Up for Heir

by Ruth Cardello

  Spencer sat beside her and put his arm around her shoulders. Screw the rules. This isn’t about sex. “Did my family send you? Because you’ve got me ready to call every last one of them and apologize.”

  She tensed beneath his arm. “Of course they didn’t.”

  “I was joking.”

  Her expression remained strained. “I know.”

  Is it my arm? Am I crossing a line? He removed it and shifted to break the contact between their bodies.

  They sat for a while without speaking, looking out over the water. The view got Spencer thinking about how he could incorporate it into his next themed virtual office program. “I want to show you what I do. Let’s shower, get something to eat, and I’ll take you to my office.”

  “I should get back. I hate to leave Skye for too long on a day when I don’t have to.”

  “Of course.” In an attempt to mask his disappointment, he ended up sounding impatient.

  She searched his face and said, “She takes up a lot of my time. And that’s the way it should be. She and I are a package deal. I wouldn’t want to be with anyone who saw her as less than the blessing she is.”

  Was that what drove my mother to divorce her first husband? Did he resent me? The love in Hailey’s voice when she defended Skye sparked yearning in him that had nothing to do with lust. People spoke about loyalty and commitment, but Hailey lived that virtue. She could have been resentful of how easily he’d believed the worst of her, but she wasn’t like that. She was the kind of woman a man could picture building a life with if he were ready to take such a step.

  He offered her a hand to help her back to her feet. She took it. They stood there, hand in hand, in a moment outside of time. He could have kissed her then and she might have let him, but he held himself in check. Yes, his body went haywire whenever she stood too close, but he wasn’t a boy anymore. He didn’t have to let his desires rule him.

  As he looked down into her trusting eyes, he asked himself where he wanted this to go. The answer came to him without hesitation. Whether we last for a week or a lifetime, I don’t want her to regret giving us a second chance. I want her to be happy.

  He’d forged his place in the tech industry by being a problem solver, an obstacle remover. He couldn’t bring her father or her brother back. His experience with children was extremely limited, so he didn’t feel qualified to advise her on anything when it came to her niece. Her employment situation, however, was another story. He would find her the perfect job, one that would ease the worry in her eyes.

  Doors were about to fly open for Hailey.

  Some of his thoughts must have shone on his face because Hailey looked uncomfortable beneath his sustained attention. “You are my favorite view, beautiful inside and out. I forgot how good it feels just to look at you.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it. “I hope saying so doesn’t break any of our rules.”

  She shook her head slowly as if she’d been as lost in him as he’d been in her. Her voice was husky and sexy as hell when she said, “No. That’s okay.”

  He nodded toward where they’d left their towels and deliberately kept the return conversation light. The perfection of the weather and the day made it easy to talk about nothing in particular and still smile through it.

  Too soon, they were shaking the sand out of their clothes and putting them back on. Hailey smoothed the material of her dress over her hips and said, “I was so excited about getting this dress, and I didn’t even wear it that long.”

  Spencer stepped into his jeans but halted before securing them. Tongue in cheek, he said, “I won’t say it. I can’t say it.”

  She made a face at him, then put her hands on her hips. “You might as well. I’m curious.”

  “Nope, I’m abiding by our rules.”

  “Just spit it out.”

  He let his grin shine. “A dress that doesn’t stay on long? That’s always been my favorite kind.”

  She laughed and smacked his arm playfully.

  Being with her shouldn’t feel as good as it had the first time around, but it did. In many ways, it was even better.

  God, I hope I don’t fuck it up a second time.

  Chapter Ten

  That night, after tucking Skye in bed, Hailey took the remaining craft supplies off the kitchen table in the guesthouse and tucked them away in a cabinet. When she finished, she sat down with the four freshly painted sets of wooden nesting dolls. Each said something about its creator.

  Delinda chose to draw cats of various colors. She’d chosen a traditional style, and the result rivaled the quality of any Hailey had ever seen in a store.

