He moved into the bathroom and set the envelope on the counter. Whatever was in it could wait until he was fully awake, and the only thing that brought him out of the fog of slumber, restless or not, was water, steam, and soap, followed by coffee.
The letter sat heavily in his consciousness while he moved through his morning routine. Up until now, things had been easy. He had Mercy watch Maddie, and all he was responsible for was hanging out a few hours with her at night and playing a song for her at bedtime. The hard stuff was in Mercy's hands. She was the one who entertained Maddie during the day. She fed her lunch and dinner and often bathed her before he picked her up. She made lists of things for him to purchase, like books and educational toys.
He had so many deliveries, the UPS man knew him by name and vice versa. Alex's house was his first and sometimes only stop in Aspen Cove. Thank the heavens for Prime shipping.
Yep, he had it easy.
Once out of the shower, he dried, dressed, and picked up the envelope. Passing Maddie's room, he found her playing with her dolls and leaned against the doorframe to watch.
Watching her play gave him great insight into her childhood. Had he been so easy to read while playing with his action figures? Did he lay them down and pretend he couldn't wake them up?
"But, Mommy, I'm hungry." Maddie shook her doll—the crazy American Girl doll that looked just like her. It wasn't something Mercy suggested he buy, but when he did a search for dolls every young girl wanted, he came up with the brand, and once he saw Samantha, he knew he needed to buy it. Not only was that his boss's name, but the lifelike doll looked insanely similar to his daughter. He was even able to customize the eyes, so they were blue-green hazel.
He stepped forward.
"Go away, Maddie, I'm tired."
He paused to see how this would play out.
"But, Mommy."
"Later, there are Pop-Tarts in the cupboard."
That nearly broke his heart. If this was a reenactment of her life, then history had repeated itself for his daughter. He lived off of toaster pastries and peanut butter sandwiches for years. That's why he learned how to cook.
Not wanting to startle her, he stepped back and knocked on the doorframe. "Hey, Mads, are you hungry?"
She spun around to face him. Her somber expression faded, and a smile lifted the corners of her lips.
"Yes."
"Do you want cereal here or pancakes at Maisey's?"
"Oatmeal. I want oatmeal."
He scrunched his nose. "Really?" What kid willingly ate oatmeal?
"Oatmeal, it is. Do you need help picking out your clothes, or do you want to dress on your own?"
"Dress myself." She ran over to the chest of drawers and dug through them to find what she wanted.
"Don't forget to brush your teeth. Meet me in the living room in five minutes, and I'll do your hair."
He watched no less than a dozen YouTube videos on braiding hair, and while he couldn't figure out the french one, he got pretty good at a simple braid.
He stuck a K cup in the maker, and while it brewed, he slid a finger under the flap to open the test results.
Maddie raced into the kitchen, wearing an interesting combination of plaid and florals and a glob of toothpaste on her lower lip.
"I weddy."
The pot stuttered to a finish, and he grabbed his mug. It seemed as if the universe was dead set against him reading the results, so he tucked the envelope into his pocket once again.
If he were lucky, he'd have time for a few sips of coffee while he fixed her hair.
He led her into the living room, where she sat on his lap while he perfected his coifing skills. When he finished, he admired his work. Today, he managed to get them even.
"Let's go, princess." Since Mercy had his SUV, they were on foot.
"Daddy, I'm not a pwincess; I'm just Maddie."
He tickled her sides. "You're my princess, Maddie, and I love you." He stilled at the words that slipped so easily from his lips. He hadn't said them to anyone other than his mother, and yet, they felt so right. This little munchkin had wheedled her way into his heart in no time at all.
At Maisey's, they took a booth to the left next to Doc's, who hid behind his newspaper.
"What are you two up to?" Maisey asked.
"Late breakfast, and then I'm off to the studio while Princess Maddie goes to Mercy's."
"I heard you two are dating." Maisey leaned a hip on the booth and took out her order pad and pen.
"We went to dinner. With all the things Mercy does for Maddie and me, I thought it would be nice to have a night out."
