The Daddy Gamble

by Debra Salonen

  While the performance could be rated PG, his desire for one of the dancers was anything but. Evocative images had toyed with him all night, dancing on naked feet through his dreams. He’d awoken cranky and exhausted from chasing an elusive sprite who remained just out of arm’s reach.

  The same sprite who’d called at nine. “I still need to borrow your truck. Can I come over?”

  Now, she was at his door. Dressed in snug black shorts and a wine polo shirt with Romantique appliquéd on the pocket. “I’ll come in.”

  He backed up, nearly stumbling over his suitcase, which he’d dropped inside the entry without bothering to unpack. Today was Sunday. His list of things to do covered two pages—single-space, but he couldn’t get his mind in gear. “I should have asked you to bring me a cup of coffee.”

  “Ahem.”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “Black. One sugar. I called your mom to ask,” she said.

  He blinked twice. How had he missed the grande cup from his favorite coffee shop in her outstretched hand? She must think I’m some kind of head case. “Perfect.”

  He walked to the suite’s sliding glass door and pushed it open to give some light to the dim, suddenly claustrophobic-feeling room. The place was just as he’d left it. Neat. Orderly. Impersonal. “Have a seat.”

  Maya’s painting was facedown on the coffee table, right where he’d left it. He’d spent an hour studying the artwork trying to decipher any message she might have intended for him. Ultimately, he’d reminded himself that she was four—and no Picasso.

  He slid it to one side as Kate sat down across from him.

  “Sorry about yesterday. Things got pretty crazy after Grace and Nick arrived. I didn’t have a chance to talk to you much.”

  Whatever she was drinking came with a straw, so he assumed it wasn’t hot. “She looks really happy. And I enjoyed talking to Nick. He’s an interesting guy. Sounds like he might get that promotion.”

  “Speaking of promotions, I’m still waiting to hear about what happened in San Francisco.”

  “I met with a lot of people, including the Realtor who wanted to sell my condo. He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I decided to take another look at that house we saw,” he said. “I called when I got to town yesterday to see if it was still on the market. It is. I made an appointment to see it again today. I was kinda hoping you and Maya might go with me.”

  She sat forward. “Excuse me?”

  “I thought it had a lot of potential. Open floor plan. Big backyard. If I remember correctly, there was even a kennel area. I liked it, but you know what a terrible shopper I am.”

  “K…kennel?”

  “You like dogs, don’t you?”

  “Of course, but…you’re staying? In Vegas? Your mother said you had a fabulous job offer. The kind nobody in their right mind could turn down.”

  He took a fortifying gulp of coffee. “Whoever said I was playing with a full deck?”

  Her laugh was light. Its echo danced down his spine. Could he live the rest of his life without her laugh? A simple question, when you came right down to it. And the answer was no. He couldn’t. No company car, healthy raise and well-padded expense account was worth it. Even the thought of wearing socks and a sweater in the middle of summer couldn’t compare to Kate’s laugh.

  But could he convince Kate he was the man for her? He had the rest of his life to try.

  “The truck keys,” he said, starting toward his bedroom, where he remembered seeing the extra set. “What did you say you needed the truck for? Not that it’s any of my business, but if you’re moving something heavy, I’d be glad to help.”

  Kate followed behind him. “Um…actually, I’ve been wracking my brain the whole way here trying to come up with a good excuse, but I don’t have one.”

  “Huh?”

  “It’s not the truck I want. It’s you. Damn, that sounds needy, doesn’t it?”

  “It sounds pretty good to me.”

  “It does?”

  He nodded.

  She smiled and shrugged. “I missed you. And things got kinda crazy right before you left. I didn’t have a sense of where…where we stood.”

  “I know. When the partners showed up, my gut response was to protect my people. Believe me, that was a first. Before I moved here, the only person I thought about was me.”

  “I don’t believe that. You’re caring and kind and I know perfectly well the reason you booked your dad’s wedding at Romantique had nothing to do with protecting your company’s butt. You’re a good man, Rob, and, frankly, I find that very sexy.”

  She moved close enough to touch her temple against his so their eyelashes touched in the corners. “And you’re a teacher. My first crush was on my fourth-grade teacher, Mr. Walder.”

  She pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth.

  Rob stepped back. “I…wait…um…wait.” Then he dashed into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He could hear Kate’s chuckle follow after him. He felt stupid and flustered and dangerously aroused. What about his pledge to take things slow? For Kate’s sake and Maya’s.

  When he walked back into the room, Kate was sitting demurely on his rumpled bed. Her right hand was holding his pillow as if she’d just crushed it to her chest to inhale his smell. His mouth went dry.

  “Come here, you.” The look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know.

  He crossed the room in three steps and pulled her into his arms. “I love you, Kate,” he said, tossing his agenda to the wind. “I love you more than anyone or anything I’ve ever known in my life. I can’t imagine—”

  She didn’t let him finish. She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Her mouth spelled out the words she didn’t say back to him. It was enough. For now.

  Neither bothered with finesse while undressing. Clothes flew in different directions. One of her shoes narrowly missed the television set.

  “You’re sure about this?”