  Michael attempted to paint Star Wars characters with hilarious results. They all ended up looking vaguely like who he said they were. Everyone had fun guessing, and he didn’t seem to mind when they guessed wrong.

  Hailey found a design for robots that made Skye laugh, so she did her best to re-create them. They weren’t perfect, but Skye was playing with them even before they’d dried and that was good enough for Hailey.

  Skye had stared at her unpainted wooden dolls for a long time before snapping her fingers and saying, “I’ll do it by age. Delinda, you’re the oldest, so you’ll be the biggest.” She’d looked at Hailey, then Michael. “Then Michael, right? Or are you older than he is, Auntie Hailey?”

  Hailey had ruffled her hair. “I’ll get you for that.”

  Skye was already choosing her paint while she answered, “Bring it on.”

  Delinda’s delighted laugh surprised them all. “Oh, Hailey, we’re in trouble.”

  With a cheeky smile, Skye had replied, “You’re the ones who wanted me to speak—”

  “Yes, we did, and hearing you joke again makes me so happy.”

  Skye had looked up from painting, suddenly serious. “I make you happy, Auntie Hailey?”

  “You do, sweetie. Happy. Sad. On our best days and our worst day—I’m always grateful for you.”

  Skye had held up the tiniest of her nesting dolls. It was still blank. “If you ever have a baby of your own, will you love me more because you knew me first? Or will you love it more than me because it will really be yours?”

  Michael had cleared his throat.

  Delinda had remained surprisingly silent.

  Hailey had stood, then bent down so she was eye to eye with her niece. “There is no more or less when it comes to love. I love you, and if I ever have a baby I will love it, too.”

  “What if you don’t have enough love?”

  Not caring that they still had an audience, Hailey pulled Skye in for a hug. “When you look up at the stars, can you see them all?”

  “No,” Skye said softly.

  “But you know there’s more of them than you can see, right?”

  “Yeah, everyone knows that.”

  “Well, that’s what your father would have told you about love if he were here. He and your mom loved you more than you could ever measure. I love you the same way. And if I ever do have a baby, that’s what I hope you’ll feel because it doesn’t matter how we came together—we’re family.”

  Skye had looked across at Delinda. “I changed my mind. I hope she has a baby. I hope she has a hundred babies. I want a big family.”

  “Easy there, Tiger.” Hailey laughed. “I’m a long way from getting married and thinking about babies.”

  “The important thing is that Skye would be okay if you did meet someone,” Delinda had asserted.

  Hailey was beginning to think Delinda might be hoping something would develop between her and Spencer. If she was, Hailey wasn’t sure how she felt about that. On one hand, it was sweet and could be taken as a compliment. On the other hand, not everything worked out the way people hoped and it was pressure Hailey wasn’t prepared for.

  Alone in the guesthouse kitchen, Hailey picked up Skye’s tiny piece that now had a face and a baby bottle drawn on its side. She didn’t dream about having a baby of her own—not anymore. Any desire she’d ever had had ta
ken a backseat, along with so much else, as Hailey had gone into survival mode.

  Things are finally stable. Shouldn’t that be enough for me?

  Her phone buzzed with a text message. You up?

  Spencer.

  H: Yes.

  S: Busy?

  She could have said yes. She could have also said she was too tired to talk, but the truth was she wanted to hear his voice before she went to bed. No, Skye is asleep.

  Her phone rang and she answered it on the first ring. “Hey,” he said in a deep tone that always sent her heart racing.

  “Hey, yourself.”

  “How was your day?” he asked even though he’d spent the day with her.

  “Better than expected.”

  “Mine, too. What did you end up doing with Skye?”

  Her gut reaction was to wonder if he was asking to be polite or if he really cared. I’ll never find my way back to happy if I second-guess everything everyone says. “We had craft night.”

  “What did you make?”

  “Russian nesting dolls.”

  “And here I was picturing finger paint and Play-Doh.”

