Mommy for Hire

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Good and bad. “The catering company did a very nice job.”

  He admonished her with a look. “That’s not what I’m asking.”

  She knew that. She had just been hoping to avoid discussing anything that would spoil the peaceful, relaxed mood. Alexis focused on the concern in Grady’s gaze. “All the girls were on their best behavior. And it helped that Savannah and I were seated a great distance away from Lisa Marie and her friends.” Alexis did her very best to be objective. “I think Savannah really did have a nice time. I believe she felt very grown-up. And she was right about one thing—it would have been a mistake to have you at that party. You would have been totally out of place.”

  Grady relaxed. “I’m sure she was glad you were there with her.”

  Maybe too glad, Alexis thought, realizing the two of them were getting as close as mother and daughter. That would be a problem if Grady ever decided to ease her out of Savannah’s life…. The last thing she wanted was to break this precious little girl’s heart.

  Grady saw through her defenses to her distress. “Anything else happen?” he asked gently.

  Alexis went to get her purse from the table on the foyer, where she’d left it. Returning, she gave Grady the computer-generated reminder. “I ran into the mother in charge of the uniforms for next year. Apparently, she has been e-mailing and telephoning you to try and get Savannah’s measurements?”

  Grady put the name and phone number on his desk. “I’m going to contact the uniform coordinator on Friday, at the same time I notify the school that Savannah won’t be attending Miss Chilton’s Academy for Young Women next year. I didn’t want to say anything before graduation. Figured it would create too much of a stir.”

  Alexis couldn’t blame him for that. Savannah had been through enough where Principal Jordan and the mean girls in her class were concerned. She put her purse aside and went back to the sofa, perching on the arm to face Grady. “When are you going to tell Savannah she’s switching schools?”

  Grady’s glance traced the curve of Alexis’s stocking-clad knee before returning to her face. “While we’re in Laramie, visiting family during the upcoming holiday. I’m going to take her over and show her where I went to elementary school and explain to her that her new school will be just like that.”

  Alexis could tell he’d given this a lot of thought. “I think she’ll be a lot happier in a coed school.”

  “I do, too.” Grady clamped a hand on Alexis’s wrist and tugged her down onto the cushion next to him. “Anything else happen?”

  Should she tell him? Alexis wondered, straightening her skirt. Heaven knew she didn’t want Grady finding out about the mini-contretemps any other way…. “Kit Peterson pulled me aside to let me know that she is not happy with me.”

  Grady’s brow furrowed. “How come?”

  Another long story she would rather not have to relate. “Kit sent a friend—Zoe Borden—to my office and had Zoe request me as matchmaker, thinking that she could just ask for a date with you and I would arrange it.”

  Grady shook his head in irritation. “Kit already tried to set us up last year, right after Zoe separated from her third husband. I told Kit I wasn’t interested.”

  “Well, they’re both hoping that will change, now that Zoe is divorced.”

  “The only woman,” Grady said, drawing Alexis close enough for a passionate, lingering kiss, “I’m interested in is you.”

  “Yes, well…” Forcing herself to remain as composed as she needed to be, Alexis extricated herself from the comfort of Grady’s arms, stood and began to pace the length of the living room. “The news is also out that I’ve been staying here the past couple of nights.”

  Grady stood, too. “How would they know that?” he demanded.

  “Savannah told everyone I was sleeping here.”

  “In the guest room,” Grady corrected, not impressed by the gossip of that particular tale.

  Aware what thin ice she was already on, as far as her request for promotion at her company was concerned, Alexis pressed her lips together. “Savannah may have left that detail out.”

  Grady closed the distance between them, lifted his arms and cupped her shoulders in his palms. “I’m sorry.”

  Alexis did her best to ignore the warmth of his touch, transmitting through to her skin. “It’s all right.” She swallowed, wishing she wasn’t so emotionally involved. She feigned nonchalance. “I appreciate the hospitality you’ve shown me the past few days, and I set Kit straight on the matter, so…”

  For the first time, Grady looked upset. “Kit’s the one who…”

  “Let that little detail slip?” Alexis flushed, despite herself. “Yes. She accused me of setting my sights on you from the beginning.”

