Читать книгу Picture Perfect Family - Renee Andrews - Страница 10

Mandy’s mind was made up, and there was nothing Daniel Brantley could do to change it. The entire drive from the gas station to the town square, Mia’s words kept reverberating through her mind.

“Mandy, please, promise me. Take care of Kaden.” On that awful night in the emergency room before Mia’s last breath, Mandy had made that promise, and since that night she’d done exactly that, she had taken care of Kaden. Then, because of one bad day and an impulsive email, Daniel thought he could traipse back into town and take over, discount everything she’d done right because of one little thing she did wrong.

Fixated on how bad a mistake it was to send that stupid email, Mandy had slammed the door, flung her keys and tossed her purse. Then she got that eerie sick feeling that someone was watching her, and she lost her breath. Then again, this was the same guy that had continually taken her breath away throughout middle school and high school. Back then it was because he was the most gorgeous guy she’d ever seen. Now it was because she was startled to find six feet of mostly muscled and quite magnificent male suddenly standing in the middle of her kitchen.

But there he stood, piercing blue eyes, sandy hair that was never fixed but always looked absolutely perfect, strong cheekbones and a mouth that seemed to harbor a perpetual semi smirk each and every time he looked at Mandy. Unquestionably still the most attractive man ever. She’d known he was here with Kaden, so it shouldn’t have surprised her to run smack-dab into him when she entered the back of her home. But it did, and she had to concentrate to control her racing pulse.

Why did the entire package of Daniel Brantley still cause her knees to sway, even when he’d upset her enough to make her want to fling something at that beautifully chiseled face? He was a missionary that looked like a model, plain and simple. Who’d ever heard of such?

She’d anticipated his response the whole way over. “Okay, so now that we know neither of us is budging from Claremont, it all boils down to this. Kaden and I have been doing very well without you. I wish you would believe me, Daniel.”

He gave her a look that said he was less than convinced.

She changed tactics. “Listen, I know how important your mission work is to you, and I know you’d planned to stay in Africa several more years. It makes me feel terrible—” she put a hand to her heart for emphasis “—absolutely terrible that my email caused you to leave that behind.” She paused, shook her head, and repeated with as much emotion as she could muster, “Really, you didn’t need to come back.”

Come on, Daniel. It’s the truth. Why can’t you just believe me?

“But I’m here now, and I’m staying,” he said flatly.

There was no point in arguing. Like her grandmother had always predicted, her impulsive nature was coming back to bite her in the behind. She had always wanted to leave Claremont and see the world, and Daniel knew it thanks to that impromptu proposal when she’d been seventeen. But that desire faded away the night Mia died. Now she wanted nothing more than to be a good mother figure to Kaden and stay put in Claremont.

Unfortunately that foolish email caused Daniel, the person who could most threaten her custody of Kaden, to believe otherwise.

“I’m staying, Mandy.” His repeated words were deliberate and determined.

She refused to let him believe she would back down. “Then we need to come up with a compromise, because I promised Mia I’d take care of Kaden—and I’m not about to break that promise. I love him, and despite what I implied in that foolish email, I’ve never regretted being here with Kaden.” She exhaled deeply. “Yes, I wanted to travel abroad and photograph the world, but I’ve learned that photography here can be equally challenging. Truth is, I really enjoy living in Claremont. I’m perfectly content to stay here permanently and raise Kaden the way Mia and Jacob wanted.”

She wished it didn’t sound so much like she was trying to convince herself instead of the stunning man standing in her kitchen. And did she have to always focus on how gorgeous he was? Or how manly he smelled, with that hint of crisp mint, or pine, or whatever it was.

Mandy, get a grip. He wants custody of Kaden, and you can’t let that happen. Or lose your focus because he still happens to make you weak-kneed.

“I mean it, Daniel. I want to stay here. I want to raise Kaden. And I want to keep custody.”

“I know,” he said, no further explanation than that. He knew she wanted custody, but apparently he was going to try to get it, anyway. He calmly pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table as though he belonged here, in the middle of her home and in the middle of her life. And Mandy realized that if he was determined to stick around, then that’s where he’d be, in the middle of her life from now on. Mandy Carter and Daniel Brantley, working together to raise a child. She’d had a vision, a dream, of something very similar to that a few years ago.