  “Yes, Rob, I’m finally on the right road,” she said, kneeling on the bed and drawing him to her.

  He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he didn’t care. All he wanted was to hold her again. He ran his hands down the length of her back, feeling the velvet smoothness of her skin. Then he retraced the path upward to her hair.

  “I need this loose and free.”

  Instead of taking out the ponytail herself, she turned sideways toward him then tilted her head. “Do it for me.”

  In profile, he saw her small but perfectly shaped breasts. He loved the way they turned up slightly, the nipples perky and pointed. Her belly wasn’t as flat as say a model’s might be, but this belly was perfect, considering it had once nurtured a baby. Her butt was one of his favorite parts of her body.

  After inching the rubber band from her unruly curls, he brushed the heavy hair aside and started nibbling kisses downward from the base of her neck. His tongue flicked across her shoulder bone.

  “You carry such a heavy load on these shoulders.” What will it take to let me share it?

  She moved against him.

  Life had changed since Mesquite and their lovemaking mirrored those changes. Kate seemed less playful, more intense. Rob tried to pour every ounce of emotion that he was feeling into the moment.

  They joined together as if suspended in a world of their own making. And it was perfect.

  “I love you,” she said softly against his chest once their breathing started to return to normal.

  “It’s about time you said the words. I was starting to feel used.” He made sure they made eye contact so she’d know he was teasing.

  “I didn’t want to make another mistake.”

  “I know. I’m big on perfection, too. But being afraid to fail is almost worse than failure. As my favorite philosopher once told me, you can’t win if you don’t play the game.”

  “Well, I’m in the game now. And, in case nobody warned you, I’m a helluva shark. I like to win.”

  “What’s the bet?”

 
; “Everything.”

  Then she rolled to her side, taking him with her. “What time is your appointment?”

  He froze, mid-nibble, then looked at the bedside clock. His muttered curse told her playtime was over. “Will you go with me? I mean only an idiot would buy a woman a house without getting her okay first, right?”

  She lifted up on her elbows. “What?”

  His mouth was suddenly dry. “I know this is moving pretty fast, but I’m sick of living in a motel and I have all this cash to reinvest…”

  Shut up, already. You’re going to blow it. A woman needed hearts and flowers—romance—when a guy proposed to her. He sat up abruptly and turned so his feet were on the floor. He was about to get up when he glanced out the door and spotted Maya’s painting on the coffee table.

  Forgetting he was naked, he dashed into the living area and picked it up. “Your daughter gave this to me. As a thank-you, I guess. But talk about mixed signals. Can you tell me what it means?”

  Kate took the paper from his fingers and spread it on the bed. “Alex told me about this one.”

  Because he felt raw and exposed, he pulled on a pair of boxers before sitting down beside her. He pointed to the single figure—a guy in the flashy tie, embarrassed by the way his finger trembled.

  She must have noticed because she picked up his hand and kissed the tip before putting the index finger back down so it rested on the image of the family group. “This is you,” she said with a smile. “The man standing alone is Ian.”

  “But he’s wearing my tie.”

  She made a face. “God, I hope not. You have way better taste than that.”

  The little joke broke the tension just enough that he could let out the breath he’d been holding. “I don’t get it. I would have thought she pictured me as a guy in a suit.”

  “I told Maya that Ian was moving because he has a new job waiting for him. In her mind, men who work wear suits. And ties.”

  “Even gaudy polka-dot ones?”

  “Her current favorite colors.”

  “And is Ian going to be okay with this?”

  She shrugged. “I think so. Moving to Reno doesn’t mean he’s totally out of the picture. That’s what this road is about, I’d guess,” she said, pointing to the squiggly line her daughter had drawn.

  He scratched his head. “Would you prefer he stayed here?”

  “No. I’m glad he’s going to Reno. The distance is close enough that Maya can visit relatively easily, but not so close that we’re in each other’s faces all the time.”

  “You’re going to give him generous visitation rights, then?”

  She flopped on her back and pulled the loose end of the bedspread over her entire body. “I finally realized that Maya shouldn’t have to suffer because I want to punish Ian for cheating on me and ruining my life. I know in my heart he didn’t plan to abduct her. He acted on impulse and then couldn’t undo what he’d done. He says he loves Maya and wants what’s best for her. That’s one of the reasons he’s leaving.”

  “It is?”

  The covers moved so he knew she was nodding her head.

  “How so?”

  “He knows that I want to be with you. If he’s around, Maya will never have a chance to…um…” The last word was too muffled for him to hear.

  He tossed the painting over his shoulder and dove under the covers to face her. In their ecru-colored cocoon, he made her meet his eyes. “Maya won’t have a chance to do what?”

  “Bond. With you.”

  His throat tightened. “Is that what you want? For your daughter and me to bond?”

  “It’s the only way we’ll ever be a…family.”

  His wishes were answered, but…“Kate, what if I’m not…good enough to be Maya’s stepfather? My dad didn’t set the best example. I can’t guarantee—”

  She let out a small cry and tears filled her eyes. “You’re you, Rob, not your father. Just like Maya isn’t me. Or Ian. She’s herself. And I know her life would be blessed to have you in it.”

