Читать книгу Special Deliveries Collection - Kate Hardy - Страница 58

Sunday morning, Brady sat at the table with his coffee. Maggie either wasn’t awake yet or was still in her bedroom. During work yesterday, Brady had made progress and had packed the necessities from his desk: laptop, cell phone, wireless router. This might not be the best move for the project, but meeting his daughter was essential. When he’d walked into his apartment last night, he’d almost turned around to check the number to make sure he was in the right place.

The quilt remained on the back of the couch. A couple of framed photos sat on the table he threw his keys on. He recognized the frames as a Christmas gift from a work party.

He sat at his table scrolling through emails on his Black-Berry, trying to ignore the centerpiece of flowers in a vase he was fairly certain was new. The changes had made the room feel a little more like home and less like a hotel. Instead of making him feel good, it made him feel like a guest in his own space.

Except in his bedroom. A red silk scarf had been draped over the foot of the bed, adding a bright spot of color to his drab existence. He had wanted that color to be Maggie draped in red silk across his bed. It even had a hint of her light floral scent to it. Positive she was already asleep last night, he’d made himself pass her door without knocking. But his imagination had kept him awake into the early morning.

“Good morning.” Her voice startled him out of his thoughts. The real Maggie was better than his imagination. Her blond hair was damp. The green “I heart N.Y.” T-shirt lovingly hugged her curves. His fingers itched from the memory of touching those curves. The scent of her strawberry shampoo floated around him. Far from the seductive scents of the tailor-suited women he was used to. Maggie had him uncomfortably aroused even in her cheap shirt with clean, unstyled hair.

“Morning,” he mumbled. This was going to be a long two weeks. Being with her and unable to kiss her was going to be torture. She’d only said it was too fast. Not that she didn’t want him. Was she leaving an open window?

“I only packed enough clothes for the weekend.” Maggie held out the bottom of the T-shirt and looked at it. “It’s not like I could run around naked. I bought this and two more for only ten dollars.”

His mind stumbled and held on to the word naked. Damn lack of sleep. He shook his head to clear the image as she passed the table on her way to the kitchen and coffeemaker.

“I hope you don’t mind the pictures. I found the frames in the guest bedroom closet and had the pictures of Amber with me. They were some I’d sent you over the years.”

He could hear her moving around in his kitchen. So domestic. “They are fine.”

“I couldn’t help it.” She leaned against the door frame with a cup of coffee cradled in her hands. Her gaze took in the room. “I know you don’t have time, but my mom always said a little color makes life better. Of course, sometimes she got a little carried away with color. I haven’t worn that red scarf she got me. Penny must have snuck it in my bag when I wasn’t looking.”

“We should be able to fly out today.” Brady made himself focus on logistics and not the bit of skin peeking out from below her shirt. “My assistant was able to book two tickets on a flight leaving late this afternoon. After we pack, we can grab lunch before heading out.”

She sat next to him at the table. Her focus stayed on the coffee cup. “We haven’t discussed what’s going to happen when we get to Tawnee Valley.”

“We can discuss that now.”

“We have an extra bedroom, but I’m not sure if I’m ready for you to stay with us.” She met his gaze.

“I understand.” Brady hadn’t thought it through. The only time the two of them had been alone, he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off her. He had slept like crap with her a door away for two nights. But he was sure she was thinking of Amber and not the attraction between them.

“I know there aren’t any hotels nearby, unless you want to stay in Owen…”

“No, that would take too long.” Owen was ten miles away and though the commute wasn’t horrible, occasionally a tractor would slow traffic to a crawl, turning the ten minutes to twenty minutes or longer.

Maggie flushed. “I suppose if it’s the only option…”

“I can stay with Sam.” Brady’s chest tightened. “He owes me at least that much for keeping this from me.”

The lines of worry faded from Maggie’s face and her pretty smile returned, making the bands around his chest ease. “That would be great.”

“I’m sure Sam and I have a lot to discuss.” Brady stood and took his cup to the sink. “I need to pack and answer a few emails. I’ll send a quick email to Sam to expect me. Maybe we can go out and wander a little before our flight.”

Because if they stayed here any longer with her smiling like that at him, he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions. This attraction was temptation in the flesh. Briefly he thought if they got it out of their systems maybe the tension would go away. Or make it worse.

The ride to Tawnee Valley was a lot more comfortable than Maggie’s trip to New York. Brady had booked them in first class. When she’d complained about the cost, he’d said they were the only tickets left.