"Mmm-hmm. Just being nice, huh?" She lowered herself so she talked to Maddie face-to-face. "What's it going to be, Princess Maddie?"
Maddie giggled. "Oatmeaw with wayzins and sugar and mook."
"And for you, Mr. Just Being Nice?"
"Pancakes and sausage."
"Coming up." She pivoted and walked away.
Doc lowered his paper. "Morning, Alex. Maddie."
Maddie got on her knees and turned to face him. "You got a wifesaver?"
Alex chuckled from the memory of Doc Parker swabbing Maddie's cheek for the test, and when she opened her mouth to say something, he popped a cherry Life Savers inside. Alex wasn't sure if it was a treat for behaving or a way to keep kids' mouths busy, so they didn't chat his ears off.
Luckily for both of them, Maddie wasn’t much of a talker. He was sure that came from being on her own a lot. Like him, she had to learn to entertain herself, and talking to no one was never all that much fun. Then again, he didn't have a Samantha doll growing up.
"I do not. Besides, you don't want to spoil your breakfast." His eyes lifted to Alex. "Did you open the envelope?"
He'd almost forgotten about it again. Reaching back, he plucked it from his pocket and held it in the air. "Got it here. Last night was—"
"Date night. I heard."
"Sheesh. Nothing gets by anyone here."
"Your SUV is parked in front of Mercy's place. I'd say that was some night."
He hadn't thought of ruining Mercy's reputation if his car was seen in front of her place all night. In a small town, nothing went unnoticed.
"She didn't stay the night. We went to my place, and once I got Maddie to bed, I couldn't leave her alone, so I gave Mercy the keys."
Doc rubbed at his bushy brows. "Proud of you, boy. It's the things we have to wait for that mean the most." He leaned back and sighed. "Take my Lovey, for instance. I noticed her right away. For years we square-danced together. I only went because square dancing was on my wife Phyllis's bucket list, and we never got around to it. I took her list after she passed and lived vicariously through her. Little did I know that Phyllis's desires would turn into a dream come true."
Alex was trying to follow along. "Phyllis was your first wife?" He'd seen Doc and Agatha together and thought they'd been a couple for life.
"Pay attention, son. I was married to Phyllis for forty-plus years. We had Charlie together. She's the vet here in town."
The pieces were coming together. It seemed as if somehow most people were related in some way, either by marriage or DNA. He gripped the envelope more tightly before setting it on the table.
"So, you met Agatha and got a second happily ever after?"
"Sure did. That woman was relentless, but I wasn't going to rush things. I didn't want to bring a new woman into my life when I wasn't sure if I'd gotten over Phyllis, but then I realized that I'd never get over my first true love."
"Is there a lesson here?" Doc seemed to offer advice like he did medicine—in measured doses.
"All I'm saying is the heart always has room for more, but don't rush into filling it. Racing to the finish line doesn't always make you a winner."
"I'm not in a rush for anything."
"There's a risk for going too slow too. The tortoise might make it to the finish line, but if he's too slow, what will be left when he gets there?"
Maisey swoo
ped to their table with hands full and dropped off their breakfast.
Alex forked a piece of sausage. "Don't rush, but don't go too slow. Are we talking about Mercy or Maddie?"
Doc lifted his shoulders. "I'm an old man. I'm just talking. All I'm saying is listen to your heart, it will know. I'm also saying that time has value, and when you put time into something, it's worth more. Then again, if you wait too long, it might be worth nothing."
Doc folded his paper and placed a five-dollar bill on the table before he got up. "Have a good day, you two." He nodded to the envelope. "Another thing. Don't let a piece of paper define life for you. You get to choose, or at least your heart does." He walked away.
Alex sat there for a long moment, wondering what the hell Doc had just told him. His words were opposites. Take time … don't. Love her now … wait. He was confused, but one look at Maddie clarified everything. She needed him now, later, and every minute in between. His heart told him he had no choice. Maddie was his, and he'd do right by her.