A shiver of apprehension shimmied down her spine at that awareness. Could she handle being around Daniel that much? And hearing him make little comments without explanation, like the one he’d just made? Back when she was in middle school and he was in high school, she’d been completely in awe by every statement that came out of that pretty mouth. She’d been too intimidated by the great Daniel Brantley to call him on any of his baffling remarks. “You’ll understand when you’re older, Mandy.” She’d heard that from Daniel, Jacob—and even Mia—continually. And hated it each and every time. But that was when the four years age difference between them made her feel inferior. When she was twelve and they were sixteen, those years had been huge. But now that Daniel was twenty-eight and she twenty-four … not so much.

Daniel seemed all-knowing and all-powerful back then, like he’d experienced so much more than she ever had or ever would. But Mandy had also experienced plenty since that time. She’d lost almost everyone she cared about, and she’d survived. More than that, she’d kept a promise by taking care of the little boy that meant the world to her. So she was not intimidated by Daniel anymore. She knew that she was a good mother figure to Kaden. She simply had to figure out how to convince Daniel—and probably a judge—of that fact.

The reminder of her status as mom caused her to realize that she hadn’t heard any movement upstairs since she’d entered the house. “Where’s Kaden?” She sure didn’t want him overhearing this conversation.

“Jessica Martin came by to bring you her cell number,” Daniel said. “It’s over there on the counter.” He motioned to a small white card near the telephone. “And she invited Kaden to go to the craft store with her, Nathan and Lainey. I assumed it would be okay with you. Is it okay?”

She blinked, finding a modicum of pleasure that he was at least asking her approval, even if after the fact. “Yes, of course it’s okay,” she said. “I want him to make new friends, and he’s really hit it off with Nathan.”

Daniel nodded. “That’s what I thought.” He motioned to the chair across the table. “Mandy, since we’ve got a little time before Kaden comes back, let’s talk about custody.”

Her stomach pitched with the mention of the word, but she swallowed past the nauseous feeling, said, “Okay,” and sat in the chair.

He clasped his hands in front of him, and Mandy was drawn to the tan skin, the disarming masculinity that radiated from Daniel Brantley, even in the shape of his hands. Would the fact that he was male and could teach Kaden boy things better than Mandy play a factor in court, if they ended up in a war over custody? Did gender count in custody battles? Mandy had no clue. No one had ever fought for custody of her or Mia growing up. They were blessed that their grandparents wanted them. As far as their parents were concerned, they’d never known the identity of their father, and their mother had left Claremont right after Mandy’s birth and never returned.

But Kaden wouldn’t grow up thinking no one wanted him. Mandy wanted him, and she would fight for him starting right now. “I think we’ve established that I want custody, Daniel.”

His mouth tightened then he nodded. “Mandy, I believe that you think you want to stay in Claremont and raise Kaden. But I also believe that there was a hint of truth in that email. Yes, you were having a bad day, but the words in that message were clearly coming from your desire to leave.”

She blew out an exasperated breath. “I was sick. I was exhausted. Everyone says things they don’t mean when they’re not feeling well, Daniel,” she said, proud of herself for keeping her voice steady and calm when she really wanted to scream.

“That’s probably true,” he said. “But you’ve said the same thing before.” Those blue eyes lifted to find hers and cast her right back to that night seven years ago when she’d begged him to marry her and take her away from her horrible, tiny hometown.

“I didn’t mean it then, either,” Mandy snapped and struggled not to flinch as she told the lie.

His eyes said he knew differently. “I want custody.”

Mandy imagined the two of them in court pleading their cases for why they should raise Kaden. What court would give her custody over a missionary? Especially a missionary that had an email from her saying that she thought Kaden was a burden. But Daniel would never bring that email to court. Would he?

If he wanted Kaden that badly, he might. Mandy knew she would, if the tables were turned. That wave of nausea grew stronger. She inhaled through her nose, focused on maintaining composure.