  He used the leverage of his grip to bring her ever closer. “We both know that isn’t true. What’s happened between us…”

  Just once, Alexis wished Grady would say or do something to indicate he was beginning to love her as much as she loved him. “Just happened, I know.”

  When he spoke, his voice was matter-of-fact but kind. “Are you okay with this?”

  On the surface…? Sure. Words couldn’t hurt her. Privately, Alexis wasn’t certain. Like it or not, Kit’s spiteful assertion that she was nothing more than a rebound fling to Grady had hit home. Alexis wanted to think it wasn’t true. She wanted to believe she and Grady were on the road to something real and lasting and true. But what if they weren’t? What if Kit’s prediction was correct, that her fling with Grady was all she would ever have?

  He was still waiting for an answer.

  “I’m fine,” Alexis fibbed, working hard to make her expression just as inscrutable as his. “I’m just really tired.” She put up a hand, staving off further conversation, freeing herself from his grip. “I think I’ll hit the sack early.”

  Clearly disappointed, he stepped back, too, then inquired softly, “You’re sure you don’t want to hang out for a while, watch some television?”

  Alexis declined his offer with a shake of her head and moved toward the hall. “Thanks, but no.”

  LONG AFTER ALEXIS HAD departed, Grady couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was wrong, something Alexis had yet to reveal. He wondered if her pensive mood had anything to do with the promotion she was still waiting to hear about. Had she received the Galveston job, and had yet to tell him she would soon be moving? Or had she lost the opportunity—because he had dominated her time—and then quit the matchmaking service entirely?

  Unfortunately, she was already in bed for the night. By the time she emerged from her room the next morning, showered and dressed, Savannah was up and his parents had arrived.

  The five of them drove to the girls’ academy together. Then they all watched with pride as Savannah walked up to receive her diploma, a child-size white satin graduation cap with tassel on her head. As she shook Principal Jordan’s hand, she turned and smiled for the camera. With a lump in his throat the size of a walnut, Grady snapped the photo, along with the event photographer, then smiled and waved. His daughter waved back, her attention turning to the other guests in their party. Grady couldn’t say he was surprised to see his parents were all choked up, too. They burst with pride at every milestone their five offspring took, and now that pride extended to their only grandchild.

  What cemented the lump in his throat was the sight of Alexis in the audience, looking as proud—and emotional—as every mother there.

  Grady had half expected that. He knew Alexis loved Savannah, and that his daughter loved her back.

  What Grady hadn’t counted on was the surprising depth of his own feelings, the fact he was experiencing emotions he had never expected or wanted to be subjected to again.

  Was it possible? he wondered. Could it be…?

  There was no time to contemplate further. Another child was taking the stage and he was in the way. Surreptitiously blinking back the moisture in his eyes, he waved at Savannah one more time, then sneaked back down the aisle
and resumed his seat next to his family.

  “You know,” Wade told Savannah later, over their celebratory graduation lunch downtown, “you are our first grandchild to graduate from kindergarten.”

  Savannah giggled. “Granddad. I’m your only grandchild.”

  “For right now,” Josie pointed out with a smile. “But we have hopes that some more little darlin’s will be joining our family very soon.” She looked pointedly at her son.

  Grady swore silently to himself. His mother had a matchmaking gleam in her eye. And while he couldn’t say his thoughts weren’t ambling along the same trail, he did not want his mother saying or doing anything that would alarm an already skittish Alexis, to the point she exited from his life.

  Thankfully, his dad stepped in to take his wife’s hand. “Hold on there, sweetheart. For that to happen somebody’s got to fall in love and get married first,” Wade said. Then his father turned and looked at Grady expectantly, the very same gleam in his eyes.