After several bites of his pancakes and sausage, he set down his fork and picked up the envelope.
Rather than gently peeling back the flap, he tore it open and unfolded the letter. As he read through the test results, his heart stilled.
Maddie Cruz was only his in name. She didn't share any of his DNA.
He stared at her for several minutes. She had his eyes, hair color, and swore when she smiled, his dimple puckered on her cheek. How in the hell couldn't she be his?
Gone was his appetite, and back was the knot in his gut.
Maisey walked by with the pot of coffee swinging between her fingers. "Something wrong with the cakes?"
He shook his head. "No, I wasn't as hungry as I thought." His appetite had been stolen by the words, Probability of paternity - 0%.
As Maddie gobbled up her oatmeal, he considered Doc's words. Don't let a piece of paper define life for you. You get to choose, or at least your heart does.
Layla wanted him to have Maddie, and until some man came knocking at his door to tell him Maddie was his, then she belonged to Alex. He had a birth certificate to prove it. Mercy was right, anyone could be a father, but it took a special man to be a daddy, and he wanted to be that man for Maddie.
"Hey, kiddo, are you ready to spend the day with Mercy?" He took a twenty from his wallet, set it on the table, and then tucked the envelope back into his pocket. What no one but he knew couldn't hurt anyone else, right?
Chapter Fifteen
Mercy hadn't seen Alex or Maddie for the past two days. He took Sunday and Monday off, and they headed to Denver to enjoy the zoo and museums.
Alex invited her to go with them, but she declined. A hotel room wasn't in her budget, and the alternative to sleeping with Alex, while tempting, wasn't right if Maddie was in the house, and they hadn't defined Alex and her relationship.
At this point, she was a babysitter that kissed him and let him feel her up a little. She didn't want to turn into the cliché nanny that slept with her boss to get a better life.
Her phone rang, and she answered it when Alex's name came up.
"Good morning."
"Back at ya."
His voice did things to her body. The deep timbre vibrated through her cells to sit in her core and throb.
"Are you on your way?" She shuffled through her unpaid bills and decided which one would get love this week.
"Yes, but I wanted to ask if you would join us for dinner. You're always cooking for us, but I thought I'd cook for you."
If her heart wasn't in this game already, it was now. "You want to cook for me?"
"I do. We want to spend more time with you because Mads missed you, and I did too."
They missed her. "I don't know," she teased. "I mean it's Aspen Cove and the center of all that's entertaining in the world. I thought about standing in my garden and waiting for a weed to sprout."
"Ooh." He whistled. "I don't know if I can beat that. All I can offer is a barbecued burger and me."
"Are you the appetizer or the dessert?" She loved the bantering between them. It was night and day from their first meeting when he accused her of leaving underwear, which she did, and she chastised him for treating Maddie like an inconvenience, which he had.
"I can be both."
"Hmm, when did you say Maddie had a sleepover?"
"Are you saying that you'd stay the night if I arranged one?"
She giggled. "All I'm saying is I like appetizers and dessert."
"See you in a few minutes." The phone was muffled when he told Maddie to get her bear, but when he uncovered it, he said. "I'll give you a sneak peek of what's to come when I get there."
As soon as they hung up, she raced to the bathroom to slick on some gloss and pink her cheeks. Looking into the mirror, she noticed a drop of coffee on her shirt, and there was no way she'd look like a slob when he came, so she rushed to her room to pick something else to wear.
It was supposed to be nearly eighty degrees today. That was hot for the mountains, but it was summer. When a search through her closet turned up nothing, she rummaged through her drawers. Since her legs were one of her finer features and Alex hadn't seen much of her, she chose shorts. Not the cargo ones that came to her knees, but the daisy dukes that barely covered her butt cheeks. She called them her gardening shorts since they didn't leave a funky tan line halfway down her thigh.
Dressed and back in the kitchen, she whipped up lunch for Alex. He often complained about having nothing but Dalton's take and bake pizza, and since she grilled chicken yesterday, she imagined a grilled chicken sandwich on a roll might be a nice change for him.
