I offered to pay her financial support. She refused and severed all contact with me. I emailed her several times, tried to call her, but got no reply. Finally, when I was done with the movie, I came to see her but she’d shifted houses and left no forwarding address. I think she deliberately tried to keep me away because she was scared that I would try to take Melissa away.” A pained expression crossed his face. “I should have done more to find them. Melissa’s mine, after all.”
After he stopped talking, Jamie took a sip of her coffee as she analyzed everything he’d said. After seeing his behavior with Melissa, and reviewing his reasons, she had to admit she could no longer harbor negative feelings about him. Brandi’s cancer had been extreme bad luck, but he wasn’t responsible for it. Yes, maybe he should have taken more care while breaking up, but then there was never such a thing as a good break up.
Had Brandi deliberately tried to keep him away from Melissa? She recalled the way Brandi had protested when Jamie wanted her to call Brett and see if he would be interested in raising the child. “I suppose I owe you an apology,” she said.
“You were trying to protect Melissa. How can I blame you for that?” He smiled as he sipped his coffee. “I hope we can put this all behind us and move on with a clean slate.”
“Right.” She was drowning in the depth of his eyes. When he smiled, his eyes crinkled at the corners. “I think we can do that. How involved do you want to be in Mellie’s life?”
“As much as I can be,” he offered. “I want to do it all. Take her to the park, go for doctor’s appointments, and babysit her if you’re busy, stuff like that. I don’t think I’m quite ready to keep her on my own right now, but I’d be happy to come here and interact with her as much as I can.”
“We could work something out.” Jamie ignored the flutter of panic that curled in her gut at the thought of frequent interaction with him. How the hell was she going to manage it? “I’ll be taking her to the park tomorrow at four in the afternoon. You could join us if you want.”
“I’ll be here.” He gulped down the rest of his coffee and stood. “Thanks for everything.” He thrust out his hand at her. She found his grip warm and hard. The contact sent a slither of excitement up her arm. Damn it! Why the hell couldn’t she ignore this attraction that she felt for him?
He was Melissa’s dad, for God�
�s sake.
There could never be anything like this between them.
****
Brett was overwhelmed with the desire that glided up and down his spine every time he glanced at her. She was beautiful. Not to mention, kind, and fair. He could see that his words had an effect on her. She was willing to give him a chance despite her inherent mistrust. He admired a woman who could be fair in an emotional and convoluted situation.
But she was taking care of Melissa. How could he harbor such thoughts about her? Better to leave now before he made a fool of himself.
After saying goodbye, Brett walked towards the door, painfully aware that she was right behind him, her compact, slim body just inches away from his. Her hair looked touchable. He longed to run his hands through them. His fingers itched to caress her smooth, dark skin. At the door, Brett turned to face her, his hands on the handle. He was going to leave before he caved in to the urges that plagued him. What was happening? He’d never felt such a strong attraction for any woman. And truth be told, he didn’t know how to deal with it.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jamie smiled brightly.
“Yes.” The blood that was pounding in his ears made it hard for him to understand what she saying. All he could see was her gleaming, luminous skin, her big, dark eyes, and the soft, luscious lips that called out to him.
His brain screamed at him to back away, while the rest of his body yearned to step closer. For once, he stopped thinking. Giving in to his baser instincts, Brett moved with surprising speed. He swooped in and captured her lips between his. One arm snaked around her waist, hauling her up against him. The other arm lifted to embrace her neck. His fingers tangled in the wisps of hair at her nape. He was right, her hair was as soft and inviting as he’d thought. He grasped her head and tilted her face up to allow him better access. His initial reaction had been to start off chastely, but that option was now far gone. Pushed away even further by the feel of her lips parting under his.
Gasping for air, he pulled back for an instant to gaze into her eyes, her irises getting impossibly darker under his scrutiny. Her nostrils flared and her lids dropped, a sight which caused his desire for her to raise an octave. He could only assume his eyes echoed the response. Returning to her lips, he pressed firmly along their plumpness, sliding back and forth, creating a delicious friction that had his heart racing. More than anything, he wanted to know that hers was beating just as quickly, but he wasn’t yet ready to give up the seductive curve of her lower back. Easing under the hem of her shirt, he caressed her incredibly silky skin with his fingertips. Her flesh trembled under his touch and he inwardly rejoiced at the sensation.