Now she was sitting in a BMW heading down the highway that led to her small-town life. Maggie couldn’t contain her excitement. New York had been intimidating, but she’d managed. It was time to return to Amber and their home.

They’d spent the remainder of their morning in New York wandering through Central Park. With Brady by her side, she hadn’t worried like she had the day before. She even relaxed and enjoyed herself. They had chitchatted about this and that. He had asked question after question about Amber. Maggie had answered as best she could. It had been almost easy to ignore the little jolts she got when he put his hand at the small of her back to guide her.

Lunch had been simple and delicious and she could see the appeal of having lots of restaurants within walking distance. But she wouldn’t give up the closeness of their community for the anonymity of the city for anything.

The plane ride had brought back the tension. Sitting close to him for two hours had been excruciating. Her body had hummed from the brush of his arm. Maintaining the conversation without wanting to kiss him when he was so close…She was lucky the seat hadn’t combusted.

“Not much has changed around here.” His voice drew her to the present.

“No, not much,” she agreed.

They’d been avoiding eye contact for most of the day. If she looked at him, he looked away. If he looked at her, she looked away. It was crazy, childish. They were the parents of an amazing little girl, but trying to define their relationship with each other seemed impossible.

They’d passed through Owen a few minutes ago and were a few miles from Tawnee Valley. The plan was for Brady to drop her off, but should she introduce him to Amber or wait until they could set up a time so Maggie had time to prepare Amber for her father? Maggie’s heart went full throttle and the snack from the plane sat like a lump in her stomach.

Before she knew it, they were stopping in front of her house. What did he think of their town now that he’d lived in England and New York?

“Where do we go from here?” He caught her gaze. His eyes were so blue.

She’d told Penny she wouldn’t want Brady, but boy, had she been wrong. It had been too long. The other night hadn’t helped. It had stirred all those physical needs she’d ignored while she took care of a growing child and her mother.

“Maggie?”

What she wouldn’t give for another kiss. But the cost was too high. For her and for Amber. Amber needed her father. Maggie took in a deep breath and raised her eyes to his. “Why don’t you come in? The sooner we get this over the better, I think.”

A wrinkle appeared on his forehead as if trying to figure out what was in her mind. Good thing he wasn’t a mind reader, because her thoughts were less than pure.

“If you think that’s what’s best,” Brady said.

“Definitely.” She pushed out of the car and waited by the trunk until he opened it for her. She reached for her suitcase, but he beat her to it.

“I’ve got it.”

She nodded and turned stiffly to walk toward the house. What on earth was she going to say to Amber?

Brady didn’t have any trouble ignoring the sexual tension between Maggie and him as they approached the house. Nervousness filled him. This wasn’t a baby he was meeting for the first time. This was a child. His child. Who had had seven years to build up in her mind what her daddy was like.

Now that he was here, he wasn’t sure he could do this. Maybe he should tell Maggie that they’d do it tomorrow. That way he could worry about it through the night and formulate a plan. He reached out to grab Maggie’s arm.

A screen door slammed and small footsteps raced down the wooden porch. A streak of purple and black slammed into Maggie. Maggie grabbed her daughter and swung around in a circle.

“I missed you, Mommy.” Her voice was beautiful like the whisper of wind on a warm day.

“I missed you, too, baby.” Maggie tucked her face into Amber’s shoulder.

Brady felt as if he was intruding on a moment, as if he shouldn’t be there, but he would never forget how beautiful the two of them looked together. Amber had his dark, almost-black hair but her smile was her grandmother’s.

Maggie set Amber on the ground and knelt before her. Amber peeked around her and gazed at Brady with familiar blue eyes. A lump formed in his throat and his chest tightened. Warmth surged behind his eyes. He tried to smile, but he wasn’t sure it came through.

“Amber, I have someone I want you to meet.” Amber glanced at her mother and back at Brady. She edged in closer to Maggie and took her hand. The lump descended into Brady’s gut like a lead cannonball. His own daughter didn’t know him.

Maggie stood and turned. She took a deep breath, which reminded him he needed to breathe. “Amber, this is—”

“Brady.” He stopped her from saying your father. “I’m Brady Ward. A friend of your mom’s.”

Maggie cocked an eyebrow at him. He shrugged. He wasn’t ready to deal with being her dad and this way, Amber could decide if she liked him without worrying about him being the father who had never been there for her.

“You have a funny name, Mr. Ward.” She peered at him with those gorgeous wide eyes and he couldn’t believe that this was his daughter.

“You can call me Brady.” He held out his hand.

She took his hand and jerked it up and down before releasing it. “It’s nice to meet you.”