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The truth was so simple, yet profound. “She’s an amazing kid. Head-strong, like her mother, but compassionate, too. I’m head-over-heels crazy about her.”

  He pulled the covers down and took in a lungful of fresh air. “My dad’s pregnant.”

  Kate looked stunned. “Well, that’s not something you hear every day.”

  He rolled over and half pinned her to the bed, then kissed her nose. “You know what I mean. I’m not supposed to tell Mom. Haley wants to do it in person. I wouldn’t be surprised if they flew down next weekend.”

  She went stiff.

  “What’s wrong? You know my dad. You like him, right?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I even read his book. It made me laugh because it was so tongue-in-cheek. No wonder it’s a bestseller. I wish everyone could look at themselves with a bit more humor. No, that’s not what I was worried about. It’s…um…well, your mom.”

  “You’re afraid she’s going to be upset. Why? She adores babies and she and Dad are—” He stopped. The look on her face was so torn he nearly stopped breathing. “What?”

  “She made me promise not to tell you.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “That would be telling.”

  He swore and rolled over to reach for his phone. He mother’s smiling image. It rang five times before a familiar voice said, “Leave a message. I’ll call you back if I feel like it.”

  “Mother. This is your son. Your son who doesn’t like to be kept out of the loop. Now, I’m going to have to torture Kate until she tells whatever bloody secret it is she’s keeping unless you call me right back.”

  Kate sat up and crossed her arms. “Hey, I love your mother. I don’t like secrets, but if she tells me something and asks me not to mention it, I’m going to respect her wishes. Even if that means you don’t—”

  He smiled at her. “Kate, Mom knows I’m kidding. I respect and appreciate your loyalty toward her. My feelings for you aren’t going to disappear just because you’re keeping her confidence. Now, we’d better get moving.”

  Kate took a deep breath and let it out. “Moving. The word has been bouncing around in my mind for days. Now, I understand why.” She reached for her clothes. “I asked to borrow your truck because I have to buy you a house-warming present.”

  “I haven’t bought the place yet.”

  She stopped dressing long enough to kiss him. “My Gypsy sense tells me you will.”

  He didn’t really have time to argue. He had to meet the real estate agent in forty minutes and it was probably a thirty-minute drive from here.

  As he shoved his feet into his sandals, he looked at Kate, who was tucking in her shirt and made a decision. Although this wasn’t the romantic moment he’d planned, he walked into the bathroom where his travel bag sat open beside the sink. A small tube that had once carried a popular painkiller was tucked inside. He quickly returned to where Kate was sitting and went down on one knee. “This is for you,” he said, presenting her with the tube.

  “I don’t have a headache, but thanks anyway.”

  “Look inside.”

  She unscrewed the top and held it to the light so she could see inside. Her brows knitted. “What…?” Impatiently, she turned the container upside down and a ring fell onto her lap. A large diamond ring in an antique setting.

  “It was my grandmother’s. I had the stone appraised before I asked Serena to marry me. The jeweler called it rare, almost perfect.” He took a breath and let it out. “I guess I should have known then that she and I weren’t meant for each other because I couldn’t bring myself to give it to her.”

  He looked at Kate and added, “You can pick out a new setting. Something more fashionable.”

  Kate stared at the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen, disbelief warring with shock. An unplanned intake of air got caught in the middle of a swallow and suddenly she couldn’t breathe. Tears flooded her eyes. Her mouth opened and
closed but no sound came out.

  “Kate? Breathe, honey. You hate it?”

  She shook her head.

  “You like it?”

  She nodded, with passion.

  “Then, you’ll marry me?”

  Kate didn’t answer right away. She couldn’t. An avalanche of emotions too complicated to identify independently rushed through her mind. From the many--fear, joy, panic, worry, she clearly picked out “love” and held on for dear life. Before she could say “Yes, I’ll marry you” his cell phone rang.

  He groaned. “Worst timing ever, Mom.” But picked up the slim silver phone and said, “Hey. Little busy. Can I call—”

  Kate braced for what she knew would be a blow. Jo had shared her secret with Kate, but only on the vow that she wouldn’t tell Rob. “I don’t want him changing his plans for me,” she’d insisted. “He has to live his life. He can’t be expected to hover around his dying mother. Not when she brought this on herself.”

  Kate had argued that cancer—if that’s what the surgeon found when he took a biopsy of her lung tissue—wasn’t something handed out in retribution. Yes, Jo had been a lifelong smoker, but they both knew people who smoked who didn’t wind up with lung cancer.

  “Yes, she’s here. Looking quite lovely, actually. But she’s holding Grandma Brighten’s engagement ring and won’t put it on her finger. I’m not sure what that’s about. Do you want to talk some sense into her? Convince her not to pass up a sterling catch like your son?”

  Laughing at whatever his mother said in reply, he handed her the phone. “I’m going to finish dressing,” he said softly. “We really do have an agenda.”

  Then he pressed a quick kiss to her lips and went into the bathroom.

  “Jo?”

  “Kate?”

  “He asked me to marry him.”

  “I told you he was mad about you.”

  Kate smiled. “You and Mother should open a fortune-telling shop together.”

  Jo laughed, until a cough cut her off.