She lowered her hands. “If you think it would add to the festive atmosphere for Morgan, we could have cake and balloons waiting here for her. I could also invite over Josh and Natalie.”
He was dumbstruck by her generosity. “Not that I’m ungrateful for the offer, but why? I got the impression we were already a bit too…underfoot.”
“I guess I just really like your kids.”
She said it so grudgingly that he knew it was nothing less than the truth. This wasn’t an instance of some woman telling him he had cute kids because she wanted to score brownie points with the affluent surgeon. Brenna had seen his children cranky, belligerent, hungry, needy and tired; yet she liked them, anyway.
It really stank that they were being so adult and reasonable about keeping their hands to themselves, because he’d never wanted to kiss her more.
ADAM WAS PROUD of himself for not having to use the “in case of emergency” number Sara had given him. As per her request, the kids had left her a message when they’d reached Mistletoe and checked into the Chattavista, but other than that, they hadn’t really spoken to their mother until today. He’d known that she wouldn’t miss calling on Morgan’s birthday.
The phone rang first thing in the morning as they were all getting ready to go down for breakfast. He would have let Morgan pick it up if she hadn’t just started brushing her teeth. Instead, he answered.
“Hello?”
“Adam! It’s Sara.” She hesitated, as if wanting to ask how things were going but not wanting him to feel interrogated.
“I know three people who are going to be very glad to talk to you,” he said, hoping she was enjoying her honeymoon and not worrying about them too much. He passed the phone to Geoff first.
“Hey, Mom! We miss you. But we’re having a good time. Like, yesterday, when Morgan had to be rushed to the emergency room and—Oof! Dad has no sense of humor,” Geoff complained. “He’s throwing things at me…A pillow, but still. Of course I was kidding. Not about the good time, though. We got a cat.”
“Hey!” Morgan bounced out of the bathroom, her features scrunched into an expression of indignation. “I want to tell her about that. It’s my birthday.”
“All right, squirt.” Geoff ruffled her hair and told his mother goodbye.
Then Morgan was off and running, telling their mother about how they’d adopted a stray cat who would live with Adam in Tennessee, but for now was staying with “Ms. Pierce, the pretty pet-sitter.”
That part made Adam flinch a bit.
“Mommy, you won’t guess what me and Daddy and Liza are doing today! We’re having our toes and fingers painted. They said I could pick any color I want and even pick what music they play in the beauty salon while I’m there.”
After that, Eliza took her turn, although she didn’t have nearly as much to say as the other two. Her mother must have noticed, because there was a long silence on the Mistletoe end while Sara spoke. Was she giving her daughter a pep talk?
“She wants to speak to you,” Eliza said a few minutes later.
Adam put Geoff temporarily in charge and gave the kids permission to go downstairs and start enjoying the breakfast buffet without him. “Keep an eye on Morgan, and I’ll be there soon,” he told them.
“They’re gone?” Sara confirmed. “So. How’s it really going?”
He sat on the edge of his bed. “I swear no one’s been to the ER. When exactly did Geoff develop such a warped sense of humor, anyway? Sara, I have to tell you, I’m amazed by the job you do. You deal with lost socks and painful crushes and battles of wills every single day, and you’re obviously doing something right because they’re turning out pretty damn well.”
His words of praise were met with shocked silence. “Th-thank you. Guess we all have our skills. I mean, I can sew a Halloween costume with the best of ’em, but you should see my pitiful attempts at coronary-artery-bypass grafting.”
He laughed aloud, impressed that she could rattle off the terminology. That probably meant she’d done a better job of listening during their marriage than he had.
“Dan’s a lucky man,” he told her without rancor.
“Wow. You’re just full of pleasant surprises today. Mistletoe must agree with you.”
“It’s a nice place.” Brenna’s smile flashed in his mind. “Nice people, too.”
“Such as the ‘pretty pet-sitter’?” she prodded.