  She laughed. “Skye’s seven and she’s bright. She likes a challenge.”

  “Me, too.”

  A flush warmed Hailey’s cheeks, and she closed her hand around the baby nesting doll she was still holding. At any other time in her life flirting with him would have been exciting. There was too much to consider to let go and enjoy it now. “If it were as simple as just you and me—”

  “I know, but I won’t pretend I’m not interested in more. You and I have always been real with each other.”

  Now. I have to tell him now. “Spencer, there’s something you need to know.”

  “Auntie Hailey? Who are you talking to?” Skye asked from the kitchen doorway.

  “A friend,” Hailey answered quickly. “Go back to bed.”

  Skye walked into the kitchen instead and sat down next to Hailey. “Is it a boy?”

  “I shouldn’t have called so late,” Spencer said.

  “It’s okay.” Hailey tried to keep a stern face as she said, “Even if my phone rings, she knows she should be in bed.”

  “What’s his name?” Skye asked. It was hard to be upset with her when she propped her face up on her hands and smiled.

  “Skye, I’m having an adult conversation—”

  “Is he your boyfriend?”

  Spencer laughed. “She sounds terrified of you.”

  Yeah. I’m still working out a few things. “Skye Hannah Tiverton, get your butt out of this kitchen and back in bed.”

  Skye stood with a huff. “Fine, but we’ll talk about this tomorrow. If you want to date someone, I want to meet him. What if I don’t like him?”

  “I’m not dating anyone.” Hailey sighed. “I’m not talking about this right now. Bed.”

  I did push her to start speaking again. She remembered her sister-in-law, Erin, once joking about how excited she’d been for Skye to start walking until she realized how fast that meant she could get into trouble. I finally get why that’s so painfully funny.

  “Will you read me a story? You know I can’t fall asleep without one.”

  That had started with Ryan. He’d always said it was his favorite time of day with her. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “Can you read the part where he meets the lion?” Skye asked at the door.

  “Yes. Go.” Hailey nodded, and Skye scooted out of the room. “I need to go so I can tuck her back in bed. Looks like I’ll be reading Billy and the Lion for a third time tonight.”

  “That was my favorite series when I was her age.”

  Hailey’s breath caught in her throat. Was that why Delinda had given Skye the book? Because she knew children in general loved it or because she wants—No, now I’m starting to sound paranoid. “I’ll have to look for more of them. She can’t get enough of it.” Which Hailey had taken as a good sign since before that book Skye had only wanted to hear stories her father had read to her.

  “I looked up to Billy like a superhero, but better. He didn’t have powers, but he saved that lion from everything imaginable. Whenever I was afraid of something, I reminded myself that a scrawny kid could save a lion if he was brave enough.”

  “And look what you accomplished with that philosophy.” Had Delinda instilled confidence in him? If so, things couldn’t have always been bad between them.

  She could hear the smile in his voice when he said, “All thanks to Billy. Who knew?”

  Delinda did. There has to be a way to bring the two of them back together.

  “Auntie Hailey?” Skye called out from her bedroom.

  “Coming. Good night, Spencer,” Hailey said reluctantly. Being with Spencer had always been good, but this time there was more.

  “Hailey?”

  “Yes?”

  “Tomorrow morning I will be sitting next to my phone asking myself if I should call you. We’ve always been honest with each other. Do you want me to?”

  Hailey blinked several times before answering. He wasn’t asking to sleep with her. He wasn’t pushing to meet Skye. He just wanted to talk. Did she have to deny herself even that? “I do.”

  “Then I will. Good night, Hailey.”

  Hailey hung up and went into Skye’s room. There were aspects of Spencer that hadn’t changed over time. Even when they’d both been inexperienced, it had been good because he’d asked her what she liked. He did care back then. He cares now.

  I wish that made any of this easier.

  “Auntie Hailey, are you okay?”

  “What? Oh yes.” Composing herself, Hailey climbed up onto Skye’s bed and sat down beside her. “I’m not reading the whole book. It’s late.”

