Читать книгу Special Deliveries Collection - Kate Hardy - Страница 63

Maggie finished slicing the potatoes for dinner, trying to keep her anger inside. He brought a puppy to her house. He chose work over Amber, but he thought he could buy them with a puppy. Footsteps stomped up the porch and the screen door banged.

“Maggie?” Brady called out with a tinge of worry in his voice.

“Mommy.” Amber’s voice was shaky and tear-filled.

Maggie had heard that tone enough to know Amber was hurt. Grabbing a kitchen towel, she dried her hands as she rushed to the entryway.

Brady stood there, cradling Amber to his chest. In one hand was the puppy’s leash and in the other, his blasted cell phone. She glared at him for a split second before checking over Amber. Scraped hands and knees.

“All right, let’s take this circus act to the bathroom,” Maggie said calmly. Her stomach wouldn’t settle until she had a chance to make sure nothing was broken, but being hysterical wouldn’t help anyone.

She reached into the medicine cabinet and got out the cleanser and antibacterial cream along with the Band-Aids. The bathroom was small on a normal day but with Brady holding Amber and a rambunctious puppy bounding all around, her nerves were on end.

“Put her down on the toilet.”

“She’s going to be fine. I had all sorts of cuts and scrapes growing up.” Brady sounded as if he was trying to reassure himself more than anyone else.

Maggie handed him paper towels. “Wet these. We need to clean the wound to see what type of damage has been done.”

“Of course.” Taking the paper towels, he went to the sink. He seemed startled to find the phone in his hand. Setting it on the edge of the sink, he turned on the water.

Maggie squatted before Amber. Amber’s tears had started to dry, but she sniffled slightly. The puppy sat in the corner near the tub and started whining.

“What hurts?”

“My hands and my knee.” Amber glanced over at Brady before returning her gaze to Maggie. “It’s not Flicker’s fault, Mommy. I was messing around.”

Right. Maggie pressed her lips together. “Why don’t we get you cleaned up?”

She had a feeling the fault lay with that phone, but she wouldn’t know until she had a chance to talk to Brady. Brady came over with the wet towels and she moved out of the way.

He knelt beside Amber and gently stroked the wet paper towel over her knee. Amber winced, biting her lip.

“When I was six, I was helping Dad out in the barn.” Brady moved to one of her hands. “There was an old stool out there that I liked to stand on.”

As Maggie stood, she took Brady’s phone. He was so engrossed in helping Amber that he didn’t notice. On the screen, it showed he was still connected with Jules. She cut off the call and slipped the phone in her pocket.

“Dad needed this special wrench from above his workbench.” Brady wiped delicately with the paper towel.

As he cleaned off the blood, Maggie could see that the fall had taken off some skin. Amber leaned forward to watch Brady. Her hair fell forward along her cheekbone. She seemed so fragile right now, even though Maggie had patched up worse in the past.

“I climbed on this stool and onto the workbench to get this special wrench.” Brady continued his story.

Just as enthralled with his story as Amber, Maggie handed him some cotton soaked with the cleanser.

“When I went to get off the workbench, one of the stool’s legs broke and I hit my head on the edge of the old, greasy workbench.” Brady held out his hand for the antibacterial and Band-Aids.

“Did it hurt?” Amber asked.

“Bunches.” Brady quickly applied the bandages. “I had to go to the hospital and get stitches and shots and everything. I still have a scar.”

He touched a spot above his eyebrow and even Maggie leaned forward to see.

“You had to get shots?” Amber’s voice was a combination of horror and admiration as she examined the scar. She reached out and traced the small, white line.

Brady nodded. “But you won’t need shots. All done. A little battered and bruised but no worse for wear.”

He held out a tissue. Amber blew her nose.

“Will you help me with my homework?” Amber gave him her best I’m-hurt smile. “And maybe we can finish our walk with Flicker?”

She avoided looking at Maggie.

“If your mom says it’s okay.” He looked at Maggie then.

Maggie got caught in his blue eyes. Creases of worry had formed on his forehead and around his eyes. He did care about Amber, even if work had distracted him.

“Sure, that sounds good.” Maggie watched both of their faces light up and felt warm and cold at the same time. Amber and Brady loved each other already. She could almost believe that he would always be there for Amber. That they would have each other for the rest of their lives. That Brady wouldn’t get tired of being a dad and walk away.

He wasn’t like her dad. She had to get that in her mind. But he did live in New York and would eventually leave both of them behind. She could only hope he would be good about staying in touch with Amber after he left.

As she watched them settle at the dining room table with the dog at their feet, chewing on a freshly unwrapped rawhide bone, Maggie couldn’t help feeling as though she was on the outside looking in.

“I’m going to go finish dinner.” She excused herself, but she could hear the two of them talking in the dining room. It felt right, as if this was how things were meant to be. That they could be a family. Which was ridiculous. Just because he seemed to care for Amber, didn’t mean that he wanted to be anything more with her. And even if he did, it wasn’t possible with his job and her life here. He would never leave New York.

It all came down to work with him. Brady had obviously taken a work call. During which, Amber must have fallen. Amber’s laughter pulled her attention back to the moment. Maggie could hear the low rumble of Brady’s voice, but not what he was saying. Amber hadn’t said anything about Brady’s involvement. Was she protecting him?

They had a little over a week left before Brady returned to New York. When he did, their life would go on as it had before, except Amber would know her father was out there. What if Brady wanted Amber to go to New York with him? For a few weeks in the summer? was Maggie ready for that?

She didn’t want him to walk out of their lives, but what would his involvement in their lives entail? Would Brady pop in and out of their lives whenever it was convenient for him? Would he be here for Christmas and Thanksgiving and Easter? Birthdays?

“I’m really sorry, Maggie.”

She set down the cutting knife and turned to face him. He had stopped in the doorway and leaned his shoulder against the jamb.

“What happened?” She didn’t raise her voice. It even came out without sounding accusatory. For emphasis, Maggie crossed her arms and gave him the look she gave Amber to make her confess the bad deed she’d just committed.

“She got tangled in the leash.” He almost seemed boyish, looking at her with his head dipped, avoiding saying what would get him in the most trouble. Hoping she’d take whatever explanation he gave. He even dared to give her that sheepish smile that had turned her into mush in high school. Too bad for him it wasn’t high school anymore.

“And?” Maggie tried not to tap her foot. He sighed. “I let Amber hold the leash.”

“By herself?”

“Flicker was doing great.” The tips of Brady’s ears burned red, and she guessed there was more to the story.

“You let her handle an animal that weighs as much as she does?” Maggie couldn’t keep her hands from flying as she spoke. “Did you think about what would happen if the dog ran out in the street?”

“But he didn’t.” Brady’s face lost its placating look as he went on the defense.

“And where were you?” She stepped closer and poked him in the chest. “Where was the great Brady Ward to the rescue? If your hands were free, you could have easily caught her before she hit the ground.”

“On an important phone call.” He straightened from his leaning position. In high school she would have backed down immediately, but now she didn’t feel an ounce of intimidation.

“More important than watching Amber?” The fear when they’d come in had merged with her anger at Brady for bringing the dog in the first place until all she could see was red. “You can’t apologize and think that makes it okay. We talked about this. No work when you are with Amber. What part of that didn’t you understand?”

“The part where I have to sacrifice everything because of something my brother did.” Brady’s eyes flashed. She should have retreated, but she couldn’t. “Work isn’t just money to me. It’s my life. It’s all I have.”

“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.