She turned her back on him and looked up at her mother. Her whole face lit and her body trembled with excitement. “Did you bring me something?”

“Let’s go inside. Maybe we can order a pizza, and you can get to know Brady better.” Maggie glanced at him for confirmation.

“That sounds great.” Brady nodded and followed them up the steps.

Maggie kept throwing confused looks over her shoulder at him. He wished he could explain, but for the first time in years, he felt completely out of control. He had no idea what Amber would say when she realized he was her daddy. Would she instantly like him or instantly hate him? He’d never been there for her. Birthdays, Christmas, the days that mattered and the ones when nothing happened. He hadn’t been there. How could he look her in the eyes and say he was here now? What if she didn’t believe him? Or what if work pulled him away before he was ready to leave? It was a risk he wasn’t ready to take.

The porch steps creaked under his feet, and flecks of paint littered his path. He followed them into the small Victorian and was engulfed in warmth. All around was evidence of a house well loved by the occupants. Pictures of generations of family members were strewn all through the entryway and living room. A rainbow of colors collided anywhere he looked, but the mismatched furniture all seemed to blend together.

“Where would you like me to put the suitcase?” Brady asked.

“Brady Ward.” A feminine voice brought his attention away from Maggie and Amber’s reunion.

He would need to get used to these voices from his past if he was going to spend the next two weeks in Tawnee Valley. A copper-haired woman came down the narrow staircase. Her outfit hugged every curve, and her style hadn’t changed much since high school. “Penny Montgomery?”

“Figures it would take Maggie to go and get you to come for a visit.” Penny grabbed him into a hug and whispered in his ear, “You hurt either of them and I will personally lop off any dangly bits you have.”

She pulled away. Her smile convinced him she’d be willing to do just that and she’d enjoy doing it. He pulled a tight smile. He hadn’t even considered all the people he would run into while in Tawnee Valley. Maggie was the next victim of Penny’s embrace.

“You know Brady, too?” Amber asked from behind Maggie.

“Yeah, we all went to school together.” Penny knelt next to Amber and whispered something in her ear.

Amber giggled behind her hand and the sound softened the knot of resentment that had begun to form in Brady’s chest. If he hurt them like Penny said, it wouldn’t be intentional. He was confident that if he stepped out of line, Maggie would make sure he knew it.

“No more secrets, you two.” Maggie took her suitcase and opened it on the table. “Penny, can you order us all a pizza?”

Penny left the room but not before throwing Brady a serious look that said, “I’m watching you.”

Just what he needed—another set of eyes watching him. Tawnee Valley was a small enough town. Being back and hanging around Maggie and Amber meant gossip was going to fly. He wouldn’t have long before some well-meaning person spilled the beans accidentally to Amber. The speculation he could deal with, but Amber being hurt by it was a whole other story.

“Tell me about New York,” Amber said to Maggie as she knelt in one of the chairs near her mother. Her purple gem earrings sparkled in the overhead light. She peered into the bag, looking to find what Maggie had brought her.

Brady should have gotten her something. Would that have been odd? For a friend of her mother’s, maybe. Not odd for a father. Dammit, why didn’t he let Maggie tell her? Did he think it would be better this way? Was he already screwing things up?

“Brady lives there and before that he lived in London, England.” Maggie glanced at him and he saw all the encouragement he needed in her eyes. Maggie seemed to have a spark of faith in him even if Penny didn’t.

“You lived in England?” Amber’s full attention was on Brady.

“Yes, I did. For eight years.”

“I’m almost eight. Did you meet the queen or the prince?” Before he could answer, Amber’s attention was drawn away when Maggie held out a plastic bag.

“For you.”

Amber quickly unwrapped the snow globe of the Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline. “Thank you, Mommy!”

She shook it and watched the snow fall and swirl. After a couple more times, she shyly lifted her gaze to Brady and he felt his heart sing. “Would you tell me about England?”

“Of course,” Brady said.

While they waited for pizza, Brady told Amber all about England, answering the silly questions and the serious ones with complete openness. Maggie watched them with an expression he couldn’t read. His daughter was curious, intelligent and everything he could have ever hoped for. If he had hoped for a child.

His career was his life. Work was what he’d return to when these weeks were finished. Work was what would keep him from coming around for every little event in Amber’s life.

Work kept him sane, and he was making a difference. Part of him wished he could be that father that grilled on Sundays and played catch and wiped away tears, but that wasn’t who he was. As he looked into the innocent eyes of his daughter, he knew he’d better not forget that and start to wish for more. This was all he was capable of.