by Roxy Wilson
“Once, my friends and I spent a whole weekend watching your movies. There’s so much romance in them, so much drama…” She swayed on her feet. “I could watch them over and over again.”
“Thank you,” Brett repeated. He hoped he and Jamie could make a dignified escape.
“Jamie, it’s good to see you.” Cameron pecked her on the cheek as she stood.
The way his hand slid over her arm made Brett narrow his eyes. What the hell was going on? He was missing something here. The stiffness in jaw made him realize that he was grinding his teeth. He willed himself to relax, to take things easy. Jamie didn’t seem to harbor any attraction to this Cameron, but sometimes one can never be too sure.
“You too, Cam.” Jamie picked up her purse.
“Wait! How’s Mellie?”
“She’s doing well,” said Jamie.
“Maybe I could come over one day…” His eyes slid to Brett’s hand that had tightened on hers.
Jamie shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
They exited the restaurant. As they walked over to his car, Brett jingled the keys he was holding. “Ex-boyfriend?”
She glanced over at him. “We broke up four months ago.”
He did a rapid calculation. “I see.”
“When I decided to make Mellie mine, he…well, he couldn’t imagine going out with someone who had the responsibility of a child. It made him feel too embroiled in a situation that he wasn’t comfortable with. We both thought it was best to break up.”
As he helped her sit, Brett couldn’t understand how he’d stumbled upon someone who was as unselfish as she was. To take on someone’s child as her own, to give up her life, her job, and her boyfriend so that she could raise that child with commitment took guts and a big heart. He’d never met someone like her. There was no doubt that she was a precious gem. And now that he’d found her, he didn’t think he would ever be able to give her up. It was the early days yet, but Brett was sure that he was going to do whatever he could to make this whatever they had now, last.
For the first time in his life, he’d met someone whom he admired as a person and was seriously attracted to. He would be a fool if he let her slip through his fingers—and whatever else Brett Carrington was, he was certainly not a fool.
Chapter Eight
Jamie wiped her hand across her brow and watched Mellie as she painstakingly picked up each grape and plop it in her mouth. “Could you please hurry, darling? Mama needs to go to the hospital.”
“Park,” said Mellie.
“No, darling. I told you that mama has to go see a friend who’s in the hospital. Mrs. Rogers has got a big bandage. Aunt Heather’s going to look after you for a while.”
“Park.” Mellie put another grape in her mouth and bit down. The juice dribbled down her chin.
Jamie plucked a tissue and wiped Mellie’s face. “We can’t go to the park today, darling.”
Mellie pouted, tears gathered in her eyes, and dripped down. “Park. Park. Park.” She began to wail.
“Oh, dear!” Jamie put her head in her hands. She was teetering on the limits of her patience. “Please don’t cry, darling. We’ll go to the park tomorrow.” The door bell rang as she hugged Mellie. She lifted the crying toddler in her arms, and went to open the door.
“Hi.” She let Brett in. “I didn’t know you were coming. You said you had a tight schedule today.”
Mellie, seeing her father, raised her chubby arms and bent towards him. He took her out of Jamie’s hands. “I was in the area and thought I would drop in to see what my two favorite ladies were doing.” He chucked Melissa under the chin, making her giggle even as tears streamed down her cheeks. “So, what’s this about? What did mama do?”
“Park. Park.” Melissa wailed.
Brett raised his eyebrows as he looked at Jamie. “What happened?”
“One of our neighbors, Mrs. Rodgers, had an accident and she’s in bad shape. I need to go see her, but Mellie insists on going to the park.”
“Park. Park. Park.” Mellie wailed as she tried to get her arms around her father’s neck.
“Were you planning to take her with you to the hospital?”
“I’m taking her to Heather’s.” Jamie glanced at her watch.
“Park.” Melissa pushed her face in her father’s shoulder.
