by Amanda Berry
“Not anymore.” She poked him in the chest with each syllable for emphasis.
“Do you think I don’t know that? That I sleep well at night? That I don’t think of a million ways to make this work out best for everyone? News flash. I’m not Superman.”
“And who asked you to be? I didn’t go to New York to drag your ass back here. I thought you needed to know. You were the one who volunteered to come. You insisted you needed to know her.”
He captured her hand against his chest before she could poke him again. “You were the one who insisted now or never. Were you hoping I’d say never?”
She sputtered, “No, of course not.”
“You didn’t feel at all threatened by the fact that Amber is as much mine as she is yours?” The words were softly spoken but hit her hard in the gut.
His hand held her close to him. The air around them was thick with tension. What was she supposed to say? Yes, she’d gotten used to having Amber all to herself. Would she deny her daughter her father just to keep things the way they were, which was way more comfortable than how she felt right now with Brady so close?
She should back down, but this was too important. “So why don’t you go in there and tell her? Fess up. Stop being such a coward.”
“And how do you propose I do that? Just come out and say it? Or should I be like you and wait until she’s comfortable before striking?” he said.
“I didn’t know you didn’t know. Sam—”
“Sending a letter wasn’t the only way to reach me and you know it.” Brady’s blue eyes burned. His breath was hot on her face. “You could have tried other ways.”
She pressed her lips together and tilted her chin. Refusing to let him inside her head. To make her doubt her decisions all those years ago. Those questions she’d had when Sam had dropped off the money with no note from Brady. As she examined it over the years, she would wonder, but the older Amber got, the harder it was to admit maybe she’d made a mistake in trusting Sam.
“Admit it, Maggie. You were afraid I’d want something to do with Amber. That I would want to be her father.”
Somewhere deep inside she found the strength to step away from Brady. She wasn’t backing down, just getting breathing room.
“Why would I be afraid of that?”
He narrowed his eyes. “It doesn’t matter. I’m Amber’s father and that isn’t going to change.”
“You’re my dad?” Amber’s voice sent chills through Maggie’s body.
They both turned in time to see the hurt in Amber’s eyes before she spun around and ran out the front door.
* * *
Brady cursed. This wasn’t the way he had wanted Amber to find out.
Maggie was already at the front door, ready to go after her. Brady reached her in three strides.
“I’ll go,” he said.
“You don’t even know where to look.”
Flicker bounced between the two of them obviously excited to be going back outside. Brady grabbed his leash.
“Fine. We’ll go together. Where would she go?” Brady opened the door and let Maggie go first.
“I saw her go right before she disappeared behind the bushes. There’s the park, the school playground, Amber’s friend Mary’s house, Penny’s. There are a million places she could have gone to.” Frustration tinged her voice.
He linked his fingers with hers. “We’ll find her.”
Her chest rose and fell as she took a deep breath. Her fingers remained entwined with his.
Before they left, the phone rang. Amber had shown up at Penny’s. Brady’s heart started again, grateful for once that Tawnee Valley was a small town. Maggie squeezed his hand.
When they arrived, Penny simply held open the door. “She’s in the living room.”
As Penny took the leash from Brady’s hand and led Flicker away, Brady followed Maggie into the living room. The yellow walls peeked out in the spaces between the framed pictures on the wall. There were some from high school, some from when Amber was a baby and even some from now. On the blue sofa, Amber sat with a mug of milk and a plate with a few cookies.
“Amber Marie, you can’t run out the door like that.” Maggie looked as though she was going to scold her more, but Brady tugged her hand. She turned to look at him. In her hazel eyes, the relief over finding Amber only barely covered the fear that had been there before.
“I’ve got this one.” Brady squeezed her hand one more time before letting go. He sat in the floral chair facing the couch.
Amber hadn’t made eye contact with either of them. She continued to dunk and eat her cookies as if they weren’t there.
Brady struggled to find the words that would put this to right. “We didn’t mean for you to find out like that.”
Maggie moved behind his chair. Her presence offered him the comfort and support to continue.
How could he make this right?
“I should have let your mom tell you right away, but I was afraid.” Brady waited for some indication that she was even listening.
She set the cookie on her plate and lifted her blue eyes. “What were you afraid of?”
“Everything.” Brady took a deep breath.
“That’s silly.” Amber grabbed a napkin and wiped the chocolate from her lips. “How can you be afraid of everything? Are you afraid of cookies?”
“I wish this were simple, but I didn’t know about you until your mom came to New York. And then all I wanted to do was meet you, but I thought you wouldn’t like me.” Brady scrubbed his face with his hand.
“Why wouldn’t I like you?”
When she put it so simply, Brady was stumped. “I don’t know.”
“You’re my dad?” Amber was keeping her face blank.
Maggie slid her hand over his shoulder. He was amazed that the touch of her hand could make him feel more in control.
“Yes.” Brady waited as Amber thought about it.
“You and Mom were married?”