“Brenna Pierce, the woman boarding the cat for us. You’d like her.”
“Ah, but the question is, how much do you like her?”
“I don’t know what you’re imagining, but I haven’t even been here a full week.”
“That is so not an answer,” she said, sounding just like Eliza.
He flopped back on the bed. “We probably discussed it at the time, but remind me. How did the kids take it when you and Dan started dating?”
“Pretty well, but I think they were excited to have…” She paused.
“Yes?”
“A father figure in their lives,” she concluded apologetically. “I’m thrilled you’re taking this vacation with them, I am, and it sounds as if it’s going really, really well. But there were birthdays you missed, sporting events you couldn’t attend. And they liked having a guy up in the bleachers rooting for them.
“Even then, there was some backsliding,” Sara added. “You may have noticed how Eliza can be a tad moody?”
And the Titanic’s maiden voyage was a tad choppy. “You don’t say.”
“The point is, we muddled through. I sat them down and had frank discussions with them about Dan, kept them apprised of where the relationship was going. You and the kids will just have to find your own way. I believe in you.” She sounded sincere.
“But just to clarify, you don’t have a problem with my getting romantically involved with someone?” He had that same involuntary mental image of Brenna again. This time his chest tightened in a not-exactly-painful way.
“Of course not!” Sara said. “As long as you keep the kids’ best interests first and foremost, I’d be thrilled for you.”
When he got off the phone, he immediately left the room to join the kids. But today, he barely heard the way they ribbed each other or the observations they made about other diners. He was too preoccupied with seeing Brenna later in the day and wrestling with his growing attraction to her. He supposed that, as far as come-on lines went, “Good news! My ex-wife says we can hook up” wasn’t very debonair.
“IT MUST HAVE BEEN so cool growing up in your family,” Geoff commented from behind the desk.
Surprised by the non sequitur, Brenna studied her office, trying to spot any telltale signs of coolness. “What makes you say that?”
“Well, there’s Josh, who’s taking us rafting next week.” Geoff had explained that Lydia at the lodge would look after Morgan for the afternoon; Brenna had felt inexplicably bereft at this news. Even though she did not have the time to sit with Morgan and lose potentially hours of work, it had occurred to her that the Varners would be gone before she knew it. Would she wish later that she’d had an extra afternoon with the adorably high-spirited girl? “And of course, there’s you.”
“Of course,” Brenna said, grinning.
“So I figured with the way you guys turned out, your family must have been pretty great.”
“It was. Is,” she admitted. “But it’s easier to appreciate those things in retrospect, now that I’m out of the house.”
Geoff fidgeted, worrying at his thumbnail. “I probably didn’t appreciate my family enough when I had them. You know, before the divorce. I like Dan, my stepdad, but just sometimes I miss…”
She found herself wanting to hug him. “You still have your family, you know. Your mom and dad may not live together, but that doesn’t mean they love you any less.”
“Yeah, I know. And it doesn’t all suck. Some days I feel like I see more of Dad now than when he was at home with us. I couldn’t believe it when he said he was staying away from the ho
spital so long just to spend time with us! I think he’s having fun. He likes you,” Geoff blurted.
“I like him, too.” Oh, for crying out loud—was she blushing? “So, are you clear on what I need you to do with those?”
Geoff looked in the direction she’d waved, at the motley collection of different-size receipts she’d unearthed from her car, her desk drawers, her purse and half-a-dozen other miscellaneous places. “Yeah, I need to organize all of these by date, and if I finish that, I can cross-reference them into these groups you gave me, like Transportation and Promotion.”
“Perfect. Then I’ll just—”
“Seriously, I’ve never seen him like this,” Geoff continued smoothly, his train of thought apparently able to run on multiple tracks at a time.
Well, what else should she expect from a generation that grew up with picture-in-picture television and was capable of texting one friend while physically talking with another? Sheesh. Nothing like a teenager to make you feel old.
“Do you like him, too?” Geoff asked.