  “Just a few pages,” Skye said as she snuggled against Hailey’s side. “Start where Billy gets lost.”

  “Please.”

  “Please start where Billy gets lost.”

  Hailey hugged her. “Okay, but just to the end of the chapter.”

  “Unless you want to read more. I’d be okay with that.”

  Looking down into her niece’s pleading eyes, Hailey felt her resolve crumble. What was more important than this? “What if I start from the beginning and we see how far we get?”

  Skye snuggled closer. “Keep reading even if I close my eyes. Promise?”

  “I promise.” Hailey gave Skye a kiss on the forehead and reached for the book. As she started to read a story she practically knew by heart now, her mind wandered back to Spencer. He was also not a stranger to loss. When she came to the part of the story where Billy came across a roaring lion in a net, she wondered who had read the story to Spencer when he was Skye’s age.

  Had they connected with the story, also? A timid lion, trapped and dangerous but impossible to walk away from. Complicated, just like life.

  Skye fell asleep halfway through the book, but Hailey stayed and finished it. She tucked it beneath the pillow before climbing down. Before she turned off the light, she looked up at where Skye was sleeping.

  I’m not afraid anymore, Skye. We can do this.

  Monday morning Spencer smiled at his secretary as he walked past her desk. He hummed as he answered his e-mails and planned for his meetings. He felt good—better than he had in a long, long time.

  He was still smiling when Lisa knocked on his door. “There’s a Mr. Kyees here to see you.”

  “Send him in.”

  Spencer stood and met his old college friend halfway. They shook hands vigorously. “Thanks for coming by, Kyle.”

  “You said it was important.”

  Spencer motioned for Kyle to sit. “It is.” Spencer could have gone to Kyle’s office, but he’d learned early that the one with the desk had the perceived power. He implemented the technique in business, but he’d learned it from his family. Want control of a situation? Be the one who summons, not the one who is summoned.

  “Is it about the next update? I heard it was on schedule.”

&
nbsp; “This is a personal matter.”

  Kyle took a seat. “One that couldn’t be handled over the phone? It must be important.”

  “It is.” Spencer stood in front of his desk. “Do you have any openings in your purchasing department?”

  “I might. I’d have to check with that department. Why?”

  Perfect. Spencer folded his arms across his chest. “There’s someone I want you to hire. The position not only has to pay well, but you need to keep all mention of me out of it. I want her to think she got the job on her own.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Later that week, Hailey was sitting in the wooden bleachers of a large indoor arena, watching Skye take her second riding lesson. Delinda had wanted to come, but Hailey had convinced her to give Skye a chance to decide for herself if she liked the barn’s instructor. Although both Delinda and Skye had been disappointed, Hailey was trusting her instincts on this one.

  Going along with whatever Delinda wanted was easier, but Hailey wanted more for Skye. Skye needed to be confident enough to choose her own path—even if it ended up not being one that Delinda approved of. That kind of strength could only come from having time apart as well as together.

  None of that conversation had been easy to have with Delinda. Especially considering that Skye had just been accepted to Sterling Waters, the private school many of the children at the barn attended. Skye had even expressed excitement about attending that school in the fall. There weren’t words to describe how good it felt to watch Skye making friends, being silly, and acting like a kid again. It was beyond anything Hailey had dared dream for. Hailey’s gratitude made her want to help Delinda. Like the roaring lion in Skye’s book, Delinda lashed out when she was afraid.

  Another reason to maintain some boundaries with her and Skye. It was a rescue mission that wasn’t without risk. People, even those a person thought they knew, could disappoint.

  Like Spencer.

  Hailey had made the mistake of looking him up on social media. Although he hadn’t posted them, there were endless photos of him partying with so many women she’d had to stop scrolling because it sickened her. The Spencer she’d known wasn’t a playboy. The man he was presenting himself as didn’t seem to be either, but evidence of the other side of him was plentiful.