“No.” Brady shifted on the seat. This wasn’t headed in a pleasant direction, but being honest had always served him well in the past. He just wasn’t sure that Amber was old enough to understand what had happened between Maggie and Brady when they were young.
Amber sat back in the couch and pulled her feet under her. “But you guys dated? I thought you said you hadn’t dated Brady, Mom?”
Maggie’s fingers curled into his shoulder. “We knew each other in high school. We were friends.”
Friends? They’d barely spoken in high school. They’d had one passionate night. Amber had been the result of that. He needed to get Amber off this path.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right away. I should have.” Brady leaned forward. Maggie’s hand slipped from his shoulder. He met Amber’s intense gaze. “Do you forgive me?”
Amber looked from Maggie to Brady and back again. Her nose wrinkled. “Are you going back to New York?”
“In a week.” Brady could feel the clamp on his stomach as he waited for her to come to her decision.
“Are you coming back?”
He could almost see the wheels turning in her head. “If you want me to.”
She scooted to the edge of her seat. “Am I going to go to New York?”
“I’d love to have you come stay with me.” Brady could feel the clamp loosen.
“Can Mom come, too?” Amber spared a glance at her mother.
“We haven’t worked out all those details yet,” Maggie interrupted.
No, they hadn’t. It was probably time they started to think about the future, but not tonight.
“Can I keep Flicker?” Amber had a devious glint in her eyes.
“Is that the only way you’ll forgive me?” Brady bit back his smile. Negotiations were supposed to be serious.
“You know the rules, Amber Marie.”
Brady wasn’t used to Maggie’s “mother” voice. It was amazing how much she’d changed in the years since he’d known her.
Amber crumpled her
forehead and pouted. “No pets as long as my room looks like a tornado hit it. And I learn some responsi-bil-ity.”
“I’m sorry about keeping this from you.” Brady was eager to hear her words of forgiveness.
“Do I still call you Brady? Or should I call you Dad or Daddy?” Amber cocked an eyebrow, mimicking her mother perfectly.
“You can call me anything you want.” Brady’s heart stuttered and filled his chest.
“Dad.” Amber tested out the word. “Daddy. Brady.”
Flicker barked somewhere in the background.
Amber stood and rounded the coffee table until she stood in front of Brady. They were eye to eye. Brady held his breath. His emotions too overwhelming to pick apart.
“I forgive you and like you just fine, Daddy.” Amber’s arms closed around Brady’s neck.
Brady returned Amber’s hug, feeling like the luckiest man alive.
Chapter Thirteen
Brady walked out into the night after helping put Amber to bed. His feet felt glued with each step. Thankfully, Penny had decided to keep Flicker.
What Brady needed was some time alone to think about what being someone’s daddy really meant. Did that mean seeing her for two weeks in the summer? Or trying to figure out how to watch a child during an entire semester of schooling in New York? Or spending the holidays in Tawnee Valley with Amber?
And Maggie.
He slid into his rental car and glanced at the two-story Victorian house. How many times had he driven down this street when he was young and never thought anything of this house? Now it housed one of the most important people in Brady’s life. His daughter.
His career had always come first, but he could make room in his life for Amber.
Work... He checked his pockets for his phone, but came up empty-handed. He’d been on it with Jules when Amber got hurt. Damn, he’d forgotten about Jules on the phone.
But what did he do with his phone? He must have left it inside somewhere. He pushed open the door and trudged back to the front door of Maggie’s house. Knocking softly so he wouldn’t wake Amber, he peeked in the window and saw Maggie crossing the kitchen. She probably couldn’t even hear him knocking.
He checked the door and found it unlocked.
“Maggie?” he said softly as he walked in.
It had taken both of them to get Amber to bed. Only Brady promising that he was leaving right away and coming back tomorrow had finally convinced her to go to sleep. He didn’t want to risk waking her. Besides, Maggie had seemed as worn-out as he felt.
He crossed the threshold into the kitchen and found Maggie sitting at the table with her head in her hands. He froze at the sight of her.
Her hair fell like silk around her face, softening her and making her seem ageless. Her eyes were closed and her fingers were massaging her temples in slow, steady circles. His fingers flexed and his heart sped. The heaviness lifted slightly.
She’d given him a daughter. A beautiful, intelligent daughter that she’d had to raise on her own because of Sam. He should have been here the entire time. Amber shouldn’t have had to learn about him like this, to wonder all this time if her father loved her.
“Maggie?” he said softly.
The chair scraped against the linoleum as she scrambled to face whoever was in the room. Her wide eyes connected with his and realizing it was him, she relaxed.
“Brady? I thought you’d left.” She grabbed a towel from the sink. Always busy cleaning something.
“I did, but I think I left my phone. I wanted to let you know before I started searching.”
She’d dropped her gaze from his almost immediately. She glanced at him quickly before turning away. Maybe she was still angry about what had happened with Amber.
“I meant what I said earlier.” He stepped into the room and walked over to where she stood wiping the counter in a circular motion. He settled his hand on hers. She jerked her hand away, dropping the towel.