Should she tell him politely but firmly that it was none of his business, or remind him that she’d already said she did?
“Get to work, kid.”
He grinned at her. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
He turned to the task at hand, but she found it difficult to follow suit. What did he mean, he’d never seen his father like this? Maybe Adam was just more relaxed and seemed happier because he was on vacation. Don’t read too much into it. But she couldn’t help feeling secretly pleased.
ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES before they expected Adam to show up with the girls, Natalie knocked on Brenna’s front door. She had shopping bags hanging on both arms.
“Josh is coming behind me with the cake. It turned out so cute! Let me squeeze in and put this ice cream in your freezer before it starts to melt all over everything.”
Brenna’s stepbrother approached with a sheet cake balanced across his hands. A large metallic helium balloon with a Puppydale character was tied to his fingers. As Brenna helped them unload the party goodies, she saw that the same adorable, big-eyed puppy was on the napkins and plates.
“She’ll love this,” Geoff enthused. Then he pulled a face. “Wait, do I have to wear one of these hats?”
The adults assured him that he did, then Natalie showed Brenna the small birthday corsage she’d made at her flower shop for the guest of honor. “Plus, we grabbed these from the Fourth of July display.” She held out a couple of boxes of sparklers.
“Cool!” Geoff was definitely more interested in the pyrotechnics than the Puppydale party favors. Cocking his head to the side, he said, “They’re here. I just heard Dad’s engine cut off.”
Brenna tossed him a hat and secured another on her own head. Muttering under his breath, Geoff put it on. Then they all went into the living room and waited quietly.
Adam opened the door for his daughters, and everyone yelled, “Surprise!” when Morgan walked inside. The little girl clapped her hands in delight. Eliza, in contrast, looked leery, as if party hats were immediate cause for suspicion.
While Morgan showed off her pink-and-purple glitter nails to Natalie, the twelve-year-old sidled up to Brenna. “What’s the catch?” she demanded.
Brenna sighed. “No catch. There is, however, cake. You like chocolate?”
“Well, duh. Who doesn’t?” Eliza frowned. “Are you doing all this because you’re crushing on my dad? Because you said you never date.” Her tone rang with accusation.
“I’m doing this because I like Morgan,” Brenna said firmly. However much in favor Geoff might be of Brenna and Adam seeing each other romantically, clearly Eliza didn’t feel the same way.
“Okay. Good.” Eliza turned, but before she walked away, she muttered, “Thank you.”
“What she said,” Adam echoed, his expression tender. “It was really great of you to go to this trouble.”
Her face warmed. “Trouble? You handed me a twenty, Josh and Natalie picked up the cake. It was no big deal.”
He pointed to the radiant five-year-old who was adjusting the elastic of a party hat under her chin. “It is to her. Listen, can I talk to you?”
She raised her eyebrows. “As opposed to what we’re doing now?”
“Alone.”
The single word shivered through her. “Yeah. Hey, guys? Go ahead and put the plates on the table, get candles on that cake. We’ll be right back.”
She led Adam down the hall, hoping people would assume they were checking on Ellie, and that cake and ice cream would be enough to distract the kids from following.
At the far end of the hallway, she leaned against the wall. “Everything okay?”
He didn’t stop coming toward her until his toes bumped hers. She sucked in a breath as he braced one arm next to her.
“Everything’s great. I just wanted to let you know…” He lowered his head, his mouth moving over hers with avid thoroughness.
Her mind went blank. But her body didn’t need coherent thought to respond, merely instinct. She rose on her toes, lacing her fingers behind his neck and pulling him even closer. Her lips opened beneath his, and he stroked his tongue inside. His kiss was hungry with need yet unhurried, as if there weren’t a roomful of people in the opposite end of the house who might catch them. As if Brenna were the only other person in the world and he’d be content to kiss her for an eternity.