  Alexis flushed bright pink and dropped her gaze to her plate.

  “Just to be clear…they’re not talking about us,” Grady rushed to reassure her, in an effort to alleviate some of the familial pressure. He glared at his folks, letting them know it was past time to back off. Sure, they might have figured out what Alexis had yet to discern—that he was more emotionally available than he had realized. But that didn’t mean they had to spill the beans.

  Telling Alexis that he was a helluva lot more ready for commitment than he had figured was his business. Not theirs.

  Grady continued the face-saving explanation of his parents’ matchmaking behavior. “They’re talking about my four younger brothers.”

  His folks, getting the hint at long last, just smiled and nodded amiably.

  “Speaking of fun,” his mother said finally, turning to Savannah, “your granddad and I are headed back to our ranch near Laramie this very afternoon. We’re going to get ready for our big Fourth of July picnic and barbecue. And guess what? We could use an assistant. Do you know any big girls of, say, five or so, who might be able to help us?”

  “IT WAS NICE OF your parents to take Savannah for a few days,” Alexis said a few hours later, after the trio had left.

  Grady walked into his study. He turned off his cell phone and set it on his desk, then turned back to her. “They try to give me a break from parenting every month or two. Usually it’s pretty lonely around here with Savannah gone. But I have to say…” He stepped toward Alexis and wrapped his hands around her waist “…I’m looking forward to the time alone with you.”

  She pulled away from him, or attempted to, anyway. He had a pretty good hold on her. “Grady, I—I think we need to talk.”

  He flattened his hands over her spine, brought her even closer and lowered his head. “First things first,” he murmured.

  As always, the resistance in her began to fade within the first couple seconds of their kiss. Her body softening, she opened her mouth to the insistent pressure of his, and pulled him seductively closer. A thrill shot through him at the heady sensation of her breasts crushed against his chest. Blood rushed to his groin. Need and want combined.

  He lifted her onto the edge of his desk. She caught her breath as he pushed her skirt up and stepped between her spread thighs. Still kissing her, he divested her of the jacket and began working on the single button of her silk blouse at the nape of her neck.

  She gave a soft murmur of ascent and lifted her arms as he eased the fabric over her head. It fell in a puddle on his desk, followed swiftly by her bra. Cupping her breasts with his hands, he took her mouth once again. Moaning, she tightened her grip on him, her body arching. And Grady felt everything he had ever wanted, everything he had ever needed, flooding back into his life.

  She was something, this woman.

  Alexis made him want to risk again, want to love and live, and count his blessings—not just at times like now, but all the time. She made him want to create a family with the three of them. And she dared him to dream of more than he’d ever thought possible.

  For the first time, he could imagine himself having more kids.

  Having a wife…

  And a relationship that lasted not just until fate cruelly intervened, but for the rest of his life…

  For the first time, he could envision a future.

  And that future centered around Alexis.

  ALEXIS DIDN’T KNOW HOW IT happened, how it always happened. One minute she’d made up her mind to do the cautious thing and take a step back. The next, Grady would be gazing at her, and that have-to-have-you-right-now look of his would translate into a touch, and then a kiss, and the next thing she knew she’d be half-naked and wanting him naked, too.

  She moaned low in her throat as the kiss deepened intimately. He kissed her cheek, her chin, her throat, and when his lips dropped even lower, she knew it was all over.

  There would be no resisting him—no resisting this. No wait-and-see-if-it-all-worked-out before she got herself in any deeper. She was already in as far as she was going to go. Already in love with him. Already wanting a future that included Grady and Savannah and all the things she’d feared were out of her reach forever…

  Her skirt came off. So did his shirt and pants….

  Naked, they made it as far as the leather wing reading chair.

  He sank into it. She dropped onto him, her head beginning to buzz, as their lips met in a kiss that was hot and hard and sweet. Aroused to distraction, she made a cradle of her hips, easing him into it, every inch of her body beginning to fuse to his. She hung on to that feeling, hung on to him, hands and lips exploring each other’s bodies. And then there was no more thinking, no more waiting, nothing but the sheer pleasure of their joining. They clung together afterward, trembling and breathless. Knowing, as good as it had been, that it wasn’t over yet.