He patted her back as he followed Jamie into the kitchen. “Alright. Why don’t you cancel Heather? I’ll take her to the park while you visit your neighbor.”
Jamie took out Melissa’s juice from the fridge. She poured half a cup for the child and plopped it down on the table. “You’ll be able to manage on your own?”
His lips lifted in a wry smile. “It’s about time I braved that, don’t you think so?”
“She’ll need to finish her snack first. Her clothes have to change.” Jamie tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. “I’ve already got a fresh set on the bed for her to change into. And she’ll need to go to the bathroom before you leave for the park.”
Brett tilted his head to the side. “Snack. Clothes. Bathroom. I’ve got the order. I think I can do it.”
“Oh, and her shoes.”
“Got it.” Brett leaned over and kissed Jamie softly on her lips.
Brett’s kiss didn’t erase her doubts. She tapped her foot on the floor. “But…”
Brett put his daughter down on the chair and gave her a grape. “Really, Jamie. I’m sure I can handle it.”
“But…” She had no reason to say no. He was Mellie’s father. She’d seen him interact with her so many times in the past several weeks. He was good with her and Mellie, in turn, was quite at ease with him. “I’ll need to shift her car seat to your car.”
“Why don’t you take my car and I’ll take yours? It’s easier that way rather than shifting everything around.” Brett dug out his keys from his pocket and handed them to her.
“But…”
“Go on.” He took a seat at the table and handed Mellie another grape. “My daughter and I are going to have a great time at the park. Aren’t we, Melissa?”
“Park,” declared the child in her loud voice.
“Yes.” He glanced at Jamie. “Go on then. Get your stuff together. And don’t forget to cancel Heater.”
Jamie picked up her phone from the kitchen counter. As she dialed the number, she went to her room. After she’d talked to Heather and cancelled their arrangement, she went into the bathroom and freshened up. She picked up her purse, and hustled back into the kitchen. “Okay. I’m off, then. My car keys are hanging on that peg near the door.”
“We’ll see you in a couple of hours. Melissa, say bye to Mama.”
“Bye-bye, Mama!” Melissa waved her hand happily.
Jamie hovered near the table, not sure if she was entirely comfortable with this arrangement. Even though he was really good with the toddler, Brett had never taken care of Melissa on his own. “She has to go to the bathroom before you leave.”
“Melissa, please finish your grapes. We’ll then wash your hands and do pee-pee before we go to the park. I’m going to say bye-bye to mama.” Brett rose from the table, walked over, put his arms around Jamie’s shoulders, and led her to the door. “We’re going to be fine,” he assured her.
“I know. It’s just…”
He captured her lips with a quick swoop of his mouth. His tongue darted inside. Jamie found herself melting in his arms as all other thoughts vanished from her mind. What was it about his touch that he could reduce her to a puddle of melted jelly within a moment? She ran her hand up his muscled back and pressed her body against his.
It had been weeks since they were dating. Although they’d gone out a number of times, sometimes taking Mellie with them as they went to child-friendly restaurants or even to the park, other times leaving her with Heather as they caught a movie. But he always dropped her at home and left after kissing her. She was going insane with hot desire for him, but still, it was good that they were taking it slow.
&n
bsp; Brett raised his head and looked down at her. “I swear to you I’ll bring her back in one piece.”
Despite her misgivings, she smiled. “It’s just…I feel…nervous, I suppose. I know you’ll take good care of her, but I’ve never sent her alone to the park with anyone.”
“Today’s the first time. Be brave.” He kissed her on the forehead and opened the door for her and gestured for her to step out. “And drive safe.”
“Yep.” By the Jamie turned around, to give a few more words of advice, she found herself staring at the closed door. Really, she shouldn’t be worrying so. Brett had gone with her to the park many times. He knew the routine. She was sure he could handle any situation. But what if Melissa hurt herself? She raised her hand to knock on the door, but then put it down. She really needed to get her anxiety under control. He could always call her if there was an emergency.