She nearly moaned at the thought, his kiss sending pulses of pleasure throughout her entire body. It had been too long since she’d felt a wanting like this—she wasn’t sure it had ever been quite like this. So raw and undisciplined. She’d tried to sustain the same control in her love life that she sought in all areas of her life. But now she felt reckless and bold and off balance. It was both exhilarating and terrifying.
Trying to catch her breath, she broke off the kiss, leaning her forehead against the hard plane of his chest. “Well, I hope you’re happy. The annual Mistletoe fireworks are going to pale in comparison to that.”
His low laugh rumbled through her.
She lifted her face. “Don’t take this as a complaint, but I thought we weren’t going to—?”
“I’d thought not acting on the way I feel about you would be best for the kids.”
The way he felt? Did he mean the palpable attraction between them—or more? Her heart thudded wildly, but she found she didn’t quite have the confidence to ask for clarification. Did it really matter? Either way, he’d be gone within the next two weeks. She was curious to hear the rest of his explanation, though.
“This morning, I talked to someone who changed my mind,” he said simply.
“Geoff?” That might explain the boy’s earlier conversational gambits.
“No, why would you think that? It’s not like I get my romantic advice from a fifteen-year-old.” He was a smidge defensive, amusingly so.
“It seemed likely since Geoff was trying to give me romantic advice. He didn’t come right out and say that you and I should get together, but he hinted at it. Strongly.”
Adam grinned. “Smart boy, my son.”
“Hey! Aren’t you guys coming back?” Morgan called. Her voice escalated as she asked, signaling that she was headed for them.
Adam sprang away, putting a respectable distance between himself and Brenna. “Be right there, sweetie.” Then he dropped his voice. “Can we talk about this more?”
“‘Talk’?” She waggled her eyebrows.
“Well.” He shot her one last sizzling glance that his daughter couldn’t see from behind him. “Among other things.”
Chapter Eleven
Even though the local bakery was known for its delectable creations, Brenna could barely taste the chocolate cake. Her senses were too focused on Adam. She tried not to stare or show any physical awareness inappropriate to a five-year-old’s birthday party, but she questioned whether she was doing a sufficient job of hiding her interest, because Josh was openly smirking at her behind Adam’s back.
Morgan had apparently made her peace with Ellie being her birthday present, plus she’d already opened gifts from her mother and stepfather, so she wasn’t expecting anything else. She squealed with joy when Brenna produced a gift bag.
“Don’t get too excited,” Brenna preempted her. “It’s just a couple of little things I picked up for you and threw in. I don’t want you thinking there’s a pony in there.”
Morgan eyeballed the small bag and laughed. “Josh, your sister is funny.”
“Tell me about it.”
The birthday girl fished out a pink collar Brenna had picked up for Ellie and an easy-to-read guide on cat care that was also a coloring book. “Thank you, Brenna!” She hopped down from her chair to snag a hug.
Brenna squatted down to return the embrace, surprised by the sense of sweetness that overcame her. I could get used to this. When she glanced up, Adam was watching her so intently her skin burned.
“Since it’s not as much fun to do the sparklers until it gets darker,” Josh said, “I thought we could play a birthday game first.”
As he pulled a thin felt mat out of a bag, it occurred to Brenna for the first time what a good father he was going to make. The thought cheered her. She’d never quite been able to imagine herself as a mom—for years, her self-defense mechanism had been to think immediately of something else any time her mind veered toward mothers—but she found that she loved the idea of being an aunt.
Until this month she’d always known she was “an animal person” but had never suspected she might be “a kid person.” Children were too reliant on others, too fragile. She’d worry about letting one down; she’d fear looking into their small, trusting faces and seeing the vulnerable girl she’d once been.
Josh’s game turned out to be a modernized take on the classic pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. Only in this version, where Velcro was used instead of sharp implements, the blindfolded player was trying to successfully place a soft white bone in the puppy’s waiting mouth.
Behind her, Adam said sotto voce, “No animals were harmed in the making of this game,” and Brenna giggled.
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