She had it all bagged when she heard them at the door. She hurriedly wrote, Have a nice day, and put a smiley face on a Post-it note and tucked it inside before she bustled to the door and swung it open.
Maddie rushed in and flung herself into Mercy's arms. "I missed you."
Mercy kissed the top of her head and squeezed her. "I missed you too." She also missed the heat in Alex's eyes, the same fiery passion she saw now when she glanced at him. "How was the zoo?"
"It was great, but there was this one lonely ape who would have loved to see a beautiful blonde with long legs visit."
"Is that so?" She turned Maddie around, so she faced the kitchen. "I made sugar cookies shaped like animals. Go pick one out while I talk to your dad." Maddie dashed to the kitchen, leaving them alone. Thankfully, kids were easy to distract.
Alex moved close enough for their chests to touch. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"I thought you might like to tell me how much you missed me."
"Is there anything she can get into trouble with in there?" He nodded toward the kitchen.
"A stomachache if she eats too many cookies, but there's nothing on the stove, and the knives are put away. Why?"
He gripped her hips and lifted her. "Rather than tell you how much I missed you, I'll show you."
She wrapped her legs around his waist as he moved down the hallway and darted into the first open door. It was a spare room, the one Maddie took a nap in when she got tired.
Once inside, he kicked the door shut and pressed her against the wall before covering her mouth in a blistering kiss. His hand moved to her thighs, and he hoisted her higher on his waist but never stopped the kiss.
With her hand wrapped around his neck, she held on as if her life depended on it.
How could a kiss taste better than a sugar cookie? Was it that his cologne mixed with his pheromones threaded inside her brain to make her senseless?
When he pulled back, and their lips parted, she felt the loss of him.
"You must have only missed me a little if you quit the kiss so soon."
She slid down his body until her feet hit the ground. "That was only a taste," he said. "It was intended to whet your appetite for later."
She was wet, all right. "I'm definitely interested in more."
He ran his hands up her sides until they rested on her shou
lders. "Glad to hear that." When he kissed the top of her head, he pulled back. "Would you mind bringing Maddie with you? I'll meet you at my house at around six."
"Six sounds great."
He leaned in for another kiss; only this one was long and languid and made her knees turn to liquid.
"I have to go. We're wrapping up the album this week. The faster I get there, the quicker I'll be home to make you dinner."
"Go then."
He opened the door and offered her his hand. When she clasped it, he brought the backside to his lips. "You're way too good for me."
"You're probably right, but my mom thinks I should take a walk on the wild side."
They walked hand in hand into the kitchen, where they found Maddie drawing in Mercy's notebook.
"Hey, Mads, Daddy's got to go to work," he said. "I'll see you for dinner. Mercy is coming over to eat."
The way Maddie was clapping and squealing you would have thought he'd told her he bought a pony.
Alex kissed Maddie on the head and brushed his lips across Mercy's.
"Daddy kissed you too."
Alex shook his head. "Kids don't miss a thing." He tugged Mercy to his side. "I like to kiss both of my girls." He leaned in and whispered. "Bring an appetite."
"Speaking of an appetite, I made you lunch to avoid another day of pizza."
His eyes softened. "You made me lunch?"
"Yes, it's a grilled chicken sandwich, chips, and a couple of cookies."
She opened the refrigerator and took out the bag to hand to him.
He held it to his chest. "I don't think I've ever had a woman make me a lunch."
"Not even your mom?"
He dropped his head. "No, she could barely make it out of bed most days."
She touched his arm. "You deserved better."
"Yep, but I got what I got." He glanced at Maddie, and Mercy swore she saw determination in his expression and knew in her heart he'd do better for his daughter.
As soon as Alex left, the usually quiet Maddie talked for over an hour about the weekend trip she had with her father. She told her about every animal she remembered in the zoo and how the museum had a big dinosaur in the first room they entered.
One Hundred Lessons (An Aspen Cove Small Town Romance Book 15) Page 10