And the most important thing of all was that she trusted him with his child. He didn’t panic easily and knew how to distract Mellie if she was gearing up towards a tantrum. They would be fine, she assured herself. After walking out of the building, she went to his car, opened the door, and sat inside.
How had she made the transition from avoiding Brett to trusting him with Mellie so soon? It seemed like yesterday that she was lying to him about Mellie being sick, and now he was a significant part of their lives. As she started the car and drove away, it occurred to Jamie that they were fast becoming a family unit. He’d won his daughter’s heart from the first day they met. How could he have managed to win hers, as well? If she wasn’t careful, she would soon find herself falling in love with him.
Love? The thought scared her enough to make her straighten her shoulders and concentrate on the door. Oh no! No way! Was she really thinking along those lines? How could she have put herself in such a vulnerable position? Her heart pounded as she considered the implications of her feelings. Damn it! She was pretty much already in love—and that scared the hell out of her.
****
After washing Melissa’s hands and face, Brett made her pee. He washed the little girl, changed her clothes, and made her wear her shoes. As he’d seen Jamie do, he put her water bottle in the baby bag and checked to make sure it contained extra clothes, diapers, cream, and other essentials that he might need in the park. Ready, he held her hand and guided her out of the house.
Soon, they were at the park. He sat on the bench while Melissa made a beeline for the sandbox. How difficult could this be? Sometimes he was amazed at the speed with which he’d slipped into this new phase of his life. He was raising his daughter with Jamie and enjoying every minute of it. The fact that he was dating Jamie was an added bonus. She was everything a man could hope for. Every time he dropped her home after a date, he resisted the urge to follow her inside and make hot, passionate love to her until her body withered under his. But he restrained himself each time from doing something that would scare her off. He knew that Melissa was her top priority and he not only appreciated her commitment to his daughter but also admired her all the more for it. He didn’t want to do anything to rush her or make her jump into something that she wasn’t ready for.
But damn it! He was burning up with need for her. If he didn’t have her soon, he thought he might go insane with the desire that careened through his body every time he kissed her.
“Hi.” Someone sat on the bench and interrupted his thoughts. Brett was glad for the intrusion. He needed to think of something else beside Jamie.
He turned to face Katrina, mother of twin boys. He’d seen her in the park before when he’d come with Jamie. The two women seemed to get along well. “How are you?” he asked politely. Her boys ran towards the sandbox and he watched carefully as they sat next to Melissa.
“Jamie didn’t come today?”
“No. She’s visiting her friend in the hospital.”
Katrina took out a water bottle and drank some. “Brave of you to bring her alone. My husband wouldn’t take on the job even if I begged him.”
Brett watched her boys pour sand all over each other. Personally, he didn’t blame her husband. Her boys were quite active. In comparison, Melissa was an angel. His angel. He saw his daughter sidle away from the two rambunctious boys as she watched their antics. “I suppose boys are a handful.”
“That they are. I’m going to try one more time, and this time I’m determined to give birth to a girl.”
“Okay.” He didn’t know what to say.
“And if I have three boys, well, I can hope for one of them to produce granddaughters for me at some point. Are you planning on having more children?”
He stared at her, startled by her question. “Umm…”
Her face flooded with embarrassment. “I mean, Jamie told me that you two were dating and I know Melissa is yours, so I was wondering…sorry. My husband always tells me that I blab too much.”
“No. It’s all right.” Did he want more children? Brett searched his heart. He wouldn’t mind another girl, one who had Jamie’s eyes and his smile. Or even a boy would be fine. But every time he pictured a child, he could only imagine Jamie as the mother.
When had these thoughts crept into his mind and heart? And did he really want that? Brett found that he liked the idea of having another child with Jamie, raising both children with her, sharing the responsibility and the care. He’d never harbored such thoughts before so the idea was alien and scary…but a good kind of scary.