  Aware of how she never wanted to be away from him again, she let him lead her upstairs to his bed. Let him coax her between the sheets and back in his arms again, until she felt the now familiar hardness pressing against her. She knew if she did not extricate herself promptly, she would only fall deeper in love, in lust. But when he slid down, parted her knees and buried his face between her thighs, all thoughts of caution fled.

  She could get hurt, handing her heart and soul to him like this. This could only be a rebound for him. But even if it was, had anything ever felt this glorious?

  Alexis had never imagined lovemaking could be so tender and hot, uninhibited and fulfilling. Was it any wonder that she caught his head in her hands and brought him closer, thrilled at each expert caress of his tongue? Or found endless ways to pleasure him to oblivion, too? Or that in the end they would end up together again, hips locked, rocking in rhythm. His body felt so warm and strong and good; his weight made her feel so safe, his lips and hands so loved. Every time he moved to possess her, he thrust more deeply home.

  Before long, she was teetering on the brink, falling, rising, spiraling into bliss…And then the room grew silent once more, their bodies entwined, her whole being at peace.

  ALEXIS WOKE TO THE faraway ringing of her cell phone, discerning by the type of buzzing that it was the office. A glance at the bedside clock told her it was almost five in the afternoon. She groaned, burying her head in the pillow. “This is beginning to be a ritual,” she lamented in a muffled voice. “Make love with you…” recklessly and passionately “…and get called by work.”

  Grady drew her back against him. He wrapped both arms around her and nuzzled the side of her neck. “Don’t get it.”

  Temptation swirled through her, as potent as having him next to her. “I have to.” Sighing, she disentangled herself and threw on Grady’s robe. “Holly Anne wanted to tell me about the Galveston job.”

  “Well?” he said when she had finished her conversation and rejoined him in the master bedroom.

  Trying hard not to notice how sexy Grady looked, lying back among the rumpled sheets, Alexis dropped the stack of their discard
ed clothing she had brought upstairs with her on the bench at the end of the bed. Her emotions awhirl, she perched on the mattress, facing him. “I didn’t get it.”

  His expression immediately contrite, Grady sat up. “I’m sorry.”

  “I am, too, about the money. It would have been nice to be able to pay off my debt a lot faster, get a bit bigger place.” She sighed, determined to be as honest with him as she was with herself. “But on the other hand, I really don’t want to move to Galveston right now. Not anymore.”

  He studied her, his expression inscrutable. “What’s changed?” he asked gently.

  Why pretend she wasn’t completely in love with him? Surely he had to have some idea…. Surveying him just as carefully, she said lightly, “You even have to ask?”

  Grady pulled her back into his arms. He kissed her warmly, then lounged against the headboard, holding her close. “I feel bad,” he told her bluntly. “You lost that job because of me.”

  “And me.” Alexis took credit where credit was due. “I didn’t have to get so besotted by you.”

  He stroked a hand over her hair. “But you did,” he murmured in her ear, “which is why I’m thinking we should do something about it.”

  Alexis’s heart began to pound. Suddenly, she couldn’t get her breath. “Like what, exactly?”

  He ran a hand up and down her back. “Like make it easier for you to pay off your debts faster—and have a nice place to live. And since you won’t accept my financial help—”

  Alexis’s spine stiffened at the idea of being anyone’s charity case. “You’re right,” she said stubbornly. “I will not!”

  Grady seemed to be prepared for that. And she supposed, knowing her as he did, he probably was.

  His lips turned up in a casual smile. “How about something more neighborly, then?”

  She tensed again. Sensing a trap, she asked cautiously, “Like what?”

  Without warning, his eyes turned serious. “Like you give up your apartment and move in with me and Savannah permanently.”