“I know you’re angry with me, but I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.” He draped the towel over the bar and finally met her gaze. Instead of anger in her hazel eyes, he saw vulnerability and wariness. It made him stop in his tracks. Did she fear him?
She cleared her throat. Her eyes hid her feelings from him once again. “It’s late, Brady.”
“You know I’d never do anything intentional to hurt Amber?”
“Of course.” But there was a hint of skepticism behind her agreement. She moved to the other side of the kitchen and grabbed the broom.
He closed in on her one step at a time. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to keep her from feeling the pain you felt as a child, Maggie.”
Her lips set firmly together and her chin got that stubborn tilt. It made him want to kiss her until she softened beneath his touch. He stood there, debating whether to close the distance between them or retreat. The emotional roller coaster of the past few hours had him warring with himself. She’d clearly stated that she wanted to keep things as friends between them. But when she was this close, his fingers itched to bury themselves in her hair. His gut tightened and his pulse pounded every time she was in the room.
The few tastes he’d had of her hadn’t been enough. He wanted to feel the curves of her body and explore all those hidden spots that would make her sigh with pleasure. He wanted to nibble along her jawline until the hardness left her face and she sighed his name.
He closed the distance between them. No longer thinking of the consequences. His thumb traced her jawline and her lips parted. Their eyes were locked, but neither of them said a word. All he had to do was lean down and kiss her. He knew she felt it, too.
The noise of the vibration of his phone filtered through the haze his thoughts had left him in. Maggie jumped as if something had bitten her. The broom clattered to the floor. Her head bumped against his chin and he instinctively moved back.
The buzzing continued. Brady looked around the kitchen trying to pinpoint the source until his gaze returned to Maggie’s red cheeks and downturned face.
“Is that your phone?” Brady stood within touching distance of her and much as he wanted to touch her, he felt as if he was missing something important.
She shook her head, but finally lifted her eyes to meet his and that stubborn jaw was set again. Her blush deepened, but she didn’t drop her gaze.
“Is that my phone?” Brady asked.
Maggie drew in a breath. “Yes.”
He waited, expecting her to do something. Either return it or explain herself. But she just stood there, defiant and beautiful.
“May I have it?”
“I’ll give it back if you tell me you can separate your work life and your home life.”
“I don’t have a home life.” Brady ran his hand over his hair.
“You do now.” She shoved away from the wall and brushed past him.
His gaze caught the lump of his phone in her back pocket, but that wasn’t what caused his heart to send blood rushing through his body. Her jeans hugged her hips and accented her bottom nicely. He had every intention of getting his hands on those hips again.
She spun around and he barely had the sense to pull his gaze to her eyes. She narrowed her eyes on him. “You have Amber. What’s it going to take before you realize that work is only a distraction to what life is really about? Does Amber have to get hit by a car because of your inattention? What if she comes to stay with you in New York? Who’s going to watch her while you work? What’s the point of her even going if all you are going to do is work? One weekend morning isn’t going to be sufficient time to spend with her.”
“Fine. I’ll leave work at work.”
Maggie pulled the phone out of her back pocket and held it out to him. “How can I be sure of that? You already broke that promise to me once.”
“I’ll leave it at Sam’s tomorrow.” He closed his hand over the phone, but didn’t let go of her hand. “You can’t tell me you haven’t made any mistakes, Maggie.”
“Of
course I’ve made mistakes.” Maggie threw her free hand in the air. “But I’ve learned from them.”
She stared pointedly at her hand engulfed by his.
“I see.” He released her hand and shoved the phone in his pocket. “I was a mistake.”
Maggie pressed her lips together as if holding back something. He’d disappointed everyone this week. Amber, most of all.
“I’ll be here tomorrow.” He held her gaze and stepped closer. “You promised to let me make some mistakes. Well, this is one of them. I’m not perfect. I never claimed to be, no matter what this town tried to turn me into.”
She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t withdraw, either.
The temptation was there. The longing to kiss her, to be with her. Was it totally physical or was there something more going on between them? Shaking those thoughts away, he brushed her cheek with his thumb. “I’ll be here. I promise.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Do you have the latest BlackBerry?” Brady looked over the small cellular phone offerings at the Electronics Hut in Owen. So much for getting his phone from Maggie last night. This morning it had slipped out of his jacket and a cow had crushed it to pieces with her hoof.
“We can order anything you need.” The white-haired man behind the counter looked as if he had been at the invention of the phone.
“I was hoping to get something now.” Brady glanced over the selection. He was hoping to download his information from the network, which would be easier with another BlackBerry.
“I got in a few new models...” The salesman seemed to drift off for a moment as if lost in a thought, or maybe he fell asleep.
Brady waited for a moment before saying, “Would you please check if you have a BlackBerry?”
“All right. Don’t get your panties in a twist.” The man stood as if every joint fought against him. “I’ll bring out what we have.”
He moved slowly toward the stockroom, leaving Brady alone in the front of the store. He sighed and scanned the small store. Electronics of all sorts filled the shelves. What didn’t fit on a shelf was shoved on the floor along the aisle.