“Yes, I suppose, it would be nice to have another child.” He found himself saying as he watched his daughter get up with dignity. She left the two boys and went over to the slide. He stood to help her. “It would be great, in fact,” he muttered as he walked over to Melissa.
It would be damn near fantastic, he thought. And it would be equally amazing to share his life with Jamie.
Chapter Nine
Jamie fought to control her temper as she looked at Brett. She’d already put Melissa to sleep and was looking forward to enjoying a cup of coffee with him. Even worse, she’d been contemplating asking him to stay over. It had already been months since they started dating. It was time they braved a foray in the bedroom. The building up of the sexual anticipation had been intense, and she was sure they were both ready for the next step.
That is, until he brought up this topic which made her angry.
“I don’t understand what the big deal about it is.”
“If it’s not a big deal, why did you bring it up? Leave this subject alone, Brett.”
He leaned forward, his eyes glinting with annoyance. “I’m not going to leave this alone, Jamie. Melissa’s my daughter and I want to assume responsibility for her. I admit I can’t do as good a job as you’re doing as far as her physical and emotional upbringing is concerned, but by God, I have the right to share some of the financial burden.”
“She’s a not a burden, and Brandi had made arrangements for her education. As far as her daily upkeep is concerned, I am more than capable of taking care of that. I don’t need your money.”
“I know you don’t need the money. But I want to be a part of her life. Why shouldn’t I pay for some of the costs?”
She ran a hand through her hair, feeling flustered and annoyed. Why did he have to insist on sharing the financial responsibility? Did he think she wasn’t capable? What was he hoping to achieve with it? “I am not going to take money from you to feed and clothe her. It’s one of the things I was adamant about when Brandi and I discussed it. She’s my daughter also, and I am earning enough to support both of us.”
“Fine then. Let me set up an account and the money that I give can be used for her college education.”
“Brandi set up a trust fund for that. Everything she owned was sold and set aside for Melissa. You won’t need to do that.”
Frustrated, he tapped his finger on the table. “We have to find some middle ground on this issue, Jamie. It’s not fair to me. I’m not trying to take away something from you or Brandi, but I do want to contribute in some way.�
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Jamie stood. She took her cup of coffee to the sink, rinsed, and put it aside. Was she being unnecessarily emotional about this issue? Accepting Brett’s money would make her feel beholden to him in some strange way. But the truth was he did deserve the right to share some of the responsibility. How could she deny him that?
Damn it! This co-parenting was a minefield that had to be negotiated with a lot of trepidation and care.
“Alright, how about you pay for childcare, babysitters, plus school expenses when she starts in kindergarten? And I’ll pay for her food, clothes, and other daily expenditure.”
He pursed his lips, considered her offer for a moment. “Fair enough. I can live with that.”
Jamie breathed a sigh of relief. It had taken a monumental change in her thinking to come this far but now that they’d settled it; she thought they were making good progress. Sometimes it was hard for her to think back to the time when Brett hadn’t been a part of their daily routine. He’d become such an important person for both Mellie and her.
What would she do when he left them to go to another one of his movie sets?
Jamie pushed the thought away. They’d barely crossed one hurdle. She didn’t want to think about another one that was sure to come their way sooner or later. Walking over to him, she hugged him. “Good job!”
“Are you telling me that or yourself?” He laughed, amused.
“Both of us. I guess raising a child isn’t as easy as I thought.”
“True,” he concurred as he stood, picked up his cup, and took it over to the sink. After rinsing it, he deposited both the cups in the dishwater, mirroring a routine he’d seen her do often enough. “The other day, Melissa picked up a grasshopper. Had I been a minute late, she would’ve deposited it in her mouth.”
“She does seem to have an innate fascination with insects,” agreed Jamie. “Maybe she’ll grow up to be an entomologist.”
“What the hell is that?”
“An entomologist is someone who studies insects.”
He shuddered. “I’d rather she picked a career I’m comfortable with.”
